Selling like hotcakes in Japan, MicroSizer cars invade Germany

Thomas Geiger, Deutsche Presse-Agentur, Nuremberg

Germany is in the grip of high-speed activity - in the emergence of the MicroSizer mini car - remote-controlled matchbox racing cars.

The MicroSizers are selling like hot cakes in Japan, where more than a million went in only a year. Now they are being imported into Germany and the importer hopes they will soon find their way to office desks and children's bedrooms.

Rie Brinkmeyer, the manager of ACME Game Company, says that the little racers, which are made in China and which are selling for about US$50, are packed with nifty, cutting-edge technology.

The heart is a motor which is barely larger than a headache tablet. It works up to a speed of 22,000 rpm, which it makes it possible for the car to reach nearly four miles an hour.

Brinkmeyer says the energy supply is a tiny rechargeable battery. When the battery becomes empty - it takes about five minutes - it can be recharged in about 45 seconds by plugging it into the battery- powered remote controller.

The MicroSizer comes with a big range of accessories that allow it to be customized. There are different axles and motors. There are soft, medium and hard tyres and various engine models. There is a selection of 15 car bodies, most of them modeled on up-market Japanese cars.

There are miniature to-scale accessories to form a race track.

In 2003, European models such as the Volkswagen Beetle and the Mini Cooper S are scheduled to be available.

It does not take much to learn to drive the car. The controller is held between the hands and the thumbs are used on the two directional buttons. The left button moves the car forwards and backwards while the right button moves the car in the required direction. Steering the MicroSizer can be learned with a little practice.

It seems the ideal gift not only for the boys, but for their fathers as well.