Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Caption Contest: Giving the gift of green against our better judgement]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/13/caption-contest-giving-the-gift-of-green-against-our-better-jud/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/13/caption-contest-giving-the-gift-of-green-against-our-better-jud/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/13/caption-contest-giving-the-gift-of-green-against-our-better-jud/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,



The move to electric-powered vehicles is still in its fledgling stages, but there are plenty of signs that the next few years will finally start ushering in battery-powered transportation for the masses. But there's one class of vehicle that has almost always been powered by batteries: R/C cars. Slap in a couple of 9-volt batteries and a slew of AA cells, and kids of all ages get to pretend they're Ken Block in the backyard until mom says it's time to clean up for supper.

Now that full-sized rides are finally "catching up" to their scaled-down counterparts, it appears that at least one toymaker, New Bright, has decided to take the next step: an R/C car that needs no batteries. It's called the Ecomobile, and it looks like a solar-powered freehand interpretation of a Smart ForTwo mated with a Toyota Prius. As you can see by its packaging, the Ecomobile takes great pride in the fact that it's ecopowered, economical and ecofriendly. It's even packaged in recyclable materials. It's $29.95. Al Gore can't stop smiling.

But how does it run? Well, you have to leave it out in the sun for one hour for every five minutes of play time. It's reportedly slow, too, and much like the EVs we've experienced in the real world, reviewers have said that the solar-powered toy doesn't quite run as long as its OEM-promised times state. Sound like fun? We don't think so either. So, in the spirit of the holidays, we've decided to come up with some of our favorite captions and/or headlines for this eco-tastic (or is that eco-tragic?) new toy. Here are some of our not-so-hilarious efforts:
  • You traded in your sports car for a Prius? Now you can limit your children's fun too!
  • The Ecomobile: Because your kids aren't teased enough already
  • The perfect toy for the kid who likes to wait to have fun
  • Now mom can't bitch about leaving toys in the backyard
  • Sweet! A toy that kids north of the Mason-Dixon line can't play with until May
As you can plainly see, we need your help. Head for the comments section and give us your best headlines for this not-so-fun-looking toy. You won't win anything for trying, but your efforts could help a misguided parent choose a different (and cooler) toy for their kid.

Caption Contest: Giving the gift of green against our better judgement originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 13 Dec 2009 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>battery powerBatteryPowercaption contestCaptionContestecomobileradio controlled carRadioControlledCarrcrc carRcCarremote controlledremote controlled carRemoteControlledRemoteControlledCarsmart fortwoSmartFortwosolarsolar carsolar powerSolarCarSolarPowerSun, 13 Dec 2009 20:01:00 EST<![CDATA[VIDEO: Radio-controlled motorcycles take to the track]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/05/02/video-radio-controlled-motorcycles-take-to-the-track/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/05/02/video-radio-controlled-motorcycles-take-to-the-track/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/05/02/video-radio-controlled-motorcycles-take-to-the-track/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Click above to watch video after the jump

Having grown up in the era of the Team Associated RC10, Tamiya Clod Buster and Team Losi JRX-2, we'll always have a soft spot for radio-controlled vehicles of all sorts. In fact, a few of the Autoblog staff still spend the occasional late-night tinkering on the kinds of small-scale projects that we couldn't afford to tackle in the real world. Therefore, we were naturally entranced by racing footage from Britain of some 1:5 scale RC motorcycles zipping around a makeshift race track.

The footage you see in the video was captured during the 2007 season, so you can bet that the action has only intensified since this was filmed. We only wish we were this adept racing with two wheels, be it on a real bike or with an RC controller grasped firmly in our digits.

[Source: British Radio Car Association via The Biker Gene]

Continue reading VIDEO: Radio-controlled motorcycles take to the track

VIDEO: Radio-controlled motorcycles take to the track originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 02 May 2009 11:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>radio controlradio controlledradio controlled carradio controlled carsradio controlled motorcycleRadioControlRadioControlledRadioControlledCarRadioControlledCarsRadioControlledMotorcyclerc carrc motorcyclerc motorcycle racingRcCarRcMotorcycleRcMotorcycleRacingSat, 02 May 2009 11:35:00 EST<![CDATA[Video: R/C car plays Mario Brothers theme song on bottles]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/16/video-r-c-car-plays-mario-brothers-theme-song-on-bottles/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/16/video-r-c-car-plays-mario-brothers-theme-song-on-bottles/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/16/video-r-c-car-plays-mario-brothers-theme-song-on-bottles/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Click above to watch video after the jump

After watching this video of a radio-controlled car driving past a line of wine bottles, playing the theme for Super Mario Brothers in the process, we have a question: was the wine consumed prior to the successful completion of the task at hand? If so, that would make this video even more impressive, though it's pretty much epic as it stands. Released in 1985, the video game predates the Cosworth Escort model used for the stunt, but both take us back to the days of our youth when both Mario Brothers and European hot hatches were the stuff of dreams. And we love it.

[Source: Break.com via Joystiq]

Continue reading Video: R/C car plays Mario Brothers theme song on bottles

Video: R/C car plays Mario Brothers theme song on bottles originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 16 Apr 2008 07:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>mariomario bros nutcrackermario bros.mario brothersmario-brosmario-brothersMarioBros.MarioBrosNutcrackerMarioBrothersrc carrc-carRcCarsuper mariosuper mario brossuper mario bros.super mario brotherssuper-mariosuper-mario-brossuper-mario-brothersSuperMarioSuperMarioBrosSuperMarioBros.SuperMarioBrothersvideoWed, 16 Apr 2008 07:28:00 EST<![CDATA[Jalopnik gets fresh duds, gives away VW "micro"-bus]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/16/jalopnik-gets-fresh-duds-gives-away-vw-micro-bus/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/16/jalopnik-gets-fresh-duds-gives-away-vw-micro-bus/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/16/jalopnik-gets-fresh-duds-gives-away-vw-micro-bus/#commentsFiled under: ,



Jalopnik recently launched a new site design, and realized its new look required a vehicle giveaway to keep them near the head of the class. You won't hear any argument from us. A previous re-do brought speculation of an engineless early 80's El Camino, but unfortunately that never happened.

This time around they wanted something unique and stylish, and decided to break the bank with an audacious fully custom VW Microbus, nicknamed "Samba." Breaking the bank meant the piggy bank on Wert's desk, so what they settled on was a Maisto G-Ridez edition 1:10 scale Volkswagen R/C Van. While the scale is no way indicative of their place in the blogosphere (Number forty-two in your program, number one in your hearts), the van seems a good fit for their demographic, which puts a premium on non-conformity and anti-social behavior. Click through the read link to find out how you can win Samba for yourself.

Jalopnik gets fresh duds, gives away VW "micro"-bus originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 16 Jul 2007 18:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>jalopnikRC carRcCarMon, 16 Jul 2007 18:43:00 EST<![CDATA[MINI GP slower than an R/C car]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/12/30/mini-gp-slower-than-an-r-c-car/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/12/30/mini-gp-slower-than-an-r-c-car/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/12/30/mini-gp-slower-than-an-r-c-car/#commentsFiled under: , ,



Fifth Gear recently took advantage of having a MINI GP to run their own mini GP. That is a race between a MINI GP and the fastest tiny vehicle they could find that might be a real challenge to the MINI. After thinking through the list of would be competitors for this 218 hp, lightened and stiffened MINI, they landed on the perfect match; an R/C car. Seriously. They found Andy Moore who happens to be an R/C touring car champion. They pitted Vicki and him against each other on a full size track. You won't believe the outcome. Click through to see the video for yourself.

[Source: Fifth Gear via TechEBlog]

Continue reading MINI GP slower than an R/C car

MINI GP slower than an R/C car originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 30 Dec 2006 12:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Fifth GearFifthGearMini Cooper GPMiniCooperGpRC carRcCarSat, 30 Dec 2006 12:09:00 EST<![CDATA[Video: RC car drifting cooler than the real thing]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/03/02/rc-car-drifting-video-cooler-than-the-real-thing/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/03/02/rc-car-drifting-video-cooler-than-the-real-thing/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/03/02/rc-car-drifting-video-cooler-than-the-real-thing/#commentsFiled under:

The drifting craze seems to have died down to a quiet din, but this video of RC car drifting has renewed our interest, if only in a small way.

The video is interspersed with footage of real cars drifting in a closed off parking lot, which, for whatever reason, is so much less entertaining than watching their smaller-scale counterparts going ass-out around the corners of a homemade track.

In order to get the little guys to achieve some extreme oversteer, their owners apparently just removed the rubber from the rear wheels. A simple trick, but the effect is fun to watch.

[Thanks J for the tip]

Video: RC car drifting cooler than the real thing originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 02 Mar 2006 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>driftingradio controlled carsRadioControlledCarsrc carRcCarThu, 02 Mar 2006 18:00:00 EST