Micro R/Cs

[areaseven]

(Re-Edited to 2009 Edition)

Ever since Tomy released their Bit Char-G in 2001, the micro R/C market has exploded to astronomical proportions worldwide. The main reason for their popularity is simply having the fun of playing R/Cs in smaller environments like office spaces or table tops. Many companies have released their own micro R/Cs, but which one is right for you? Here's a short guide to the major brands:

Bit Char-G / R/C MicroSizers (Tomy/Hobbico)

Base Price: US$14.99 (MicroSizers) / US$29.99 (Bit Char-G import)

Currently Own: blue Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 (NISMO edition), Castrol Toyota Supra

The one that started it all. Using the same components as cell phones, Bit Char-G simply enables you to charge your car using the controller for 45 seconds for up to five minutes of playing time. Tomy's line of micro R/Cs has numerous custom parts to make your car run faster and hug corners like it's on rails. There are also dozens of body kits to choose from based on popular cars by Honda (S2000 and NSX), Nissan (Skyline, Gloria and 350Z), Mazda (RX-7), Toyota (Supra, Celica and bB), Mitsubishi (EVO) and Subaru (WRX), as well as local buses in Japan. The most recent additions to the lineup include the Volkswagen New Beetle and Mini Cooper S. Future lineups include Porsche and Lamborghini for the Super Bit Char-G series.

The Bit Char-G franchise proved to be so successful that many entertainment franchises jumped in on the bandwagon. Many Bit Char-G toys have been produced for anime/tokusatsu shows like Initial D, Mach Go Go Go (Speed Racer) and Ultraman, as well as hit videogames like Mario Kart and Auto Modelista.

Also available is the Wild Char-G series (released in the U.S. as PowerBrutes), monster trucks that can climb steep inclines and have motorized gimmicks like claws and scoops. This is a hit for kids who are sick of spinning colored tops in a bowl.

If you're a beginner in the micro R/C field, start with this toy line, as it has the most parts and is the easiest to maintain. After all, one million Bit Char-G owners can't go wrong.

NOTE: Following the merger of Tomy and Takara, the Bit Char-G line has been discontinued.

DigiQ (Konami/Takara)

Base Price: US$40.00

Currently Own: None

Not to be outdone by Tomy, Takara came up with their version. Based on the popular Choro-Q toy line and using infra-red technology, DigiQ cars run much faster and have a longer battery life than Bit Char-G cars. The lineup includes Honda (NSX and Integra), Mitsubishi (EVO), Nissan (Skyline, Fairlady Z and March), Subaru (WRX), Toyota (MR-S and AE86 Trueno), Mazda (RX-7), Volkswagen (New Beetle) and Audi (TT). DigiQ even has transporter trucks, tanks and Formula 1 race cars on their list. And like Tomy, Takara also has been licensed to produce a micro R/C of the AE86 Trueno from Initial D.

The only major problem is you have to wait 10 minutes before your car is fully charged. And because they steer using the rear wheels, it's not really easy to control them. Also, unlike Bit Char-G, DigiQ cars lack customization options (unless you have some Choro-Qs on hand and you're good with a hobby knife). Otherwise, if you want a fast and durable micro R/C, pick up a DigiQ.

NOTE: Following the merger of Takara and Tomy, the Digi-Q line has been discontinued.

ZipZaps (RadioShack)

Base Price: US$19.99

Currently Own: black Honda Civic (The Fast and the Furious), green Mitsubishi EVO VII and purple Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder (2 Fast 2 Furious)

In 2002, RadioShack surprised everyone by jumping into the micro R/C bandwagon with ZipZaps. They even went all out on marketing the R/Cs by having Shaquille O'Neal endorse them (merely to show that he can hold three of them on his hand). Major entertainment franchises include The Fast and the Furious, X2, The Wild Thornberrys and Spongebob Squarepants. They're also the U.S. licensor of Initial D micro R/Cs. (Worst. Ever. )

Much like Bit Char-G, you use the controller to charge ZipZaps for 45 seconds. Aside from Honda (Civic and S2000), Toyota (Supra, AE86 Trueno and AE85 Levin), Mitsubishi (EVO and Eclipse), Nissan (Skyline GT-R and 350Z) and Mazda (RX-7 and RX-, RadioShack has also licensed Ford (Mustang), Chevrolet (Camaro SS and Yenko S/C Camaro), Chrysler (PT Cruiser), Audi (TT), Dodge (Challenger), Jeep (Wrangler), Mercedes-Benz (SL500) and Porsche (911 Turbo). While the brand's lineup is diverse, the designs just aren't as good as Bit Char-G cars. Performance-wise, they're pretty slow (even with the special NX motor) and their handling is truck-like (what's the whole point of Inital D cars that can't drift?). ZipZaps are good for beginners, but you're better off with Bit Char-G.

As of 2008, ZipZaps are now marketed as XMODS Micro RC.

XMODS (RadioShack)

Base Price: US$49.99

Currently Own: Ford Mustang GT (blue), Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 (Black) and Toyota Supra Turbo (Silver).

Just released in late October 2003, XMODS may be RadioShack's ultimate R/C line. The current lineup includes Toyota (Supra Turbo), Nissan (Skyline GT-R R34 V-Spec II), Acura (RSX Type-S) and Honda (Civic Si). Numerous accessories are available, such as motor upgrades (three for road courses, three for straightaways), tire kits (including foam tires for carpet racing), custom rims (Tenzo, Enkei and Ace), suspension and tie rod upgrades, all-wheel-drive upgrades, LEDs (for night racing), and body kits licensed by BOMEX and Sparco. The only problem with owning an XMOD is the price - $50 gets you the basic kit; building your dream R/C will set you back up to $200 or more. If you can afford it, get one now.

Q-Steer (Takara Tomy)

Base Price: Roughly US$13.00

Currently Own: None yet

Takara Tomy's newest micro R/C line is an evolution of both Bit Char-G and DigiQ. Q-Steer cars feature the same Choro-Q body styles and Digi-Q's IR technology, along with the steering and suspension designs of Bit Char-G. They're also said to be backwards-compatible with Bit Char-G parts as well. Making them even more fun is the ability to use your cell phone or Sony PSP to control them.

Unlike other micro R/Cs, Q-Steer cars are not rechargeable. Instead, the cars and controllers are powered by LR44 watch batteries, which are cheap outside RadioShack.

CAUL (Takara Tomy)

Base Price: Y600

Currently Own: None

CAUL (Car Action Units Line) is Takara Tomy's larger-scale mini R/C line. At 1/38 scale, they're easy to assemble and ridiculously cheap (starting at roughly $5!). Not much in customization, though.

X-Trek (Silverlit)

Base Price: US$29.99

Currently Own: None

I found the X-Trek line at a local Toys 'R' Us. Was also told that they're pretty popular in Europe. X-Trek cars are roughly the size of Bit Char-G while the gun-type controllers are full-size. As with most micro R/Cs, X-Trek cars charge directly through the controller. Car designs include the Enzo Ferrari and Subaru Impreza WRC.

Edited January 8, 2009 by areaseven

[yellowlightman]

Cool rundown Areaseven, the whole mini-R/C market is really booming. I have my 1/10th Calsonic Skyline and I think thats enough for me...

[DestroidsRage]

I had one of the cheap little rechargable 14 dollar ones. It was pretty sweet! But the steering was CRAP. It would always go to one side or the other, it would never go straight. Maybe the more expensive ones are better.

But for now... I want a mini RC Tank! But.. Theres so many to choose from! I dont want one of the 80 dollar ones with Infra Red Rotating Turret For Combat Action, LOL. I just want a sturdy dependable little thing to have fun cruising over the rubish on my desk. Does anyone know a good one? I'd be incredibly interested. If its around 20 bucks, I'd definitely go for it. And naturally.. it has to have actual tracks. Those fake ones with wheels really suck.

At any rate

-BEN-MAN-

[Zentrandude]

i just got a xmod today and its a good bootleg of the mini-x/mini-z but with not as much features unless you buy it. my yellow Skyline looks pretty cool with the extra stickers from my vf-1 FP set i just bought.

Dont get teh zipzaps se ones. the proportional steering is nice but the sound it makes as it centers will driver you batty.

Edit:

I want a mini RC Tank! But.. Theres so many to choose from! I dont want one of the 80 dollar ones with Infra Red Rotating Turret For Combat Action, LOL. I just want a sturdy dependable little thing to have fun cruising over the rubish on my desk. Does anyone know a good one? I'd be incredibly interested. If its around 20 bucks, I'd definitely go for it. And naturally.. it has to have actual tracks. Those fake ones with wheels really suck.

get a kyosho pocket armour if you can find one. its slow and hvy but it climbs up about anything it can gets its rubber tracks on.

Bitcharg was my first mini rc one its a good little thing except the metal clip tends to break the plasic that connects to the shell.

I recommend you visit Hobby Tron website its a good spot to find any rc you desire.

Edited November 6, 2003 by Zentrandude

[Opus]

Pocket Armors are very cool. Here's a pic of my (very dusty) early war Tiger I.

[DestroidsRage]

Hey Zentran... I just looked up a few sites selling kyosho pocket armours, and they go for like 86 bucks! Thats way outta my budget. I want something around 20 bucks. Nothing fancy. Doesnt have to have a rotating turret. Just something that works well and wont break and stuff. LOL Im not gonna spend 80 bucks on something smaller than a hotwheels car ^__^

-BEN-MAN-

[Zentrandude]

Hey Zentran... I just looked up a few sites selling kyosho pocket armours, and they go for like 86 bucks! Thats way outta my budget. I want something around 20 bucks. Nothing fancy. Doesnt have to have a rotating turret. Just something that works well and wont break and stuff. LOL Im not gonna spend 80 bucks on something smaller than a hotwheels car ^__^

-BEN-MAN-

hmm good luck on finding the good price. i got my green abrams pocket armour from HLJ for like 50 bucks when the hikky 1-48 vf-1 came out. those ones have rotation turrets but you have to rotate it by hand.

Also theres some tanks under 20 bucks in hobbytron. just click on mini rc tanks on the bottom of the page. they arent as fancy but its cheap.

Edited November 6, 2003 by Zentrandude

[Opus]

Hey Zentran... I just looked up a few sites selling kyosho pocket armours, and they go for like 86 bucks! Thats way outta my budget. I want something around 20 bucks. Nothing fancy. Doesnt have to have a rotating turret. Just something that works well and wont break and stuff. LOL Im not gonna spend 80 bucks on something smaller than a hotwheels car ^__^

-BEN-MAN-

They must have big matchbox cars wherever you are. Pocket Armors are 4 or 5 inches long. If you shop around you can get them for alot less. I paid about $35 for mine.

[areaseven]

Those Pocket Armor tanks look interesting. I'd better check them out.

Right now, I've moved my R/C investment to TRU's SuperSlicks. I'm very impressed with the performance and the price is hard to beat. Especially when a pair of body kits with two sets of rims cost $5.99. This morning, I added a red Mini Cooper S and a white EVO VIII to my collection. I'll be posting pictures later this weekend.

[Solscud007]

If anyof you have questions about DigiQ I have a lot. well I guess

DigiQ Pennzoil Skyline R34

DigiQ Calsonic Skyline R34

DigiQ Rally Lancer Evo 7

DigiQ Plain Blue Lancer Evo 7

DigiQ-R Racing Trueno AE86

DigiQ-R Racing Fairlady 350Z

Modified DigiQ S2000

Ive modified more but stuck with the S2000 as my final. That one is a lot harder than just a body swap.

[NERV]

what would be the best one for my cat to play with? its gotta be fast, have good handling, be pretty durable, and perfer if it cud go on carpet but thats be optional cuz 1/3 of my house is hardwood. i bought one awhile back, its alright but its not fast, it has great handling and the battery goes for about 15 minute son a 45 second charge but it just aint fast enough to entertain the cat considering he walks faster than it drives

[bsu legato]

Pocket Armors are very cool. Here's a pic of my (very dusty) early war Tiger I.

That's awesome, Opus! You need to get yourself a Tiger II, if they make one.

Edit: I'd give the nod to the Dragon Palmtop Armor series. At 1/72 they're probably the tiniest R/C tanks ever.

Edited November 7, 2003 by bsu legato

[Zentrandude]

That's awesome, Opus! You need to get yourself a Tiger II, if they make one.

no tigerII i think

the tiger and the panzer are just the delux models and very hard to get. the newer ones are somewhat getting hard to get but is simpler and cheaper.

the others (other than the 2 delux models listed above)

abrams desert and green

challenger brown and desert

JGSDF Type 90 Tank (tons of colors and mhz ranges)

Leopard 2A5

and the 2 upgrade kits

the hi-mobility wheel set replaces those fixed wheels with the moving ones

the track set is basicly a set of rubber tracks with 2 trees of plastic cleets you have to glue it. it makes the tank look bit more real but its a pain to glue them little cleets into the track.

after that i think they stop producing them and keep going with there car lines

[ewilen]

Is the Kyosho the same as the Dragon micro armor? I remember seeing one of the latter, a Tiger I, and drooling over it for a while before deciding to do some internet research. Needless to say, I found it for a lot less online than at the hobby shop, but I also found that the turret doesn't turn via remote control. For the price, without that capability it somehow didn't seem worth it to me.

More recently I've seen some little RC tanks on eBay and even at Wal-mart. I don't know who makes the various ones, but all were in the under-$15 range. For that price I could give up on the rotating turret but I'd still want real treads. I don't think any of them were authentic models of anything real, but some of the vehicles at Walgreens looked plausible. Some of the ones on eBay claimed to have a "laser tag" kind of operation, so you could duel. I haven't bought any yet, though. Would like to hear more from anyone who has.

[bigkid24]

Hmm. I only have a Bit Char-G Skyline and Mach 5. I was working on a track a while back.

[bsu legato]

Is the Kyosho the same as the Dragon micro armor?

Kyosho claims their tanks are around 1/55 scale (!) where the Dragon tanks are 1/72

[Opus]

Is the Kyosho the same as the Dragon micro armor?

Kyosho claims their tanks are around 1/55 scale (!) where the Dragon tanks are 1/72

Scale is the one thing that sucks about the Kyoshos. The're all about the same size making the Tiger a smaller scale than the Panzer A.

[ewilen]

Update to this thread. Finally found an excellent R/C tank for my needs--and it's at Radio Shack! You can see pictures of it toward the bottom of the page here. RS has it on sale for $35 last I checked.

What I like about it:

• Turret rotates by remote control
  
• At least three speeds in both forward and reverse
  
• Pretty accurate Tiger I sculpt
  
• Machine gun and main gun fire independently via remote (machine gun makes a sound; main gun makes sound, entire tank recoils slightly, and a red LED lights up at the tip of the barrel)
  
• Working road wheels
  
• Scale is that magical Macross-friendly 1:55, or very close (the link above says 1:48, but my measurements say otherwise)
  

Some things that could be improved:

• Red LED for main gun firing is a bit cheesy. Customizers might want to remove it. On the other hand, it's nice to have some sort of "muzzle flash" effect even if it isn't wholly realistic.
  
• Tank always recoils backwards, which looks funny when firing main gun to side/rear
  
• Some of the surface details on mine could be better--like bent handles on shovels and axes. Can probably be fixed if desired.
  
• Although the road wheels turn, there's no real suspension
  
• Turret only turns about 120 degrees in each direction
  
• Main gun elevates/depresses but not by remote control
  
• While the tank is available in two frequencies, and you can select three channels for each frequency, there's no provision for "laser tag" duelling. So if you have several tanks, all you can do is race them--which can still probably be fun if you set up an obstacle course.
  

I'm being pretty picky in the above list. Overall, I'm very happy with this toy. The only thing I really don't like is that the Tiger I is the only tank Radio Shack currently sells, and even if they make a different model next year, what's the likelihood it will be to the same scale?

About the road wheels and suspension. On a real tank, the tread is turned by a drive sprocket at the back; the wheels on the bottom are unpowered and roll over the tread as it is "laid down". Cheap toy tanks often don't have turning road wheels; the track just slides over them. So the turning road wheels are a nice touch and probably improve the mobility of the tank. But for real accuracy and maximum mobility, the road wheels should actually have independent suspensions. If the tank had these, it could clear obstacles more gracefully. I suppose a master customizer could add this feature, but it would be tricky.

Still, all in all, I think it's a great toy for the (sale) price.

Edit: In addition to a minor correction above, I thought of a couple other things worth mentioning. First, the controller uses buttons for left/right turns instead of a steering wheel or independent track control. The tank will pivot in place if you use the turn buttons alone; if you hold a turn button while moving, the tank will go in a very tight circle. To achieve gentler turns, you have to tap the turn button while moving. Second, it would be nice if the charger base could be hooked up to an A/C adapter instead of using batteries. I guess a customizer with a little knowledge of electronics address could fix this.

Edited January 7, 2004 by ewilen

[gerwalk25]

I just got into Micorsizers/Bit-CharG. It seems that the Target in my area has a few on clearence and I was lucky enough to get the Pro version with a speed button on the top right of the reciever and Toyota bB and tiny surfboards for 13 bucks. This RC toy is cool and kept me busy for a while. FYI If anyone is looking for the track set Target still has them floating around for 5 bucks.

~G25

[Commander McBride]

I had a COmbat Digi-Q set. (Panzer, T-34) They were really cool. Yes, they had a "lazer tag" system, which worked flawlessly. And they could climb up anything. You could drife them into a wall and they'd climb straight up and flip onto their backs, they were so powerful. Unfortunately, a family friend stepped on one, and my stupid brother drove the other one off a staircase and it plumetted to its death.

[Mr.Sci-Fi]

Here's some real fun, www.desktoprover.com Goto their web demo, you can actually control a tank in their display room overt the web. They sell the softawre and cameras to do this yourself.

[ewilen]

I had a COmbat Digi-Q set. (Panzer, T-34) They were really cool. Yes, they had a "lazer tag" system, which worked flawlessly. And they could climb up anything. You could drife them into a wall and they'd climb straight up and flip onto their backs, they were so powerful. Unfortunately, a family friend stepped on one, and my stupid brother drove the other one off a staircase and it plumetted to its death.

Sorry to hear about that. Yes, the Digi-Q tanks sound pretty nice. There's an extensive review of them here. By comparison with the RS tank, they're more expensive, and they can't turn their turrets by remote control. But the laser tag feature sounds like a lot of fun. Also the Digi-Q tanks are smaller and have a sort of "cutified" sculpt--these could be advantages or disadvantages depending on taste.

The desktop rover also has laser tag but it doesn't even remotely resemble an actual military tank. On the other hand, the internet control and video features are very cool. Maybe I could use it to keep tabs on my pets while I'm at work.

A cheaper laser tag option would be these wheeled "tanks" (more like armored cars) as seen here and here. According to the ads, they can even turn their turrets by remote. I haven't seen any reviews, though. Edit: Here's a review. I don't like that they can only be hit from the front.

Edit: These guys seem pretty cool for "laser tag" duelling. I haven't found a US source. The site sells them in double packs or individually; I've also seen them at a few other UK sites.

Edit: Aha! The Radio Shack Tiger is the same as the Ripmax Tiger sold in the UK. Only Ripmax offers it in both winter camo and green camo. The site confirms that the scale is 1:54. Obviously there are a bunch of factories in China turning these things out, with various importers picking the best of them and repackaging them in the West.

Edited January 8, 2004 by ewilen

[ewilen]

Aha (2)! I found the US name for the small battling tanks I had seen in the UK. They're sold here under the brand name "Micro-Xtreme". Depending on where you find them, they seem to be available in Panther, Tiger, or Sherman, each in desert beige, green camo, or grey camo. (Like the Digi-Q's, they're sort of cutified but recognizable versions of the real thing.)

They have one drawback: all the descriptions say you can only fight three tanks at a time. On the other hand, the tanks can be set in such a way that "knocking out" a tank lets you take it over. Don't ask me how it works, but it's a nice twist especially for a three-way fight.

[ewilen]

Night of the Living Thread...or something like that...

Anyway, I just had an opportunity to play around with one of the Micro-Xtreme tanks, and my overall impression is that it's got a few nice features but it's not worth the $25-$30+ it will set you back. The real deal-breaker is that the tank itself uses button cells, instead of having a rechargeable power pack or potentially rechargeable AAA batteries.

Aside from that...plastic on the tank and remote feels kind of cheap, tank throws its tread too easily (although in a way, that's a nice touch of realism--but come on, it ought to be able to run on a carpet without throwing the tread), and some elements of operation are a bit quirky.

Positives include lively movement, rotating turret, main gun recoil (unlike the RS Tiger, it recoils "properly" relative to where the gun is pointed), main gun and machine gun sound effects (but they come from the remote, not the tank), and an interesting "program" mode where you can enter a sequence of commands and then have the tank carry them out. I didn't get to test any combat mode except for one where you try to hit the tank with the remote. The manual states that there's both a regular combat mode and an "auto" mode where tanks fight each other--I think that in the latter case, the tanks basically just move around randomly and shoot occasionally. I also really admire the fact that the Sherman has actual moving bogeys in the track/suspension system.

Nevertheless, the negatives make me unwilling to spend what it would take to test how much fun it would be to play out a real battle. But now I've found that a company named "Sunrich" has a line called "vs tank" or something like that. Similar size and styling, but less expensive per tank (prices are around $20 each, and there are box sets with 2 or more), plus you can have up to four tanks at a time instead of three. However, no revolving turrets, and some reviews (mostly French and German) suggest that they move a little too fast and can be difficult to to control. I might give them a try--but maybe in a year or so the Chinese mfrs. and their Western distributers will have ironed out a few more of the kinks.

Anyway, here's a particularly comprehensive rundown (in German) of micro RC tanks: http://tequilaa.bit-charg.de/html/basis.html

[Zentrandude]

if you want a tank im been looking at the marui/hen long tanks. they arent realy rc toy tanks since they have an airsoft gun that fires 6mm pellets. but the concept seems cool for teen and up. just becarefull where you aim

not sure if they are mini they are like 1/24

the hen longs are just copies of the marui but still have the gun in it just less macro functions on the controller.

50 bucks plus shipping for the marui and 35 plus shipping for the hen longs on toyeast.

[gerwalk25]

Where can I buy the mini rechargable battery for the bit-char g's? I've been running mine often and I thought it was motor and later found out it's the battery.

[Bub]

NO vote.

Just listening. Go on...

[Bluedeath]

U forgot Sheng qi wei (bit char clone) unlike the standard "bullet " clones they're fast and reliable.

[areaseven]

Last night, a friend of mine gave me an XMODS Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 (black) starter kit as an early birthday present. Today, I bought some parts for it, and here are the modifications I made:

- All-Wheel Drive Upgrade

- Suspension & Steering Upgrade - Stiff springs on front/rear; 4.5 degree tie rod

- Stage 2 Motor Upgrade - 10-tooth Road Racing motor (30,000 RPM)

- Rubber Tire Upgrade - Not tested yet

- Command Logic Lights

- Metal Bearing Upgrade

My next purchase will be a set of rechargeable AAA batteries, as the car ate up a fresh set of Rayovacs in less than an hour. Hopefully, by the end of the week, I'll post pics of the modified Skyline.

[ewilen]

Reminder about rechargeable batteries--Costco tends to have a good deal on a combo of charger + NiMH batteries (an assortment of AA and AAA). Panasonic label, I think.

[HWR MKII]

If you want full articulation in the road wheels, 360 degree turret rotation and good detail then you want a 1/16 scale tank . Those are a little out of the stated budget though.

I voted for Xmods. I bought the supra and skyline back in october of 2003 with the body kits with motor , suspension, bearings, and all wheel drive upgrade. Aside from needing a perfctly flat surface in a large area to run them they are great. The speds are comparable to some of the larger scale kits on the market. Definitely worth the money you pay. The upgrade kits are relatively inexpensive running 19 to 25 dollars for an upgrade.

[Zentrandude]

I voted for Xmods. I bought the supra and skyline back in october of 2003 with the body kits with motor , suspension, bearings, and all wheel drive upgrade. Aside from needing a perfctly flat surface in a large area to run them they are great.

mini-zers are rolling in there graves. guess its suits this necro thread

[areaseven]

Reminder about rechargeable batteries--Costco tends to have a good deal on a combo of charger + NiMH batteries (an assortment of AA and AAA). Panasonic label, I think.

How much does the set cost and how long does it take to charge the batteries? RadioShack has a charger/battery set for XMODS that goes for $24.99 and takes about two hours to charge.

[ewilen]

Conservatively, I think the set is somewhere around $15-$25 and includes at least 4 AA and 2 AAA batteries. I believe it's a two hour charger. This is probably the same thing as what I saw at Costco.

If you want a faster charger, I see that Costco online has an Energizer brand set for $25 that has a 15-minute charger, but it only includes 4 AA batteries, no AAA. Separately, they have a set of 6x2-packs AAA (12 batteries in all) for $26.99.

While hunting around, I also came across this: http://www.onlybatteries.com/ Might be worth a look.

[Greyryder]

I've got hte Energizer quick charger. It works great, but you'll need to get AAAs seperately.

Another good place for batteries.