| Episode II: Attack of the Clones! - updated 8/17/02 |
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Tomica BitChar-G
| Hobbico Microsizers
| Bit Charge Smart Cars |
Atomic Toys Z-cars Less than 6 months after the Japanese debut of the BitChar-G, a formidable army of clones have invaded the world in a desperate bid to be "first to market" outside of Japan. Filling the international void created by the new Micro RC genre, are several contenders as varied as the cars themselves. Just as real cars are marketed differently in different countries, so are micro Arcs. Some clones vary in specifications due to restrictions in the country they plan to be introduced, while others alter the technology or end-product enough to warrant a separate patent. In theory (and to my best understanding), each country's market should have only one legitimate distributor/manufacturer, the company officially licensed to distribute the products of the original patent holder. In this case, Tomica would be the original patent holder. The exceptions would be those clones, or products altered significantly enough to warrant a separate patent. But because of the wonders of eBay and the Internet, all these clones are just a mouse-click away. The majority of the clones seem to be products marketed for mainland
China. This is not surprising because Tomy's original equipment
manufacturer, or OEM, is located in China. When manufacturing factories
are contracted to begin producing a new toy, they must first retool, or
create the molds that make the the toy. Although often costly, once created,
the OEM now has the ability to create those same toys, or parts of the
toys, for other outside contracts. How legal is this? I don't really know,
but China isn't a pioneer in enforcing patent laws (gasp!). Read on for
a brief synopsis of each of the 'known' clones. Tomica BitChar-G TOP How can you begin a clone review without covering the original?! Tomica's
(Tomy) BitChar-G was the competitive answer to the hugely popular
Takara Digi-Q in Japan. Although the Digi-Q is considerably
more popular there, the Bits seemingly endless upgrade possibilities have
made it the top choice for the rest of the world. Availability of the
Bits are also much better to the outside world, than are the Digi-Q,
making it easier and more affordable to attain. Fundamentally different
to the Digi-Q, Bits operate on radio frequency and use actual front
wheel steering as opposed to Takaras IR control and differential
steering. Quality and patent ownership are what differentiates the Bit
from the clones and consequently makes them superior. Hobbico Microsizers TOP This is the official release of Tomy's BitChar-Gs in the US. Although authentic, notable differences (other than the name) include tinted black windows and only two frequencies, 27mhz & 49mhz. This limitation is due to FCC restrictions on US radio frequencies reserved for RC modeling. Fortunately, for those of us who have all four original Japanese frequencies, the 49mhz model is a welcome addition, allowing for 5 cars to be operated simultaneously. Hobbico plans to eventually release the full line of cars including all accessories (pertaining to the CharG only). No word yet on the Bit Racer. The cars are available as soon as August 2002, with staggered release dates for additional models in subsequent months. Because of its legitimate pedigree, the Microsizers, along with the Bits, represent the top end of the clone spectrum. For more information, click here.
Bit Charge Smart Car TOP At just 54mm, these clones compete with the Takara Digi-Q for
the title of the worlds smallest RC car. Although smaller, the underlying
technology behind these cars is fundamentally the same as the Bits (crammed
into a shorter chassis). The most notable difference is the transparent
chassis, but this clone also has an engine revving sound, controller disco
lights, and a light inside the car! Fortunately you can disable the engine
reving sound and disco light. The car light is a good idea but the poor
placement illuminates the windshields, but not the headlamps. The controller
takes 3 AA batteries and is shaped like a computer mouse, thus it is often
called the OEM mouse. Like the Bits, the controller doubles as
a charger, but also a carrying case! A neckstrap and pylons are
included. The motors are micro B, and the heatsink and gear dimensions
are the same as Tomys. NiCds are replaced with NiMH cells. The rims are
chrome 5 spoke. Because of the smaller form factor, fewer internal parts
are interchangeable. The four body styles cannot fit Bits. Atomic Toys Z-Cars TOP The Z-Cars are the official US distribution of the Bit Charge Smart Car. Atomic Toys based in San Diego handles the marketing & distribution of the toys. Z-Cars, like the Microsizers, are limited to only 27mhz and 49mhz because of FCC restrictions. Upgrade motors are available in 2.6 and 3.0 speed. The stock motor is 2.2. The car offers only 4 body styles. They are available in the US now, and upgrade motors will be available in August. The Z-cars and Smart Cars represent the most significant variation in clone offerings. For more information, click here.
Micro-Q (OEM) TOP This clone is identical to the bits with exception for the 4 available
body styles, and slight modifications to the controller design. The controller
is the same in color scheme and dimension, but has what appears to be
a charger port on both sides. Only one actually charges, the other serves
no purpose, except possibly to store items. The controller also uses a
telescopic antenna, but because the antenna is housed within the controller,
it has a length of only 9 inches, limiting range. The four standard Bit
frequencies are used. The box is similar in dimension but uses a completely
different design. Like the Z-cars, they also come with pylons
as well as a micro screwdriver and English instructions. Very little is
known about this clone because its only known US importer is very vague
about the items origin and manufacturer. Feedback about sales and customer
service however, is excellent. TT Hongli Char-G (OEM) (revised 7/1) TOP This clone is one of the most similar to the original Bits, having no extras to offer like the other clones in this review. The actual units are seemingly identical except for the labeling and paint jobs, which dont vary a great deal. These items are so similar in fact, that the companies didn't even bother to create a unique box design, choosing rather to use Tomys, after having only renamed it with their logo and brand (in the same font style to boot!). What's sadder, is the body style depicted on the box does not match the body contained in the box! Apparently, time proven product labeling practices are thrown out the door, in favor of cost cuts? I suppose we stand to benefit from this in the end. One improvement over the Bits is the addition of a belt clip to the battery cover on the controller. The plastic used to cast the controller has a cheap look and feel. The bodys are interchangeable but the alignment of the body tabs are not exactly the same, so the attitude of the cars change between the different clone chassis's. The body is cast in white plastic, so the windows are not clear. They are painted black instead. These cars represent the middle ground in the clone spectrum, because of their lack of effort to differentiate or provide value-added enhancements. Leyu BitChar-A (OEM) (revised 7/1) TOP This Bit is very good clone in terms of appearance. One nice touch is that the body has clear windows unlike the Hongli and Bensu's. The first thing I noticed when assembling the car, is that nothing fit exactly right. Everything assembles properly, but not with a precise fit like the Bits. From the body to the axles to the heatsink. The antenna wire is routed directly out the back from under the PCB board and is a thicker gauge than the stock, but not solid copper core. The gears have the same dimension teeth,but a different ratio and color code. the motor gear has 8 teeth and a gear ratio of 6.57:1. The steering magnet is white, and the sway bar is harder than the stock tomy, and props the car up higher due to two small plastic ball like bumps at the ends.of the sway bar. The PCB board is a copy of the Tomy Revision 4 board but looks much cheaper. The PCB is even translucent. The NiCd is a generic Chinese brand, with no printed or discernable labels except the QA sticker on it. All the details on the box have no bearing on the car inside. So dont even bother scouring for details, because the company arbitrarily uses various Tomy carbox designs irrespective of the car within. The cars themselves do not have any permanent markings to indicate frequency, only stickers, so dont peel em off till you've memorized it. Hehe. Also, the thin copper wiring for the steering is extremely long, and thus kinda bunches up beneath the PCB board. Performance is comparable to Tomys, as far as I can tell. All in all a great buy for the money.
ST/Bensu Thunderbolt Racing Cars (OEM) TOP This clone from mainland china comes in a clear plastic display container that looks similar to a "bullet", and is thus often referred to as the OEM Bullet. The controller/charger uses a telescopic antenna and doubles as the base of the display container, making the packaging and storing of the item quite unique. 2 AA's required. Quality is said to be poorer than Tomicas, which probably justifies the lower price. Its parts are largely interchangeable with that of the bits. Slight differences include a transparent blue PCB cover, a differently design heatsink, and a non-OEM motor, which is much faster than the stock micro B 1.0 motor. The Bensu's also offer a few body styles not available with the Bits, in addition to the standard ones. The bodies are cast in colored plastic, so there are no transparent headlamps or windshields and gives the car a cheap appearance. The windshields are painted opaque black, and most if not all have racing style paint jobs. The motor and axle gears have larger teeth and a different ratio than the bits. Several owners have attributed this to be the reason for the cars noisy operation. Bensu's do not have upgrade parts. Finally, the Thunderbolt's use NiMH batteries, instead of NiCDs. The US release of these cars, are known as MicroMites. They are identical
except for the labeling, and sell for $20-25 dollars. MicroMites are available
in the Japantown shopping center in San Francisco. Smartland Micro-X (R7) Mini Racer TOP This clone follows the concept of the Bensu Thunderbolts, where
the controller also doubles as a charger as well as a base for the clear
plastic display case. To differentiate itself, the case is cube shaped,
so the controller is a palm-sized square. Because of the case's shape,
the car is referred to as the OEM Cubic. The Mini Racer
body styles are of Mercedes CLK GT-R's with different color accents and
racing style paint jobs. The body are cast in white plastic, instead of
clear, and have black windows. The rims are white slanted tri spoke and
have a finish very similar to the body, resulting in a very cheap looking
product. The controller requires 2 AA batteries. Like the Thunderbolts,
these represent the low end of the scale. Smartland Micro-X (R7) TOP This cross breed clone is really just a Smartland Micro-X Mini Racer fitted with a BCQ-100 PCB board to replace the radio control with IR Digi-propo control (Infrared Digital Proportional Control). IR Digi-propo is the same technology used by the Takara Digi-Q's which eliminates the need for an antenna, but operates via line of sight. Body style is identical to the Mini Racer, without the racing style paint job. Instead, bodies are painted in solid colors, to mimic the low key Digi-Q style. The rest of the vehicle is the same as the Mini Racer except for the controller, which is replaced with a gun-style design similar to the Digi-Q's. This product is being sold as an "OEM Digi-Q" which is really a misnomer because the car doesn't use any Digi-Q parts, other than the RC technology, which is commercially available separately. It is highly unlikely that Smartlands manufacturer also produces Takaras product. Sahara Off-Road TOP This clone puts an off-road twist to the Bit clone. But before you jump for joy... the only thing off-road about this car are the knobby tires and the hard top jeep style body. The chassis is again based on the Bit design, but is cast in grey plastic. Even the PCB cover (which is normally clear) is cast in opaque grey plastic. The controller is hideous! The controller is designed to look like an off-road diorama of sorts. It is basically a dirt hill, with a charger port in the very top center of the dirt mound. Pull on a small rock and out comes the wire antenna similar to the original bit. Aside from the fact that holding a hard mound of dirt is far from ergonomic, it is just plain ugly. I have only seen this one on eBay. If you are a die-hard collector, then this clone is a must. If you just like to modify stuff, buy it for the dirt tires, the grey chassis, or the cool looking body. If you really want off-road Bits, wait for the genuine Tomy version. Speed Dragons TOP This car is unique, in that there is no other clone similar to it. It
comes in a cube display case, similar to the Smartland's but the
edges are sharp, not rounded. The base doubles as the controller. I have
only seen two body styles, the skyline and a very cool looking mercedes
hatchback. The rims are chrome tri-spokes. There isd not much else I can
say about these because I didnt buy one for review, as the store that
sold them priced this clone at $25. Ouch. This review will be updated continually as more clones appear. Consider it a work in progress! Our next article will cover all types of micro RC's. In the meantime, here are some company links to introduce you to the rest of the world of micro RC's!
Sources:
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