Future of SE?
 

None.. None in the store. The SE Infini-D pak is with the xmod customizations now by itself. But all the counterspace is filled with regular Zip Zaps..

Plus, I just read here someone picked up the last SE in their town.

They are "SE" afterall. So..

Are newer versions coming out?
Are they being discontinued (NOOO!)?
Are they simply between orders from the factory?

Not to be brash or anything..but..good riddance..I was disappointed with my SE's..they just seemed to be a good idea gone wrong in the worst way imaginable to me. Did not live up to the hype..in my own opinion, the future of ZipZaps and Bit Char-G is bleak. With most hobbyists moving on to larger cars, and better clones coming out every day, theres no chance of either's survival unless we see some drastic changes. I personally adore the Toys R Us exclusive SuperSlicks micro RC line..best pocket-size micro I've ever owned, and these things are literally oozing with potential for mods..not trying to flame, just my two cents.

I'd rather have my smaller SE with proportional steering.. you know, so I actually can drive than "look good" going in a straight line. :D

Sure its not perfect, but its still has it unlike the Superslicks which remote is setup to "trick" the buyer into thinking it does.

I like my SE especially after MOSFET mod (3x faster more responsive steering). So Rotary Freak if you wanna offload your SE in a trade or maybe cash let me know.... I really hope they don't abandon the SE but improve upon what they have layed out. There are many RS stores in my area and the numbers differ. Some have none, some have many. Most of them ran really low during x-mas and it doesn't look like they've received any new shipments.

You've been here for 3 months, I've been here for 14. I know that that TRU car will last half as long as ZZ or Bits. In Germany there's a lot of activity related to bits. The only future that is bleak is for SS.

It isin't a matter of how long one has been on the forum..I respect your opinion, and all the things I said were mine. Sorry if I offended anyone. The statement I was attempting to make was that I'm unsatisfied with my SE..now if they were to come back again with improvements (Better torque, less power sapping lights, improved propo), I'd probably be all over them again just like I was the first time. I am interested in the Super-Char G's and ToyEasts Perfection LXX line as well. I had been messing around with Bits (under the MicroSizers monkier) and Zips about a year before I joined, they were fun, and I decided to buy an SS just to test it out, I found it to be quick, handle well (even without propo, its still good if you know how to talk to it right..), and have the best detail in terms of body styling. Its my favorite so far in my Micro RC garage. Hasn't messed up on me yet and I've never had any bad experiences with it (Unlike my ZipZaps and Microsizers..), I'm considering breathing life back into my MS Pro as we speak..So yeah, I do apologize for my harshness, I didin't expect to upset anyone. I was frustrated at the time and thats usually a bad time to post. I do hope that the suits at RS decide to get their act together and make improvements, I'd even take little things like the body sitting lower (and not so..crooked) on the chassis as an improvement. I think some of it stems from the Initial D bodies..I was very mad about those (If you're gonna do them..do them right..), and really wish Tokyopop would stop ruining my favorite anime/manga series and cashing in on their watered down version..Anyway..sorry for this huge long post too. The SE will probably be back (if its gone), its one of the flagship toys, unless attention stays focused on the X-Mods. Kay, I'm shut up now.

*edit* maybe not..um, Bit activity..in Germany? Like..what? In terms of users or manufacturing?

I think my SE is great. So yeah, it's a little heavier. So yeah, it sucks unless you take a soldering iron to it (and solder I did!). So yeah, it needs a little help from MicroAmps (all hail the king of insane cars!). But, all things considered, it's a very nice car for 25.00-especially considering that for another 50 cents of solder and enamled thin wire, the thing becomes WAAY better. (the steering mod appears to improve runtime/accel, I do not know why....)
Honestly, all of you whiners should get one of those 300$ 1:70 scale cars they sold in the 90's. They have perfect propo, and are smaller than Bitchargers. Sure, they're expensive, but you get what you pay for, and in the case of the ZZSE's, that's a pretty good deal indeed.
As a side note, I am looking to make Li-Ion packs for the FET'ed ZZSE's, which will increase the runtime to about an HOUR with about the same weight as 3 200mah cells. I fly lithiums, and am extremely impressed with them.

What's wrong with the Torque on ZZs. Oh, in Germany they get exclusive German clones and all the special Bits from the Orient, and they can get ZZs shipped in no time. You kind of get the picture.

Ah..interesting. I dunno, maybe it was just my SE..but the thing was just..torqueless. My old ZZ could climb huge inclines like they were nothin, but the SE just kinda helplessly spun its wheels and strained to keep itsself up. Maybe I used bad gearing? (I typically use red, or green..but I hear alot about the SE and blue gears..) Well..crap..you guys have brought me back. SE mods here I come :o , I wonder if my RS ever got those German SE bodies..

k well, i dont think you were harsh or anything on your first post ... i mean SE's do have lots of flaws, as do Bits and MS .... when they first came out LOTS of people had complaints about them.... but latter on they started getting better... hopefully the same thing will happen to the SE's.... :)

and Canadian Bit .... you gotta calm down.... theyre just toys....:rolleyes:

I'd love to see SE v.2's..I just wish companies nowadays did more testing and things on their product to ENSURE that all will work properly. I know products are rushed to ensure the companies cash flow and all..but still..its disappointing to see something so cool come out so flawed. Good thing there are communities like ours to fix those flaws, and make it work twice as well. (Looks at previous posts) Geez I have long posts :eek:

Yeah, im never going to quote anything that long ever again... :p

i wish that RS would fix the messed up steering on the SE's and make better bodies, like ferrari enzos and cars from the super bit char-g line

Where's the fun in that?
 

I think your ranting on the subject of ZZSE quality is nuts. Sure, these things need a few hours of work and a FET mod do compare to microsizers in terms of speed, but that is not why we bought them in the first place. I personally love tinkering with my ZZSE, and it has become my priamary hobby as of late.
There's also the issue of price. Please consider the fact that RS integrated a motor, gearbox, chassis, full propo reciver, propo ESC, propo servo, and a propo AM transmitter in a kit for 25 bucks. I personally am very satisfied with my ZZSE, as it gets very good runtimes, can climb up most things with relative ease (lets see a REAL car go up a 45 degree slope!) and is pretty fast, with a top scale speed of about 250 mph. (1:64 scale means that 4 mph=~256, although physics and scale make it seem like less).
In addition, I would like you to consider the original point of these things: TO HAVE FUN! Who cares if your car is slow if you have a good time? Who cares if you do'nt win a lot? IF YOU HAVE A GOOD TIME, THAT's ALL THAT MATTERS. Propo steering is just another useful convienience.

Re: Where's the fun in that?
 

Well, if theres money to be won ... i want a bit more speed to win....:p

but yeah, the best part about SE's is the fact that theyre soo much to be done... so your always tinkering with it....

but wouldnt you rather have a car that works well rite out of the box? rather than one your have to mess around with until it performs well?

Look for a review of "Big Rigs: Over
the Road Racing" (PC) or "Gods and Generals" (PC) on www.Gamespot.com, you'll see. ;)

Re: Re: Where's the fun in that?
 

If you want that. Stick with well made "toy" (non-upgradable) r/c. Maybe like a tyco or something. These cars were made to be tweaked to some extent. We just choose to take them further then their original intension.

Unless you dont like being under the hood, which then I question why are you even bothering to play with these types?

Sorry Im a little tiffed at this.. Its the same thing thats happened in bigger R/C with people wanting RTR. Which dismissis the entire point of kits (and ruins the hobby with people who cant take care of things themselves).

Re: Re: Re: Where's the fun in that?
 

yeah, when RTR 1:10ths started coming out ... i was really disappointed ... expecially the electronics ... but whats tiffed?:p j.k

i dont mind modifying, thats probably the best part about micro RCs! but wouldnt you be pissed if your 1:10 kit came poorly built? (as in the actual design ... no like pre-built) .... i dont knwo about you but i would be pissed ... if i've paid $90 for a X-RayM18 kit i would want the shaft drive and susupension (probably the 2 things that make it better than a micro rs4 IMO) to have been designed well

Re: Re: Where's the fun in that?
 

Geez, what's the fun in that? I personally mold my foamies (rc airplanes made of depron or bluecor) over a peice of pvc pipe. I biuld stuff myself, and belive in making stuff from scratch whenever possible. Heck, I'm in the process of re-winding a CD-ROM motor for brushless.
Look, if you want RTR go out and spend big bucks. Send it to somone like me to have the antenna replaced, the steering fixed, and the internals lubed. Send it to MicroAmps (I will be!) for an upgrades.
Or, do it yourself. Replace the wheels. Mess with gearings. Blow up a few cars in lithium fires. It's a lot more fun that way.

Re: Re: Re: Where's the fun in that?
 

Looks like im fighting a losing battle...:mad: :D

I wasnt saying i like RTRs, i think theyre a waste of money too! I like building stuff from stratch too! No really, i do! :p But i was talking about design, no like... you know .... that kind of building;)

Didnt you read my last post?:p i tried to correct myself... but its really difficult! I'm serious! It is! ~LoL~ J.K

I just made a wall charger for my ZZ. It works great, and at 250ma it allows you to safely charge it 3 times in a row.
Look, if you want a RTR craft, get out of the hobby, because they do'nt exist. All cars have some sort of problem, and it takes a lot of work to fix them.

No offense, but these cars are starting to wear on me. They're great for what they are, and great to work on b/c it doesn't burn a hole in your wallet. But, I think I'm gonna buy a Nitro 4-Tec soon. My need for speed is now going beyond what a Zip or X can handle. These cars are great to drive once in a while, but I'm getting bored. Yes, I will always stick by these cars, especially, b/c of the price, but I just gotta move on for a while.

Have you seen a FETed ZZSE on 4 cells? It's a rocket!
You could put it on dual liPo 210 HD's, which would put out a maximum of 8.4 volts (7.4 nominal) and get a ZZSE up to ~20mph. Sure, a Nitro RS4 (~330.00 complete w/radio) can do 50 stock, but for scale speed, Bitchargers and ZipZaps reign supreme.
There's also the fact that they're about 1/6 the price AFTER a 2-cell in paralell 210 lipo pack (3.7v@410mah, 5 grams), and a MicroAmps fet mod. Plus, you would still need Nitro fuel, a glow plug starter, and a few other items like a fuel pump.
Of course, someone could put a .020 in an Xmods, and use a White Gas/Nitro/maybe 90% isopropyl alcohol mixture for fuel....

Not true. Edit: The Nitro 4-Tec does not need a glow plug heater. All it needs is a 7.2 V battery, gas, chager, and 12 aas. If I get one, I'm gonna get an X-Mod, and in the winter use the 7.2 volt battery in that. But I have a Zip that does 20 mph. Also, with battery, charger, glow plugs,wrench, and gas, the grand total comes out to $370.

Sorry to backtrack but I kinda do agree with Strakka in that, I don't mind pulling stuff apart, seeing what makes em tick then proceed to make them better, faster. But with some of the "fixes" that need to be done to the SE, it's not moddin.... It's fixing crap that should have been done right to start.

For instance, people complain about short run times. Well use a peak charger, or make a stand alone charger. That's cool you're thinking of a better way to do something. That's cool....

But on the other hand, the steering. Turn great one way and not the other with sooo much twitching. Well, cut the jumper on the pot should FIX this, but then you'll have trouble driving straight lines and the steering will be super sensative, then change some transistors towards the motor and put a small pot to measure the correct current, mod some of the tranmitter with some resistors, and find some stiffer springs to get a better return and find the dead spot, shave the steering bar and take apart the front end to align the wheels. That seems a bit much to be able to make your car go straight and turn even. That's a basic trait of a good car, drive straight and turn.

Don't get me wrong, I like the SE as much as the next, and I totally understand that you get what you pay for, but maybe they rushed just a little bit to get a product out that can get them to capitalize on the popularity of 1/64 scale cars. And the job could have been done better so I can concentrate on how to do my own Mosfets rather than how to make a car do a decent circle.

BTW - I do have a fet modded car by uA and it screams on the stock battery. If you're itching for more speed, check it out, or contact me in a few weeks and maybe I'll sell you one of mine.

Sorry for the long winded post.... I'm trying to make up for lost time

I concur. That's one reason I won't buy an SE. If you have to send it to get it just to run normally, then it's a waste. BTW, I have a ZZ with uA's stage 2 fets. It's a monster, though I have to replace a resistor (trust me, if something looks bent, don't try to bend it back). As RC racer said: "they're great to have when you have a gas car." Anyway, I think I'm gonna get the gas car to match the Zips! :D I still like the original because I find it easier to mod. If you can't get batteries for your car, what good is it? Or, you can make a Layman's quad cell...

I just got lost. Where can I find the FET mod? The wire for steering mod also, please.
BAE

http://www.radioshack.com/images/Pro...60/60-7040.jpg
60-7040

http://www.radioshack.com/images/Pro...0/l60-7041.jpg
60-7041

http://www.radioshack.com/images/Pro...60/60-7038.jpg
60-7038

I want it!! BTW, if it's photoshopped and not real, I'll kill you!

Ummm.... check the URL of the pic links LOL! -:)

Two more for you sorry don't have pics yet but if you rember what they look like you get the idea.

60-7037 STARTSKY & HUTCH SE
60-7039 BLK CHEVY CHEVILLE SE

cj1267 - where are you getting this information from? Those cars are tight and I hope they do come out. All I need is the General Lee and I'll be content.....

SE performance
 

I have a problem with the arguement here. When I put my money down, I expect to buy a ready- to- run car to be ready to run not need a complete refining. I expect kits to have these types of problems, due to builder's faults. I can fix what I want but many people can't. Shouldn't they recieve some warning about what they are buying?
I have always liked my SEs however I also expect to mod for increased satisfaction not to build what I already bought.
I hope that the FET mod is still available since I have 2 that are ready to go. I want the throttle and steering mod done. $30 bucks is a bargain! BAE

Yeah, I agree. For me, it's not too bad cuz I somewhat enjoy the challenge of the fix and I know what I'm getting into. But the 8 year old kid that thinks they're getting the best car ever.... Are in for a surprise. I feel bad for them.

Anyhow, Micro_Amps still does the mod, just go to his website and contact him. Set it up so he knows you're sending them. I just got some back last week and sent him some on friday. One of the coolest guys you'll meet.

Almost forgot, the SE only has one mod that's 20 bucks. The stage 2 and the steering mod are for the binary cars not for the SE.

Though you guys might like the new version 3 ZZ SE

http://pic8.picturetrail.com/VOL248/...3/46407216.jpg

http://pic8.picturetrail.com/VOL248/...3/46407235.jpg

http://pic8.picturetrail.com/VOL248/...3/46407292.jpg

OMG, those wheels are horrible! The rest of the car is AWESOME!