Takara Tomy’s Q-steer, PART 2 – Specs and why this mini IR Car is a big leap from Bit Char-G

 Big Leap Forward

Q-steer was one of the advanced in mini R/C. It really overruns Bit char-G in many aspects. Both Bit Char-G and Q-steer were designed for table-top or indoor use. First of all, the device used for communicating the car from the transmitter. Bit Char-G used radio frequency like all other conventional radio-controlled cars and it really carried a lot of defects since these cars were expected to run more that 2 cars at the same time, for Bit Char-G, it really is a nightmare of bringing different frequencies. My experience was when I got my first Bit Char-G which was the 2-speed Nissan Fairlady Z, the car carried a 57-MHz microchip. And it was embarrassing because I cannot play in the living room since it distorts some of the stations of the tv. Bit Char-G dropped in a very interruptive frequency that prevents you from playing around. On the other hand, Q-steer understood what it is for and instead of carrying an R/C unit, it carried an IR system or Infrared for command transmission. This was amazing because I can now play anywhere without interrupting anyone or anything. Although one thing worries me, it is the range of the car from the remote. The manual says it can go as far as 1.5 meters from the remote or 5 feet with the car staying within the remote’s range of 30 degrees below horizontal axis. I tested that claim and it seems it can go as far as you want as long as the 30-degree range covers the car. Another reason why Q-steer is a big leap is that it catches more attention than Bit Char-G. It catches more attention since Q-steer is smaller than Bit Char-G.

Q-steer also had a very good background in the toy industry. Q-steer was an adaption from the pullback cars, Choro-Q. Choro-Q was so famous that kids love buying each and everyone of them, just like Tomica’s. Choro-Q resized almost all japanses cars, from old times to present, into small cute little pullback cars. The Bit Char-G on the other hand had one similar thing to the Q-steer, which was the Bit racer. It’s the same with CDS or Choro-Q deck system which was mini-4wd cars that run along a track. It wasn’t  famous at that time until Bit Char-G came along.

Specifications

Q-steer was smaller than Bit Char-G. As a result, more and more details of the real car vanished. Although it’s not a problem for enthusiasts and hobbyists because they’ll understand why.

 Q-steer has the 40-mm S-tech IR chassis developed by Takara-Tomy. It runs with a smaller Bit Char-G motor “Micro-B”, according to some Q-steer hobbyists. The chassis is 4-cm long andabout 1.5 to 2-cm wide. The body of the car is not like the Bit Char-G that can be removed easily and replace another body that can be purchased separately. Q-steer’s body is similar to Choro-Q except that the front end of the body is glued onto the chassis. It can be replaced with Choro-Q bodies but requires hobby skills to do it. You need to remove some excess areas in the Choro-Q body to make sure that the body fits. Sometimes, you’ll have to be picky with the bodies because it’ll become difficult for the infrared to penetrate throught the very dark transparent windows. Choro-Q bodies sometimes carry opaque windows that are colored black. The S-tech chassis features a front suspension. Judging the car from underneath, the suspension is different from the Bit Char-G.

 The car’s S-tech chassis features two-band system in every car. The remote can control up to four bansd, A,B,C and D. Each car comes in two bands, A-B or C-D. The car can switch from each of its bands to another band. For example, the Sprinter Trueno (AE86) Q-steer above runs on C-D band. If another player wants to play, carrying one of the bands, say band D, I can switch the car’s band below the chassis to band C. The ON/OFF switch has been lifted from the remote and dropped to the car. This prevents the car’s battery terminals from corroding. The batteries have been replaced with dry button cells so that it will be cheaper and more efficient to operate the car and lessen the casualties. The car features a standard “BOOST” feature which is an optional to Bit Char-G. This brings another button onto the remote that makes the car run faster than normal speed  while being pressed with the Forward or Backward run button.

 The Boost button is located at the upper right of the remote. Since the car runs on 4 bands, up to 4 cars can play at the same time and place. The wheels can be removed for cleaning purposes and the motor can also be replaced with a new motor that comes with the car, depending on the package you will buy. Some even come in two cars, with pylons or cones for additional game thrill.

Techincal Specs:

Chassis: 40-mm S-tech Infrared Control Chassis

Band: Twin-band per car, up to four bands for remote

Dimensions: 4cm x 2cm X 1.5 cm (approx.)

Motor: depending on package, most carried Normal speed type

Steering: Magnet steering system (Rack and Pinion is impossible for a car this small. :D)