Xpress surprised many last week when they unveiled their first 1/28 scale racer, the Pixel Z1. While not exactly a household name in the U.S., the company’s touring cars have a massive following across Asia.
To be honest, Xpress really isn’t breaking any new ground with the Pixel Z1. In fact, if I asked ChatGPT to design a 1/28 pan car, it would probably look something like what you see above.
On the front, the car uses a single A-arm design with springs that are on top of the kingpins. I have no idea how you adjust camber, but caster is set by replacing the upper arm mount.
In the middle, there is plenty of room for your electronics and Xpress has made it so that you can fit a 450mah or larger battery in the car.
The rear of the Pixel Z1 appears to be heavily influenced by the Atomic MRZ EX and SF. This is a good thing though, as the design is simple and works well. Xpress even went as far as to put holes in the motor mount plate so that the side springs can be adjusted from the bottom.
The Pixel Z1 comes with a basic gear diff. Like the diff that comes with Kyosho’s RTR Mini-Z cars, this one does not appear to be adjustable and is not sealed so tuning with grease probably isn’t an option.
And now we finally get to point where I tell everyone why the Pixel Z1 is the perfect entry-level spec racer.
The first reason is the simplicity. If its like similar cars, the single arm front end will be easy to setup and tuning camber and caster appears to be as easy as swapping out a few parts. Xpress has kept things simple in the rear too. There are no fancy link-less motor pods here. All you need to worry about is selecting your springs and grease and setting the correct ride height and droop.
Secondly, there aren’t a lot of upgrades available for the Pixel Z1(yet). Xpress offers a number of carbon and aluminum bits but, aside from the brass chassis, most of them appear to be aimed at improving the durability and look of the car, rather than changing the performance. Instead of spending money on upgrades, racers can now spend more time on the track.
Last, but not least, you have price. As most of you know, getting into racing isn’t cheap and, making the jump from a Kyosho AAA car to a LIPO pancar, can be a big investment. At $99.99, the Pixel Z1 kit is currently the most affordable car on the market.
If you need electronics, Xpress also has you covered. You can buy the kit with a servo, ESC and motor for less than $240. If you already have a transmitter and receiver, all you need is wheels, tires, body, battery and a transponder and you’re ready to go for racing for around $350.
The Pixel Z1 appears to be selling well. Xpress announced today that they’ve already sold through the first batch of cars and that the second batch will be available in mid-October. I plan to buy one once they are in stock and will be posting more about it in the near future.