Nifty and customizable
Written: Jan 03 '03
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Pros: Small, fast and works quite well; customization options available; fun for cats
Cons: Limited range; short battery life; wheels pop out of line easily
The Bottom Line: If your child doesn't destroy it through some careless act, the little nipper will enjoy the heck out of this. It's great for adults, too!
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| HawgWyld's Full Review: Z-Car Mini Remote Controlled Toy Car |
My little brother bought my six-year-old son one of these for Christmas after going through a rather involved search for miniature radio-controlled cars. It seems mini r/c cars were in short supply while my brother was shopping and the ones he could find weren't that good. He did find the Z-Car in stock, along with another model that looked pretty good.
However, the other option was "obviously foreign" in the models available bore stickers with words on them obviously stuck there by someone without any working knowledge of the English language. One, for example, read "brake," while others bore messages such as "transmission" and "engine." So, my brother wound up purchasing the nifty little Z-Car for my son.
These little units, in short, are fun as hell but come with a few problems. I'll mention the positive aspects first because these are, frankly, dandy fun. The Z-Car kit my son received came with a car (of course) and a charger which doubles as a controller. The unit takes 3 "AAA" batteries and provides the car with about a four to five minute charge. That's plenty of time to zip the Z-Car around the house and it only takes 45 seconds to get a fresh charge.
On the underside of the charger are the controls, which allow for a full range of motion (forward and reverse on one switch, left and right steering on another). The base contains an antenna which gets a good signal to the car, although I did notice the signal deteriorates greatly when the car is 15 to 20 yards away from the controller.
The car is plenty fast, and I discovered I could have a jolly time by frightening our cats with it. The small thing skitters across the floor pretty well for something the size of a Hot Wheels car and I managed to torment our two adult cats by steering it at them. However, Ramona the kitten wasn't afraid of it at all and learned she could bat it across the floor quite well with her paw or pick it up easily with her mouth by biting the flexible, wire antenna built into the car. Oh, well.
And, here's a really neat-o thing about the car -- it's customizable. Indeed, the car we got was rather plain (it's just a blue sports car of some sort), but there are other bodies available, as well as sticker packages (just check out the company's site at www.zoomagoo for details). Also, larger engines are available, as well as tires for racing or rougher terrain, lower-geared engines for more power on bumpy services and etc. I doubt we'll ever purchase a customization package because my son doesn't seem to give a damn one way or the other. That's fine with me, but it's nice there are options available.
Now, this car comes with a few drawbacks. Essentially, you get the same drawbacks as you do with larger r/c cars, but they are amplified considerably with the Z-Car. I've mentioned the limited range on this, but that's not too much of a problem -- we probably won't run it outside very often anyway.
And, why wouldn't we run it very often? You really have to have a fairly flat, debris-free surface to use this car. While I know customization options are available, I rather doubt anything will allow this car to spin its tiny wheels across a lawn or any other rough, uneven surface.
Another problem, however, is this -- it's hard to keep the wheels aligned on the car. While the front wheels can be adjusted, it's just downright easy to smack the car out of alignment. So, you'll find yourself tinkering with the alignment often unless you enjoy driving in circles.
I also question the durability of the Z-Car. While it's held up fairly well to the attacks of Ramona the kitten, I'm sure it will be crushed to dust if stepped on by a human. The car is quite delicate and will likely not stand up well to rugged play. As my son is the type who's never gentle on toys, I'll be surprised if the Z-Car lasts for long. That's too bad. Perhaps I'll have to buy one for myself.
Oh, and there's a feature I didn't mention. The base can be set to emit "revving" sounds when the car is in operation. We tend to turn that feature off as it's annoying.
All in all, this is a pretty good deal. The car is certainly a lot of fun and my son can operate it and charge it easily. The problems associated with it are nothing more than you'd expect, really, and are far outweighed by the benefits. I always loved Hot Wheels cars as a kid, and the ability to "drive" a vehicle that size is quite appealing.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): gift
Type of Toy: Car, Truck or Raceway
Age Range of Child: 6 to 8 Years
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Epinions.com ID:
HawgWyld
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 - Top 200 |
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Member: Ethan C. Nobles
Location: Benton, Ark.
Reviews written: 1420
Trusted by: 495 members
About Me:
The oxen are slow, but the earth is patient.
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