Picked up a radio shack 1/43 Viper today. $11.99(new rat shak price)
 

OMG. it's the steal of the century...radio shack discontinued them recently and dropped the price to $11.99. Thing is, they are very hard to find.
they are hella fast...all it does is donuts on my linoleum floor. runs perfect on carpet.

it uses 6AA in the charger..so naturally, i modified it to take power from a 9volt 800mA
a/c wall adapter(adj 3v-12v). it charges perfectly...the car itself has 3 1.2v nimh 1/3AAA...same battery as in the zipzap x 3.
I also made an adapter and it charges my 3 cell bit-zap cobra like a dream.

the controller is fully proportional..both speed and steering.

there are extra channels on the controller that control left/right turn signals,
headlights and hazzards. probably end up putting a turbo voltage boost on one of these lines direct to the motor.(it really doesnt need it tho...traction is already horrible)
talk about snap throttle oversteer. :) :) :)

first mod:stickier tires.

Please tell me you live in Philly if so what rs did you go to ?
thanx

Is it BLUE with WHITE stripes? If so my kid got the same one for christmas and it is actually allot faster than I thought it was going to be. And I do nitro stuff all of the time so I can relate to real power!!

Poughkeepsie, ny..

they say there are 13 in this radio shack district.

ive heard a lot of bad things about the 1/43 vipers..but mine works great...
range is just shy of 20feet with the stock antennae. steering is straight
and the proportionalness of it is smooth enough.

i got the red with white stripes.

Hey that is a great price! I'm gonna stop at RS on the way home...

BTW Clint, just to let you know this car is a clone of an Epoch Indoor Racer... there's actually a couple of threads about the RS clone over in Epoch land.

I'm gonna send this thread over to join them.

Thanks again for the heads up! :)

Thank you Clint.. well off to my local rs wish me luck;)

Sweet..i was looking at the epochs on ebay the other day...wanted one..but the price was holding me back.

i'll probably swap all the batteries out for 150mA and add a fourth cell. there's
definitly enough room..and the extra weight out back will help traction.

If I'm able to pick one up tonite, I'll check to see if the wheels or at least the tires are swappable w/ the epoch. If so you can get foam replacements... that'll help alot.

SIZE
 

Exactly how big are Epoch Racers???

I bought a couple last week for $11.99. This is a great deal when you consider a zz (which are total slugs) cost $19.99. I think these things were going for $49.99 before Christmas. I put some EPOCH supergrip tires on mine for better traction. These things can really fly. I haven't been able to do a side by side race, but I 'm pretty sure the Viper is faster than my stock Spec 2 Epoch.

How are they packaged? What are they called? Where do they hide them in the store? Catalog number to ask for?

Come on, help me out! I must find one!!!

The catalog number was: 60-4340

If anybody has a local radio shack that still has any, and would be interested in making a couple bucks; let me know.

:D Picked up one today...awsome. I found it at the R/S at the Risingsun Plaza at Adams ave and Risingsun ave. in Philly. There phone number is (215)745-1144 they had about 3-4 left! I'm short of cash or I would of bought more, they were $9.99:eek: . It had a clearance sticker on it $29.99, the clerk took a double take when he rang it up. I said 9.99 right! He said how did you know, I smiled and said Tinyrc.com check it out! He said I will as he put one under the counter for himself.:p

Edit: Went back last night after bumming some cash off a buddy. All gone none left:( :mad: what a bummer:(

I have one with an Integra body transplant from an Epoch ( open the wheel wells and adhere) and i "roughed" up the tires for better traction with my dremel. For $25 dollars it is the BEST 4 inch racer dollar for dollar BAR NONE.

I just bought one of the last ones in my area! These things are very hard to find now in most areas. This car is much better than I expected. I think the controller has a better feel than the epoch stock transmitter and the car seems slightly faster than a stock epoch. The steering and handling is very good once you get the hang of it. The car itself seems lighter in weight compared to an Epoch racer. The steering does not seem quite as precise as the Epoch racers but it is still very good. It appears that the rear axle is solid unlike the Epoch that use differential gearing. This probably explains why the RS Viper has a slight handling disadvantage. Overall I would say this is an excellent car. I think this car would sell if Radio Shack continued to keep it around. It is a steal at the current selling price (if you can find one) but would also sell well at $30 or so when you campare it to an Epoch. I would like to see a retailer or someone get with the manufacturer of this item and make them available in different colors and body styles. I think there could be a decent market for a car this good for half the cost of an epoch. Hint: tinyrc or IRC