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

[Clint]

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.

[zclonedude]

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

[Web Guy]

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!!

[Clint]

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

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.

[kwikbb]

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! :)

[zclonedude]

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

[Clint]

Originally posted by kwikbb

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! :)

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.

[kwikbb]

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.

[AUDI-TT]

Exactly how big are Epoch Racers???

[JackD]

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.

[frizzen]

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!!!

[frizzen]

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.

[zclonedude]

: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:(

[Suntzu28]

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.

[Btman]

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

[chelboed]

I just got one that had been returned. The left headlight lense is missing, so I got it for $5.00!!! FIVE BUCKS!!!

Does anyone have a problem with theirs going straight? Mine is fine under normal power, but when I hammer the throttle, it goes to one side or the other. It doesn't get even traction on both sides all the time. One side spins and the other hooks up. Any ideas? I have tried twisting the chassis to make it straighten out a bit. It helped a little.

WOW, what a deal, though. It's not as fast as my 4cell Epoch spec2, but it's fun.

[chelboed]

I just did a 4 cell mod on the Viper, and it's a smidge faster than my 4 cell Epoch Spec2 WRC.

Viper vs. Epoch

1. Steering is slower than the Epoch. It is definately nice with the 6 position steering, but still not as smooth or quick as the Epoch.

2. Speed: Out of the box, Viper is faster. If you do the 4 cell mod on both cars, Viper is faster. Speed proportionality is pretty smooth and functional on the Viper, but the Epoch is much smoother.

3. Handling? EPOCH all the way, bro! The Viper handles MUCH beter than my 3 cell Zap because of the proportionality, but the EPOCH rules the roost here.

4. Traction: The Epoch gets much better traction and accelerates straighter. On smooth floors, the Viper that I got donut's out if you hammer the throttle. You have to ease into it with the Viper.

5. Weight: Viper is lighter. Probably why traction is not so good. The Epoch seems more to scale weight wise.

6. Charger: Both use a 6AA pod that they sit on. The Viper charger is less tedious. Charge time is much longer on the Viper. I haven't checked with a clock, but run time seems longer as well.

7. Extra's: Viper-headlights, turn signals, and hazard lights that are controlled by the Tx. Epoch-L/R drift adj. and fwd/rev trim adj. on the Tx. Very important to me. The Viper has a cheesy plastic drift on the bottom of the chassis.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: Epoch all the way man!!!!!!
Viper is a decent entry level car, but the Epoch is worth the price.
Pony Up! The Viper is only slightly faster than the Epoch, but enough to notice. I still love the Epoch TONS better. It is much more controllable, and FULLY proportional. The Viper is fun, but it is no match for the Epoch Indoor Racer!

An Epoch can be found in the neighborhood of $90. The Viper (if you can find one) can be found for about $10. (I got mine for $5)

[got BITS?]

I'm thinking of one of these. I honestly CANNOT afford an epolch at $90. Are the parts swappable with epos?

[chelboed]

I'm not sure that much would be. You wouldn't want to put any of the Viper stuff on the Epoch, for fear of dumbing it down. If you wanna put Epoch stuff on the Viper, that would be okay. The battery pak looks the same all the way down to the + sticker on the one side. I think tires are swapable. I haven't checked much else. I don't want to take anything off my Epoch.

[got BITS?]

I like 1:43 scale cars :) I used to collect the NASCAR 1:43 cars but the local NASCAR shop shut down. Parents woun''t drive me to the other side of the other town (Milpitas) Anyone willing to sell me their viper?

[devedander]

Anyone figure out how to fix the sharp turning one way on these? I know some people have ones that work perfect so it's not a flaw in design.

[Btman]

I have noticed that my Viper turns evenly on a higher traction surface. This is probably due to the lack of a differential compared to the Epoch rear axle. If you are running on a low traction surface such as a hardware or tile floor, that may be the problem. Roughing up the tires a little with sandpaper may help if that is your problem. The lack of rear differential is one of the main reasons the viper does not handle tight circles as well as the Epoch racer. The RS Viper is still a very good car for the money in my opinion.

[got BITS?]

Can someone please sell me a viper. I have $4 right now & am hopefully getting $5 from a bit char-g motor sale.

[deoblehc]

I'll trade you mine for an Epoch:D