Off-roaders by Tamiya

After reviewing the on-road plateforms, let's review Tamiya off-road stratégies commercial and industrial strategies. Here too, I will talk about chassis plateforms: for a question of logic, their release chronology is not respected, thus the model's isn't either.

Let me gently warn you: this page will be even longer to load that the on-road plateforms' since there are more videos hosted on Youtube. Commercially, Tamiya made more promotional videos of their off-road models you'll find here to better describe the models. Some are not shown here but you'll find them on Youtube.

In this article too, if you want to directly jump to a section, this menu will help:

The first off-road plateform

An off-road vehicle was released as soon as 1977 in Tamiya RC range of products, just 1 year after the first RC model they released. Tamiya's 4th model is the XR311 Combat Support Vehicle and only one other model uses the same plateform: the 58007 Lamborghini Cheetah.

The XR311 chassis designed to use either dry cells or a stick pack (!)

The rereleased XR311 chassis in 2000 The XR311 rear drivetrain and gearbox The XR311 boxart

58004 - XR311 Combat Support Vehicle (1977 and 2000)
58007 - Lamborghini Cheetah (1978)

These two models feature identical chassis apart from a longer wheelbase on the Cheetah. For both of them, they are true models in motion: body details reach a very high standard in details. So many details that runners still complete are very rare, especially with the prominent mirors. But unlike the first on-road models, the bodies of these models do not come from the static 1/12th "Big Scale" model series. To be true, I just couldn't find these bodies in any Tamiya range of products, even in a different scale: the obvious conclusion is they were spefically produced for the RC market.

You can note that Tamiya's detail obsession could not be entirely satisfied with this chassis since their real counterparts are 4 wheel drive. The end of the seventies are the debut of the RC hobby and technology by that time probably didn't allow to respect it. Same thing about suspension: horizontal bars located under the chassis do the job when the real vehicles had 4 dampers all around.

Here are two videos of Tamiya's first off-roaders: the first one is the original promotional video. The second one is a splendid make from TamOR, a Tamiyaclub member from whom you'll see photos in this section. Sorry for removing the original soundtrack on TamOR's video. Real shame: blame French laws for being so stupid.

Promotional video from 1976-1977 (© Tamiya)

TamOR from Tamiyaclub splendid Lamborghini Cheetah (© TamOR)

The XR311 Combat Support Vehicle is the only one model to have been re-released in limited serie in 2000, but it remains very rare as well as its spare parts. Having the privilege to still run so old models is a true pleasure.

Strategically, the most interesting aspect is to consider that Tamiya seem to have taken the risk to invest seriously in design and production tools to make these unique bodies. Only 1 year after releasing their first ever RC model who was a true best-seller.

The SRB plateform

The name of these chassis means Special Racing Buggy but never was the official even if you can find it on the manual, the box and the radio box of all models ((apart from the Holiday Buggy and Sand Rover). Tamiya only started giving name to their chassis in 1993 with the TA-02.
The SRB plateform is among the most mythical in Tamiya range of models. It was first released in 1979 with the Rough Rider and was stopped in 1982 with the Super Champ ... before Tamiya decided to re-release the Rough Rider in 2009 (under the name Buggy Champ, kit 58441). An more entry-level version of this plateform was also used by two more models, the Holiday Buggy (kit 58023 in 1980) and the Sand Rover (58024 in 1981).

SRB version 1 chassis

SRB version 1 drivetrains

SRB version 2 chassis

SRB version 2 drivetrains

Version 2 of this chassis mainly features an enhancement of the rear suspension system: the Super Champ is the only one to feature it. The four SRB models:

58015 Rough Rider (1979 and 2009)	58016 Sand Scorcher (1979 and 2010)
58027 Ford F150 Ranger XLT (1981)	58034 Super Champ (1982)

Apart from the Super Champ on which electronic elements are protected by balloons, these models feature a sealed radio box. This specificity, among others, make them suitable for all terrains, especially the beach. The sand is their very best terrain since they suffer two main design draws:
 they don't have a differential
 the suspension système is pretty unefficient

A transmission without differential is better for overall solidity and a better grip, but the drawback is a model can can hardly control on grippy surfaces like asphalt. Furthermore, the rear drivetrain shows a very important positive camber angle: the rear wheels are strongly cambered as you can see on the above pictures. This is due to a specific drivetrain geometry: the link between wheels and chassis is a rigid axle and not a turnbuckles. Consequence is the wheel movement is only vertical. So tires are fully efficent when the suspension is compressed, leading to a poor overall rear drivetrain grip since the tires naturally only have a contact with the ground on their exterior side.

Some videos to see these models in action: the promotional videos by Tamiya and two other great ones made by TamOR, a Tamiyaclub member. Here too, I had to remove TamOR's excellent soundtack for the same stupid question of rights.

Special Racing Buggy promotional video (© Tamiya)	The Super Champ promotional video (© Tamiya)
TamOR's Rough Rider (© TamOR)	TamOR's Ford F150 Ranger XLT (© TamOR)

More videos of these models can be seen on Youtube.

SRB's are models designed for the beach and the sand as they real counterparts are (apart from the Ford Ranger perhaps). They're at their ease as well in the mud, including puddles they seem attracted by. Suited for leisure use, these are Tamiya's only chassis really meant for true off-roading (apart from the first 3 speed chassis generation, see below).

Then Tamiya did something totally unexpected: they re-released the Rough Rider in 2009 under the name Buggy Champ (kit 58441). No one could imagine Tamiya would be able to re-release "full metal" models, either for cost reasons or feasability. Many speculators have probably cried, but true fans got really exited.

The Buggy Champ chassis

The Buggy Champ rear drivetrain

The Buggy Champ in action

The Buggy Champ at its best

We're not completly done yet with the SRB series: we only reviewed 4 mythical SRB models (5 counting the Buggy Champ). In 1980, Tamiya will release an economical version of the SRB plateform with the Holiday Buggy followed by the Sand Rover in 1981.

58023 Holiday Buggy (1980) The Holiday Buggy chassis

58024 Sand Rover (1981) The Holiday Buggy drivetrains

Sand Rover rear drivetrain: suspension and gears

58023 Holiday Buggy (1980)

58024 Sand Rover (1981)

SRB's fiberglass chassis and waterproof radio box are replaced by a bathtub chassis, the gearbox was simplified and the 540 motor was replaced by a less powerful Mabuchi 380. The positive camber angle and the non-existent differential are still "features", but the poor suspension just disappeared from the rear drivetrain: it is replaced by two bits of rubber sandwiched between a fiberglass plate and the arms. The fiberglass plate torsion is what is used for shock absorbers. In fact, SRB flaws are preserved or even amplified, but the main problem on this economic version are the open air gears.

The Holiday Buggy promotional video (© Tamiya)

Holiday Buggy and Sand Rover promotional video (© Tamiya)

The Holiday Buggy and Sand Rover are perfectly suited for running on the sand under a few conditions: it'd better be dry sand on a flat beach so that nothing could get into the gears and litterally mow them after a few minutes. Apart from this, these two "beach" models are much sought after for their splendid bodies and their realistic drivers.

It is quite important to notice that Tamiya makes a master move with their second off-road plateform after just a few years of activity on the RC market: today, the SRB models are still much sought after by fans around the world. At the beginning of the 80's, the RC market is showing the first signs of the off-road craze that will happen just a few years after the SRB release: those crazy years when Tamiya will live very important years for its own history and the overall RC market.

The FAV plateform

FAV means Fast Attack Vehicle, but it's neither the real plateform name or a name given by fans: it's just the name I chose to give it for my own convenience. Plateform is even a big name as only two models share it and alos because it is not really specific.

58046 Fast Attack Vehicle (1984)

58050 Wild One (1985)

The Fast Attack Vehicle promotional video (© Tamiya)

The Wild One promotional video (© Tamiya)

In fact, this plateform features already known elements: transmission and dogbones come from the Frog, front dampers and bumper come from The Grasshopper. The chassis bathtub is very similar to the Grasshopper's on which the stick pack position would have been modified to fit transversally: this is a guess as it is not possible to claim there's a so close relation between the two plateforms concerning that specific part.

Strategically, this plateform is the last f the "metal" era in Tamiya design: plastic will be mostly used now on and realism will now mainly concern bodyshells (still very highly detailled, but with much less accessories). The FAV plateform is the end of the models in motion era for the 2WD buggy market segment.

The ORV plateform

The plateform name means Off Road Vehicle, and it is still a name given by by fans.
This chassis lineage is very important in Tamiya range of products since it features many different mythical models. The very first model is the 58038 Subaru Brat kit released in 1983. The last evolution will occur in 1997 on the King Blackfoot (58192).

The original Frog chassis

The Frog drivetrains

The Frog gearbox

The re-released Subaru Brat chassis

For the big wheel configuration, the chassis receives a front tower in order to fit a better suspension system. The next generations will mainly enhance the rear drivetrain.

The Monster Beetle chassis

The Monster Beetle drivetrains

The King Blackfoot chassis

The King Blackfoot drivetrains

Main ORV chassis models and variants:

58038 Subaru Brat (1983 and 2007)	58041 The Frog (1984 and 2005)
58060 Monster Beetle (1986)	58192 King Blackfoot (1997)

In over 14 years of lifetime, the ORV chassis was used by: The Frog, three generations of the mythical Blackfoot and the Monster Beetle among others. With The Frog and Subaru Brat re-releases (in 2005 and 2007), it is now easier to find spare parts for these models, even if some are specific to the different ORV generations.

The Subaru Brat and Lancia Rally promotional video (© Tamiya)	The Frog promotional video (© Tamiya)
The Monster Beetle promotional video (© Tamiya)	The King Blackfoot promotional video (© Tamiya)

Other videos of these models can be found on Youtube.

The main flaw on this plateform is the gearbox weakness on the first "Big Wheels" generation: the efforts due to the wheel size tend to bend the gearbox metallic side plates. Affected models are the Blackfoot, Monster Beetle and Mud Blaster. The following models received a totally new gearbox that solved the problem but deeply modified the rear drivetrain architecture.

These models were designed for leisure and gave pleasure to an entire generation of fans. Today, the Subaru Brat and The Frog re-releases extend the pleasure for new young fans, or young fans from the eighties. On the "Big Wheels" series side, none has been re-released yet: many fans around the world would like Tamiya did something about it.

Strategically, this plateform is one of the most important in Tamiya history. In fact, it can be considered as the cause of the off-road craze that will last until the end of the 80's. The Grasshopper plateform on the entry-level segment, then the Hostshot on the 4 wheel-drive segment will rapidly complete Tamiya's range of products and will actively participate to the RC market golden era.
But this plateform will also lead the "Big Wheels" segment with the Blackfoot and the Monster Beetle. But Tamiya didn't start this market segment: Marui did it with their Big Bear released one year before in 1985.

But the Blackfoot lineage is one of Tamiya's best seller series:

58058 Blackfoot (1986)	58110 Super Blackfoot (1992)
58192 King Blackfoot (1997)	58312 Blackfoot Xtreme (2003)

Even if the Blackfoot did not start the "Big Wheels" craze, it will be its unrivaled best seller: this model is one of Tamiya's hits. Since its first release back in 1986, you can find a Blackfoot generation in the brand's product line-up. This is still true in 2009 with the Blackfoot Xtreme that will probably soon leave room for the next generation.

The Grasshopper plateform

This plateform is one of the most important chassis series ever in all Tamiya history, one of the most important on the RC market, and one of the best sellers ever. At least on the entry-level leisure market segment which is the main access key for the new RC fans. No one can deny Tamiya did a tremendeous move when releasing The Grasshopper in 1984 (kit 58043). 25 years later, this chassis is still used on the Rising Fighter 58416 kit released at the end of the year 2008.

This very solid 2WD buggy chassis feature a somewhat very simple design: a bulletproof transmission in a rigid oscillating drivetrain, an ABS bathtub chassis and springs as shock absorbers. Purists had a heart attack when discovering this chassis for the first time: the concept of suspension just can't apply to that "bouncing" thing, you can't adjust the slightest setup for anything on the chassis and above all, you can't think about racing that thing if you're not fully loaded with illegal substances. True but purists opinion about this model is just useless: The Grasshopper was never designed for them. The Grasshopper is only designed for beginners, young people and anyone who wants to have fun without having to spend hours preparing the model for a run: for all these users, those some many more users compared to true race lovers, The Grasshopper is nothing less than the best model ever designed.

The original chassis	The Big Wheels variant	The first evolution	The second evolution
58043 Grasshopper (1984)	58063 Vanessa's Lunch Box (1987)	58074 Grasshopper II (1988)	58205 Madbull (1997)

Below, you can see the two most important buggies and big wheel variants on this plateform: they are the best-sellers of each product line, the three first models having been re-released. Finding the Madbull among them can be a surprise: but this model has been under production for more than 12 years now.

58043 The Grasshopper (1984 and 2005)	58045 The Hornet (1984 and 2004)
58063 Vanessa's Lunch Box (1987 and 2005)	58205 Madbull (1997) (presented here in XB Xpert Built version)

In the above family portrait, the models do not seem to share the same chassis base at first first glance, the last one being even named DT-01 (see theDT section below). But all of them do share the same base:
 a rigid rear oscillating drivetrain giving the "bounce effect"
 a bulletproof transmission
 all of them will definitely give headaches to racers 

This is where Tamiya genius lies: they dared to release a very durable and economic chassis exclusively targetted to pure fun. This mechanical base was then adapted to other buggies like The Hornet who was a massive seller and then to Big Wheel wheeling vehicles (the Vanessa's Lunch Box). The Grasshopper II is an evolution featuring a central pivot to the rear drivetrain enhancing the rear suspension. The DT-01 is the next evolution featuring a relocation of the stick pack and rear dampers: a buggy version exists (the Mad Fighter), and a buggy/big wheels hybrid with the Madbull.

This plateform recipe has been a tremendous commercial success for 25 years and proves that a pure leisure oriented concept fullfills a true wide public interest. Even Tamiya seemed to forget this in 1994 when they released the Super Hornet (kit 58124) which was intended to be a Hornet "sport" version: despite its prestigious ancestor, the Super Hornet mainly remained on store shelves and still doesn't arise collector's interest in a consequent proportion.

Paradoxically, many owners of Grasshopper-based models met to race them with friends: pure cool moments and big smiles on their face. Trying to control such bouncy vehicles or even models making crazy wheelings as soon as you touch the throttle stick is quite far from state-of-the-art driving: but that's where the fun is.

The Hornet

The Grasshopper II

The Lunch Box

The Madbull

The above set of photos just shows how these models perform. The first one shows how much a driver struggles to keep the model on the track since the bounces of the rear drivetrain are highly unpredictable. The second one shows the typical Grasshopper-like "bounce effect" (this was shot in a straight line on a flat ground ). On the third one, the Lunch Box does what it's best at: the wheelie bar is no adornment. On the last one, the most stable vehicle of the series: the very soft suspension makes the Madbull a kind of lizzard of the track. It just stays in line even when having one or two wheels up high in the air.

The Grasshopper promotional video (© Tamiya)	The Hornet promotional video (© Tamiya)
The Midnight Pumpkin promotional video (© Tamiya)	The Mitsubishi Pajero promotional video (© Tamiya)

Other videos of these models can be found on Youtube.

From the Grasshopper chassis base, Tamiya simply released very solid, economical and fun vehicles. Very fun to drive vehicles. These are definitely the perfect models for beginners, young or not so young anymore, and for any driver who's looking for fun.

This plateform is one of Tamiya's most strategic and important asset in the 80's of course, but still nowadays in a less important proportion though:
 Industrially: production volumes overtook any other model in the RC business, and they keep on growing since new models and re-releases still use these parts
 Commercially: the public massively bought the models in the second half of the 80's. A true invasion of grasshoppers and Hornets occured in backyards around the RC world. Above all, high sales volumes lasted so long that they hid the sudden market move towards the on-road vehicles at the beginning of the 90's. In barely a few months, Tamiya saw the plateform sales curbs dramatically drop
 Brand image: this plateform gave Tamiya the image of a manufacturer dedicated to entry-level successful models. For many fans (and not fans), Tamiya=entry-level buggy. This reputation will stick to Tamiya for years. Still today, despite many world championships won by the brand, you still can easily find "old" racers whose opinion remains the same.

The DT plateform

This plateform name means Dirt Two wheel-drive.
The DT familly is in fact made of two very different chassis architectures that do not share anything else but the name that reveals which market segment Tamiya aims with it.
The DT-01 version is the 1983 mythical Grasshopper evolution. It was first released in 1996 with the 58184 Fighter Buggy RX kit. It is limited to only three models probably because the sales volumes didn't reach the expected level. When you look at Tamiya's range of products at that period, "fun" was clearly not the money-spinner from 1996 to 2004. Well, except the Wild Willy 2 model. Crazy Willy has always been an UFO on the RC market, but Tamiya dared to release it in 1999. Then you'll have to wait to the year 2004 with the Hornet (58336) re-release, followed by the Grasshopper's and Lunch Box's in 2005 to get "fun" models.

The DT-01 chassis

58184 Fighter Buggy RX (1996)

58205 Madbull (1997)

58275 Mad Fighter (2001)

The Madbull promotional video (© Tamiya)

The Grasshopper II promotional video (© Tamiya)

Other videos of these models can be found on Youtube.

The DT-01 chassis is the true son of the Grasshopper's: it provides the same kind of fun factor, it is also very solid and bounces a lot even if the drivetrain pivot enhancement combined with enhanced dampers provide a mcuh cleaner behavior (compared to a Grasshopper). The two above videos show the direct lineage, and the second one could'nt be more explicit.

The DT-02 chassis is radically different: the rear rigid drivetrain disappeared and leaves room to a classical solution using arms and independant suspension. The target public is also different since the DT-02 is better oriented to races. OK, the very limited gear ratio choice is a serious drawback for races, but this chassis is much more inspired by its cousins DF-02 and DF-03 rather than by the Grasshopper's or the DT-01.

The DT-02 chassis

58340 Super Fighter G (2005)

58374 Sand Viper (2006)

The DT-02 is used by four different models so far, the last of them being the 58401 Neo Falcon kit released in 2007. Note that the name Falcon has no relation at all with the original Falcon model, like the DT-02 has nothing to do with the DT-01. The main interst in this chassis is to bring modernity in the 2WD buggy line-up and provide a behavior closer to modern racing buggies. The consequence is the loss of the fun factor, but the gain is a tremedous improvement of the general handling. The DT-02 is a chassis well suited for beginners who want to race in "Standard" categories.

Strategically, the DT-01 is the direct successor of the Grasshopper plateform, even if is name has changed. On the other hand, the DT-02 role is not obvious: it features several common points with the DF-03 when considering its market target (race beginners). But unlike the 4WD category, Tamiya has no more competitive offer in their 2WD buggy line-up. The DT-02 could have been the base for a new more competitive chassis, but it is now too old for such a developpment. So it remains targetted to the modern leisure-oriented performance market segment when the Grasshopper plateform (its DT-01 evolution or the re-released original) targets the entry-level fun segment where it brings a vintage breathe.

The Falcon plateform

This plateform has no name, neither official or given by fans: so I will call it Falcon after the name of the first model using it. It features three different generations and only seven models: the first one was one of Tamiya's biggest commercial success for a unique model, the second was a complete disaster with only two models and the last one success is mainly drawn by one model even if three other models share the same chassis generation.

58056 The Falcon (1986)

The chassis

The Falcon promotional video (© Tamiya)

The Falcon action shot

The Falcon is designed for leisure as the only two available gear ratios prove it. But this buggy is fast, handles very well and has a good suspension system even being close to the Grasshopper's market semgent target. This model has only only flaw: the front bumper often breaks at its junction with the bathtub chassis. Fortunately it was quite easy to make a home-made repair: it was not often a neat repair but was better to keep the front bumper protection.

The second generation of the plateform was released as soon as 1987. In fact, it is an economical version of the Falcon: Friction dampers at the rear and Grasshopper springs at the front. The ABS bodyshell is quite surprising: il looks like a plane cockpit, the chassis being the inferior part of the bodyshell. Moreover, Tamiya presents it as a "Formula 1" body: well, an off-road  F1, this was probably meant to annouce the 4WD F1 to be released a few years later on the F201 chassis. If this concept still seems too innovative in 2009, it was exactly the same back in 1987: the Striker hit the store shelves and remained there.
The Sonic Fighter that completes this second generation of the Falcon plateform will remove the two main flaws of the Striker: the four dampers are hydraulic ones and it will be presented as a buggy (ie no more "Formula 1"). But still with this strange body-chassis concept.

58061 Striker (1987)

58071 Sonic Fighter (1988)

The body-chassis concept

The Striker promotional video (© Tamiya)

The Sonic Fighter promotional video (© Tamiya)

As successors and evolutions of the Falcon, these two models are a complete failure: their ABS shell (shell, imagine a turtle shell) weights a lot, loosing the speed and vivacity that were much appreciated on the Falcon. The Striker economical suspension made it even worse. To make it short, these two models are among Tamiya's worse disasters.

The third Falcon generation will be released in 1991 with the 58093 Bear Hawk kit, right when the maket made that sudden move towards the on-road vehicles. This model will be the only buggy version of the generation, the followers will wear bigger shoes to enter the Stadium Truck category.

The Bear Hawk chassis

The Stadium Blitzer chassis

The Blitzer Beetle chassis

58093 Bear Hawk (1991)

58106 Stadium Blitzer (1992)

58181 Stadium Thunder (1996)

The Bear Hawk targets the 2WD entry-level segment of market with its red friction dampers seen 2 years before on the Madcap, to which it also borrows the wheels (tainted white). Tamiya will re-use the Bear Hawk bodyshell 10 years later on the Mad Fighter, just adding a wing.

The Stadium Blitzer and Stadium Thunder open a new market niche for Tamiya: the Stadium Truck category. Even if today's collectors do not seem attracted by these models, they had a long production lifetime which tends to demonstrate that their sales were good.

But the best-seller of the series is the Blitzer Beetle with the third variant of the very popular Volkswagen Beetle Baja shell, after the Sand Scorcher in 1979 and the Monster Beetle in 1986. Apart from the chassis performance in this Stadium variant, the bodyshell is undoubtely what made the commercial success of the model. Tamiya will even release a limited series chrome version of this bodyshell in 1999.

58122 Blitzer Beetle (1996)

58252 Blitzer Beetle Chrome Metallic (1999)

Quite surprisingly, the limited Chrome Metallic version was released as a standard kit and not as a usual 49xxx serie. Only two other models, both re-released versions, received this special affectation in Tamiya's range of products: the Midnight Pumpkin in 2006 (kit 58365) and the Super Clod Buster in 2009 (kit 58423).

But above anything else, the Blitzer Beetle is the very first re-released model in Tamiya history! 5 years before the real beginning of the re-releases program starting with the  58321 Super Clod Buster model which is a slightly modified version of the 1987 Clod Buster (see below on the page). But not considering the limited re-release of the XR311 in 2000 under the same reference as the original kit (58004).

By the middle of the 80's, it seems like Tamiya had problems designing its middle-range off-road 2WD buggy. After the "scale" series (the SRBs), entry-level series (Grasshopper / Hornet), and the race-oriented Fox (at least in its design), Tamiya seem to look after the right platform to settle its middle-ranger offer. The ORV was initially meant for that but it will mainly used for the Big Wheels segment.

Strategically, the Falcon plateform looks like the demonstration of the difficulties Tamiya seemed to face when designing its middle range 2WD buggy offer from the mid-80's to the very beginning of the 90's. Later, the market massively moved towards the on-road vehicles: the Falcon plateform applied to the buggy segment will end with the Bear Hawk but the Stadium Truck version will last a few more years before to be abandonned too.

In fact, the correct answer relies in the market itself: the second half of the 80's is the 4WD buggy and Big Wheels golden age. The 2WD buggy market only concentrates on entry-level offers, middle and high-range segment barely exist because clients who hold enough money for them prefer to buy 4WD models. The Falcon commercial success story is due to a simple fact: its price range is right between 2WD entry-level buggies (Grasshopper / Hornet) and the 4WD entry-level buggies (like the Boomerang). The 2WD buggy race market barely exists in these years: moreover, this specific segment is led by Kyosho's Ultima model. The Fox failure on the race market will teach Tamiya not to make more efforts on this segment as the market is mainly concentrated elsewhere.

The Hotshot plateform

This is still not the plateform official name since neither Tamiya or fans ever used it. Anyway, this plateform is very important in Tamiya history since it's their first 4WD buggy, the first pretending to be raced, and because it will concentrate Tamiya 4WD buggy offer from  1985 (58047 Hotshot kit) to 1989 (58078 Fire Dragon kit). This plateform will then leave room for the  DF-01 (58087 Manta Ray kit) at the beginning of the 90's.

The first generation of this plateform was proposed with 3 variants concerning the suspension system:
    1 damper per drivetrain
    2 rear and 1 front dampers
    2 dampers per drivetrain

The Hosthot chassis	The Supershot chassis	The Boomerang chassis	The Bigwig chassis
The Hotshot drivetrains	The Supershot drivetrains	The Boomerang drivetrains	The Bigwig drivetrains

58047 Hotshot (1985)

58054 Supershot (1986)

58055 The Boomerang (1986)

58057 The Bigwig (1986)

58047 Hotshot (1985 and 2007)

58055 The Boomerang (1986 and 2008)

There is also a 2WD variant of this plateform on the 58051 The Fox model. This will be Tamiya unique try to use this plateform for a 2WD buggy meant for race.

58051 The Fox (1985)

The chassis

Front and rear drivetrains

The gearbox

You may be surprised to find the Fox into the Hotshot lineage: but it is a 2WD variant Tamiya aimed at racers as they did for the Hostshot. The cantilever design couldn't be fitted on the Fox due to the mandatory relocation of the motor towards the rear of the chassis (to provide more weight and thus grip). But the cantilever suspension design was used for the front drivetrain, as well as the enclosed chassis. And if you still have a doubt, consider the Fox rear drivetrain will be directly used by the Supershot.

The Fox

Action shot (here featuring a front anti-roll bar)

The Fox is unique in Tamiya range of products: they strategically understood very quickly that the plateform drawbacks where too serious to dedicated these models to the race market. On the other side, the models were all real success stories for people buying them for leisure use. But if the Hotshot and its variants were 4WD and had very good performances, the Fox only had performances. For the 2WD leisure-oriented segment of the market, Tamiya already had the Grasshopper plateform which was a never seen before success in the industry. Also, the public interest in off-road racing was almost exclusively centered on 4WD buggies: 2WD buggies had a quite null effect on manufacturers brand image. So the Fox futur was definitely sealed.

The Hotshot promotional video (© Tamiya)

The Fox promotional video (© Tamiya)

Other videos of these models are available on Youtube.

This palteform meant for race by Tamiya will not achieve its goal even if the chassis performances were pretty good (both the Hotshot and the Fox). Enclosing the electronics into the chassis in such a manner is not well suited for racing since you often have to setup the chassis, especially to change radio frequences. Moreover, the suspension cantilever design is very original but lacks precision compared to classical suspension designs.

Anyway, as the requirements are less important, this plateform is perfect for leisure because it delivers very good performances. Commercially, these models were success stories and Tamiya re-released several of them (the Hotshot in 2007 and the Boomerang in 2008). Strategically, this plateform will give birth to the famous yellow hydraulic dampers that were much appreciated at the time. Last, this is a strategical new orientation for Tamiya who seriously steps into the race market: from them on, they will permanently design race-oriented models aimed at winning international championships, but never forgetting to remain concentrated on the leisure market which is their core business.

In an aside, let's consider those famous yellow hydraulic dampers first seen on the Fox in 1985: they were not the first hydraulic dampers on the market. But they were the first to offer both good performances and reliability (no leakages) without being too much expensive. Their general design is pretty much still the same today, which proves they were very well designed. However, there are two versions of these yellow dampers:
 the one from the Fox first batch of production
 the one you can find on most Fox models and any other models featuring this dampers later on

The first version

The most common version

Current version (50520)

The difference between the very first generation (that lasts a few months in production) and the most common one is located at the top of the damper piston rod. The first version features a free piston rod and a spring to let the oil volume move when the damper works. The evolution replaces this system with a rubber oil seal to perform the same function, probably with an enhanced flexibility and thus efficency. The current generation first seen on the 58068 Lotus Honda 99T model in 1987 (still yellow colored at the time) mainly features an enhanced sealing washer at the bottom of the damper cylinder, and also the use of olive-shaped bases for the spring. This last enhancement let's you choose the length of the damper end and provides a few millimeters more or less to make the total damper length vary: this way, the damper can be adapted to a wider range of chassis.


Now let's get back to the Hotshot plateform since it received an evolution in 1987, again featuring two variants for the suspension:
    2 dampers at the rear and 1 at the front
    2 dampers per drivetrain

The Thunder Shot chassis	The Thunder Shot drivetrains	The Terra Scorcher chassis	The Terra Scorcher drivetrains
58067 Thunder Shot (1987)	58073 Thunder Dragon (1988)	58075 Terra Scorcher (1988)	58078 Fire Dragon (1989)

58067 Thunder Shot (1987 and 2005)

58078 Fire Dragon (1989 and 2008)

The Thundershot promotional video (© Tamiya)

The Terra Scorcher promotional video (© Tamiya)

More videos of these models are on Youtube.


This second Hotshot plateform generation was only targetted at the leisure market, Tamiya being aware of the plateform design limits for the race segment. This had no impact over the commercial success of the series, especially thanks to the boyshells perfectly responding to the Japanese market manga craze at that time (the "dragon" series). The Fire Dragon, last model of the series, was even re-released in 2008 (kit 58403) and the Thunder Shot was too as soon as 2006 (kit 58361).

Strategically, the "lifting" made by Tamiya to the original Hotshot plateform mainly seems aimed at keeping offering models on the 4WD leisure buggy market capitalizing on the success of the first generation.

The Avante plateform

Again, the name of the first model of the lineage will be used to name the plateform even if it is neither an official name or the name used by fans to refer to it. This is an emblematic model for Tamiya, a know-how demonstration, another pure technology jewel after the 58059 Porsche 959 model released in 1986 (see below). The Avante is a 4WD buggy radically made for racing, a model that concentrates all Tamiya knowledge and know-how. Above anything else, the Avante is litterally meant to over perform any other competitor thanks to the impressive list of technical and technological advances it features. So the Avante program is extremely ambitious since it is purposely designed for Tamiya to win world championships and make everyone forget the Hotshot plateform failure in the race sector.

58072 Avante (1988)

The Avante drivetrains

What a car! Right for the first glance, any RC fan from that time (and still today) will be very impressed by the Avante line purity. But not only: even before to have a look under the waterdrop-shape bodyshell, different technical elements show a preview of the very innovative solutions designed by Tamiya engineers. The point here is not to list all this model technical innovations: a yet to come dedicated article will do it later. Suffice to say the Avante left its mark on the whole RC world by the number and the kind of its technical innovations. This car was undoubtely made for racing but it had yet another further function: it was also made to be Tamiya's know-how concentration shown to the world. For this, the Avante achieved its goal as it was very different from anything else ever released so far by competitors.

With the Avante, Tamiya made an astonishing engineering demonstration that everyone can remember in the RC industry. But it is also remembered as a total disaster on race achievements. Commercially, the Avante was no best seller: it is only afterwards that fans really got aware of this model importance. But at the time, the racers public aimed by the Avante was quickly disappointed: the car was extremely complex and revealed to be very fragile. Not counting its performances on tracks also revealed not to be as excellent as expected.

For Tamiya's main target, ie the general public, the Avante was just model out of their expectations, both due to its complexity and its price. This is the reason why Tamiya didn't release an Avante economical version at the time.

58076 Vanquish (1988)

The Vanquish drivetrains and available hop-ups

The Avante promotional video (© Tamiya)

The Vanquish promotional video (© Tamiya)

For the Vanquish, Tamiya massively used plastic everywhere carbon was used on the Avante, arms were simplified and the chassis was replaced by a bath-tub type (2,5cm longer). By the way, most ball bearings became plastic bearings, the 540VZ Technigold motor was replaced by a standard 540 Mabuchi and the yellow hydraulic dampers were used.

Tamiya quickly became aware of the Avante drawbacks and tries to correct them on the Egress. This second generation mainly features a better front suspension travel and a general chassis reliability enhancement. But the Egress won't give Tamiya any significative race title either: the third and last generation released in 1990 with the Avante 2001 won't either. This last version is to be considered as the definitive corrected Avante: but the so many innovations introduced with the Avante that revealed to be useful were already used by competitors. The Avante 2001 was released too late and looses a lot of the original Avante technical charm: this model will not match its race performance goals, and won't either be a best seller.

58079 Egress (1989)

58085 Avante 2001 (1990)

With the Avante, Tamiya massively invested to step into the highest level international race sector for 4WD buggies. Their engineers designed a pure technological jewel that was far beyond competitor when it was released: it will leave its mark in the RC industry, but not the way Tamiya would have liked to. Indeed, the Avante revealed to be the purest example of a so over engineered design that it looses the main race requirement: reliability. The Egress will correct a lot of the original design flaws and is considered as a very good model: many drivers will use it but no significant international race will be won with it.

But the advanced Avante design will partially be used by competitor and of course by Tamiya on other models. As an example, the longitudinally motor orientation and the stick pack placed along the central main shaft will be seen many years later on many models, especially on race-oriented on-road vehicles like the TB-01.

Strategically, the Avante is extremely important for Tamiya: despite of its drawbacks, not enough sales and not a single international race result, this model is the demonstration of a high-end design skill far beyond anything close by that time. exactely too much engineered and too much far beyond what was existing. But the Avante is better a proof of a very serious will to massively invest in the race market. Tamiya proves they can mobilize very heavy engineering and industrial ressources to reach their objective: clever people from that time closely paid attention to this model and to Tamiya massive investment on it. Less perceptive probably smiled at the numerous design flaws. The sudden market move towards on-road vehicles at the beginning of the 90's will shortly end Tamiya race program for off-road vehicles. But they will then massively move their efforts on the on-road sector and demonstrate they are a very serious pretender.

The Avante is the true starting point of Tamiya strategy in the international race sector: in fact, this model is the very first one used by a totally new branch, the now famous Team TRF (Tamiya Racing Factory Team). It is a branch gathering professional drivers and engineering exclusively dedicated to racing. The Team TRF was created in 1988 to test the Avante and drive it in its first international races, but its purpose is clearly to design top racers and make Tamiya win international titles. The Team TRF developments are independent from the public line of products even if many technologies from the Team TRF department can later be seen in public-oriented models (see the TA plateform evolution from shaft to belt drive) or in the hops-ups line of products.

The Astute plateform

This plateform will here be named after the first model to use it: it is not an official name.
This is Tamiya's second race-oriented 2WD buggy plateform after the first try made in 1985 with the Fox. This plateform features three different groups of models:
 race buggies
 leisure buggies
 Stadium Trucks

The Astute chassis	The Super Astute chassis
58080 Astute (1989)	58097 Super Astute (1991)

The Astute is clearly made for racing. It even features some of the Avant drawbacks, especially the "too much" feeling: too complex, too much engineered. But its main flaw is the front drivetrain lack of grip: Tamiya placed as much weight as possible on the rear drivetrain (which is wise for 2WD), but the front becomes so light that it severly understeer.

Released 2 years later, the Super Astute enhances the front drivetrain grip by having the stick pack located longitudinally. It is also made simpler et more reliable, especially concerning the rear drivetrain setup. But above all, the Super Astute introduces the famous TTC (Tamiya Traction Control) that is a kind of "slipper" (something meant to better handle the motor power transmission to the wheels). The Super Astute is truly the "finished" version of the Astute and it will often be seen on race tracks at that time.

Like the Vanquish with the Avante, the Madcap and the Saint Dragon are the leisure-oriented variants of the Astute.

The Madcap chassis

58082 Madcap (1989)

58083 Saint Dragon (1990)

For a leisure-oriented model, the Madcap reveals to be very well suited to begin in races as soon as it is lightly hopped up (dampers and ball bearings). Technically, the Saint Dragon is well suited for this usage too, but it was rarely seen in clubs by the time: probably because of its so strange bodyshell that was not much appreciated, excepted in Japan and among manga fans.

At the same time, Tamiya released a Stadium Truck variant featuring bigger wheels on the Astute plateform.

The Nissan King Cab chassis

58081 Nissan King Cab (1989)

58086 Toyota Hilux Monster Racer (1990)

The chassis is slightly modified for this Stadium Truck variant, but the whole gearbox directly comes from the Astute. Like the Astute and the Madcap, the weak point of these models is the gearbox. Here too, the Super Astute TTC was the solution to enhance reliability, especially when you used big motors. The King Cab and the Hilux Monster Racer are considered as the Stadium Truck category references at the time and were frequently seen in official races. Another flaw on these two models is their bodyshell: it is moulded in a very thin lexan and thus it is very fragile.

There is a last almost unknown evolution of the Astute plateform. In fact, it is a specific developpment performed by the TRF Team using the Super Astute basis. In 1992, it resulted in a prototype called the TRF211X:
 Super Astute suspension system
 Super Astute geometry
 all new gear transmission
 new dampers
 carbon chassis
 specific lexan body

The TRF211X will never be sold but gave birth to the 58116 Dynastorm and 58123 Dyna Blaster kits. These two models will feature almost everything from the TRF211X except materials (FRP chasis instead of carbon, dampers, plastic parts instead of aluminum). The Dynastorm will inherit the TRF211X prototype general lines for the bodyshell.

The TRF211X chassi

The Dynastorm chassis

The Dynastorm slipper

58116 Dynastorm (1992)

58123 Dyna Blaster (1993)

Strategically, the Astute plateform has the same importance the Avante has for Tamiya. Well, keeping proportions in mind since the 2WD off road market is far less important and has far less prestige than the 4WD off-road market. Nevertheless, Tamiya strategy developped with the Astute is exactly the same as the Avante's: reach the highest rank in international races. The goal will not be fully reach, but results will be much better than with the Avante. Yet, if the Astute suffered important flaws, the Super Astute completly corrected them and was often raced. The Super Astute TTC system will very often be installed on the Astute to make it more reliable and efficient.
The entry-level variant Madcap and Saint Dragon were sucess stories too, the first one targetting race beginners while the second was a response to the manga craze at that time.
The Stadium Truck variants were also good seller and became race references in their category.

With the Astute plateform too, Tamiya clearly states its will to seriously consider the race market. Like with the Avante, tremendous ressources were mobilized to achieve this goal, and if the results were not that brilliant, they can't be considered as failures. Industrially and commercially, the Astute plateform is more rational than the Avante's as it targets three different market segments from a common basis. The RC market move towards on-road models will here again make Tamiya stop its efforts to reach the international race top. Its efforts will logically be reallocated on the on-road models market, the Dynastorm being still today their ultimate evolution on the 2WD race-oriented segment.

The DF plateform

The name of this chassis series means Dirt Four wheel-drive. Note that the DF-01 was released without any name: it was named was afterward.
The first version of this chassis is importante in Tamiya range of products since it gave birth to the on-road TA plateform. It is also important by its lifetime since it was first released back in 1990 and it is still used by models released in 2009.

The DF-01 chassis

The DF-02 chassis

The DF-03 chassis

The DF-03Ra chassis

58087 Manta Ray (1990)

58328 Gravel Hound (2004)

58370 Dark Impact (2006)

58417 Subaru Impreza WRC (2008)

The DF plateform is very versatile in Tamiya range of products:
 the DF-01 gave birth to the TA plateform
 the DF-02 is a buggy variant of the TT plateform
 the DF-03 is now adapted to on-road use (more specifically to rallye)

Here are some explicit examples of the DF and TA plateforms brotherhood:

DF-01 chassis

TA-01 chassis

DF-01 Cross Country chassis

TA-01 / TA-02 chassis (Ford F-150)

The two first above photos show that the TA-01 chassis is a direct fit from de DF-01 for on-road use. The two next photos show the "cross country" variants of these two plateforms: here again, you can see they're alike and you can even ask if there is a difference between the two. The answer can be found in the 58154 M1025 Hummer kit parts list (TA-01/TA-02) to be compared to the very same model but in its 57714 XB Expert Build variant that it claimed to be on a DF-01 base. Among other differences, the bathtub chassis and the uprights are not the same: but at sight, it's not easy to say who's who.

The DF-01 is Tamiya 4th 4WD buggy chassis evolution. First designed to be for leisure use, it will be suited for race with the Top Force (100th model) and with tons of hop-ups on the Top Force Evolution (kit 58107).

Most significative models in the DF-01 series:

58087 Manta Ray (1990)

58100 Top Force (1991)

58107 Top Force Evolution (1992)

58406 Cayenne Transsyberia (2008)

The DF-02 shares many common points with the on-road TT-01 chassis released in 2003 with the 58302 Enzo Ferrari kit. It's not easy to see it on the chassis itself since the layout is reversed and the buggy version features enlarged arms, but the gearbox share many common parts. OK, the brotherhood link between the two is not as direct as it is between DF-01 and TA-01.

The DF-02 chassis

The TT-01 chassis

58328 Gravel Hound (2004)

58302 Enzo Ferrari (2003)

The DF-02 chassis has a low ground clearance and is better suited for flat tracks. It is almost the exact 4WD counterpart to the DT-02 chassis (see below): Tamiya aims it at leisure or race beginners use.

So far, the DF-03 is the latest evolution of this plateform. It is more aimed at race and easily handles very powerful motors. But the DF-03-based chassis models are still very well suited for leisure use since their price is still affordable.

The DF-03 chassis

58370 Dark Impact (2006)

58380 Keen Hawk (2006)

58387 Avante Mk.II (2007)

This chassis is a kind of come back to the roots with the DF-03Ra variant first released in 2008 (kit 58417 Subaru Impreza WRC Monte Carlo 2007). This Rallye version features short arms and converts the off-road DF-03 chassis into on-road. The very same move was made in 1996 when the DF-01 gave bith to the TA-01.

The DF-03 chassis The DF-03Ra chassis

Video presenting the DF-03Ra compared to the DF-03 (© Tamiya USA)

The DF plateform Tamiya's strategy spinal column for the off-road vehicle market. Its versatility let them develop a wide range of buggies aimed at leisure use, to make it evolve into more race-oriented models, but above all, to make on-road vehicle out of it. The 58087 Manta Ray kit released in 1990 is the direct or less direct basis for almost 100 different models in Tamiya's overall range of models. Better said, it represents just a little bit less than a quarter of all the models released in more than 30 years.

Commercially, it gave Tamiya the opportunity to remain in the RC business at the begining of the 90's when it was converted into the TA plateform because the public taste massively changed for on-road vehicles. The 2nd and 3rd generations mainly aim at leisure usage but also to race beginners, giving them the taste of getting higher range products dedicated to racing (the TRF range of products).

Industrially, the DF plateform is a pure success story despite its difficult debuts in the early 90's market context. In fact, the DF-01 is still under production today, and new models using it are still being released in 2008 and 2009, almost 20 years after its initial release (in cross country variant, but not in buggy version anymore though). Not to mention cross country versions based on a TA-01/TA-02 chassis mix that are still being released on new models in the XB Expert Build line-up.

The DB plateform

The name of this plateform means Dirt Belt-driven. It is the "public" version of the TFR501X buggy used by Tamiya in international championships.

Like for the evolution of the on-road TA plateform, Tamiya changed from the shaft-driven to the belt-driven technology. But unlike what happened with the TA plateform, the DB-01 chassis is entirely new: it is not a modified DF-03 chassis.

The DB-01 chassis

49401 TRF501X

42139 TRF511X

58395 Durga (2007)

58404 Baldre (2008)

The Durga and the Baldre are clearly aimed at racing even if they are perfect for leisure use as soon as the driver is not a complete beginner. Moreover, they are the proof of a radical change in Tamiya strategy concerning off-road racing: like on their on-road racers, the shaft-driven transmission will now be probably aimed at entry and middle range models while the belt-driven transmission will be used for middle and higher range models since it is much lighter and efficient.

It is not yet possible to determine this plateform strategic impact in the future since it is still pretty young (compared to other Tamiya decade-old plateforms). What can already be said is that the Durga and Baldre are often raced in clubs: this shows they both are good sellers and reached their target competitor public.

The Artist platform

At the very begining of this page, I said the plateform chronology wouldn't be respected for a question of logic: you already suffered some time travels but now, let's directly get back 25 years in the past to review the history of an emblematic character in Tamiya RC history.

"Artist" is obviously neither the official chassis series name, nor the name fans gave to it. This is only the name I chose as a tribute to the most charismatic driver of all times in the RC industry: I'm talking about Mister Willy. To change a little bit, I will first introduce the character behind the wheel of two models in this series, but we will meet Willy again later on.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Mister Willy:

Willy is the source of inspiration for true artists: below is a masterpiece from RA272 showing Willy and the Fast Attack Vehicle driver. The original image can be found on this photo gallery together with other splendid creations from the same author.

Willy is so much loved that many fans realize true art work at painting him. This exceptional character could only drive models that also had to be exceptional, offbeat and unsusual in the RC world. Because Mister Willy has special tastes: he neither drives conventional cars nor does he drive them the way you would expect. What Willy does love is to hang on to the wheel and stick the power pedal to the floor. But he does it to lift to front wheels up and ride for a several meters wheeling!

58035 Wild Willy Willys M38 (1982)

Willy at works (© Tamiya)

Willy is also a promotional cinema star:

A Wild Willy promotional video(© Tamiya)

And another one... (© Tamiya)

Willy is the driver of another car dedicated to on-road usage that didn't sell much in Europe but was a good sale especially in Japan. The Willy's Wheeler is absolutely identical to its off-road conterpart except the bodyshell and smaller size on-road tires. Two other more conventional models use a longer wheelbase variant of this chassis and loose the wheeling ability. By the way, they also lost the benefit of Willy's exceptional drive skills which probably explains why they were not greater sellers:

58036 Audi Quattro Rally (1983)

58037 Opel Ascona 400 Rally (1983)

58039 Willy's Wheeler (1983)

Willy's Wheeler short wheelbase chassis

The Audi Quattro long wheelbase chassis

Willy's Wheeler promotional video (© Tamiya)

Audi Quattro and Opel Ascona promotional video (© Tamiya)

The long wheelbase chassis variant and the stick pack relocation to the chassis center remove any fun compared to vehicles Willy drives. But this doesn't provide any better handling to the chassis either since the very basic suspension system makes them bounce like a grasshopper. Well, talking about grasshopper, this plateform can be considered as the Grasshopper's ancestor, especially considering the rear drivetrain that features a differential for the first time in Tamiya off-road range of products. The gearbox is a molded into a rigid rear drivetrain which architecture is very similar to the one used later on the Grasshopper, apart from the attachment to the chassis tub: the two massive arms used on these models will be simplified and made lighter on the Grasshopper. But roughly said, we hereby have the proof that Willy mated with a strange creature to give birth to a grasshopper. Concerning the overall concept, the Lunch Box and Midnight Pumpkin are Willy's children, but without him behind the wheel.

The Wild Willy model had two different production batches, the first one until circa 1986 and the second from then on to the end of its career. the second version introduces more resistant plastic parts on the front end of the chassis (namely the fragile damper stay) and more significative enhancements on the gearbox (housing, motor mount, quiclky worn aluminum gears replaced by more resistant plastic ones mounted on metal bearings). The wheelie bars were also modified and the general chassis wheelbase was slightly made longer to avoid Willy got back too easily on its roof.

Strategically, this plateform interest only seems to be based upon its driver. But Willy will indeed have a tremendous impact on the RC world at the time, and of course on Tamiya themsleves: the considerable commercial success of this model will demonstrate the huge potential of the pure leisure-oriented entry level market to Tamiya. The bodyshell is still highly detailed (its a constant) but the behavior doesn't have to be strictly realistic as the previous models were (SRB's or 3 Speed for example). The public reveals to love these easy to assemble and considerably fun to drive models. This success will also give Tamiya ideas and make them dare to be original both in their production and strategy. Because we'll see later on that Willy can be considered as the starting point of the re-releases program.

The WR plateform

The name of this plateform means Willy Ranger: this name is at least as strange as the 17 years jump we've just made in time. In fact, this plateform features a WR-02 version dedicated to the Wild Willy 2 that justifies the name and proves this exceptional driver skills. But, the WR-02 chassis was released... after the WR-01 first seen on the Wild Dagger. So this means that Tamiya gave its chassis plateform name after a model that was released severla months after the plateform was released. This proves that Willy's come back was seriously planned: Tamiya actually announced its release several months in advance. As far as I know, it is the one and only wink ever made by Tamiya who generally over-protects its products releases.

So let's start by the first version of this plateform which is in the direct line tradition of the Monster Truck category first seen in 1986 with the Blackfoot based on the ORV plateform.

The WR-01 chassis

58231 Wild Dagger (1999) 58366 Double Blaze (2006)

58309 Twin Detonator (2003) 58396 Dual Hunter (2007)

It is undoubtely a radical evolution made to match the current market requirements: from the Blackfoot and Monster Beetle era, the only remaining parts are the chevron spike tires of the later. The chassis is now made out of a central frame inspired by the on-road TL-01 chassis on which two motors are fitted. Note that the arms directly come from the TL-01B chassis, the buggy version of the TL-01.

Tamiya seems to have waited for market feedbacks after the Wild Dagger release in 1999: the same year, Traxxas released its Emaxx, a steroïd version of the Monster Truck concept. The Emaxx and the great number of competitors variants will litterally fulfill this market segment: they will sell much better than the Wild Dagger that is aimed at a different public more oriented to a softer leisure usage. In 2003, while the Monster Truck market is still very active, Tamiya makes another try with the Twin Detonator which is just a rebodied Wild Dagger. But this model doesn't come alone: it comes with the 17 years old absolute reference on the market: the Blackfoot.

58312 Blackfoot Xtreme (2003)

Action shot of my Blackfoot Xtreme

The Blackfoot Xtreme is the only one model of the serie propelled by a single motor to respect the original Blackfoot lineage concept. It is also the only one having a highly detailed ABS bodyshell, again to respect the tradition. The Blackfoot Xtreme is worthy of its three previous generations: despite of the discontinuation of the ORV plateform use and the market context when it was released, it sells very well and probably helps the Twin Detonator to achieve its own commercial carreer as a 4WD alternative. Calling the venerable Blackfoot to the rescue, Tamiya could keep an active range of products on the Monster Truck segment with their leisure-oriented models.

But the Willy Ranger plateform doesn't feature the sole WR-01 version: a WR-02 version was released a few months after it and explained the name of the plateform.

The WR-02 chassis

Fully equiped chassis

The boxart

58242 Wild Willy 2 (1999)

Willy moves its feet

Willy getting some action (© Tamiya)

Willy the stuntman (© Tamiya)

49337 Wild Willy 2 Metallic Special (2003)

Full throttle even with its nice clothes on (© Tamiya)

Still after 17 years, Willy still looks young, the bodyshell received very few modifications and the concept is still the same: pure leisure usage, wheeling and loads of fun. The chassis is totally new: it is just a much shorter wheelbased WR-01 chassis so Willy can perform its stunts. The wheels are the Madbull's released 2 years before, but in chrome version. Of course, this new Willy version is a great commercial success story. Tamiya will even release a limited chrome edition to pay tribute to this fantastic driver.

Even if it can't really be considered as a re-release, the Wild Willy 2 can be considered as the test model for the re-release program: at least, it is probably what gave Tamiya the idea to revisit its heritage. A second test the following year with the re-release of the 58004 XR311 will demonstrate the customers interest for this program.

Strategically, the Wild Willy 2 is as much important as it used to be in 1982 when it was first released: 17 years later, it brings "fun" in Tamiya range of products that mainly concentrate on on-road vehicles at the time. Moreover, this is the model that was used to recreate the customer interest for the re-released models allowing Tamiya to diversify even more by creating the vintage market where no other competitor can get. Tamiya can re-release their models since they just naturally fit again the exact same market segment they used to fit when they were first released. For competitors, either they just disappeared from the RC industry or they only released race-oriented models that can't really aim at today's race market as they are technologically outdated for the most part. They can't either be aimed at the leisure-oriented market because they are just not really made for that.

The 3 Speed plateform

The name of this chassis plateformis not official and here again, it's the name given by fans, including for the second generation.
These are a unique and exceptional line of models in the RC world. In 1981, Tamiya present the 58028 Toyota 4x4 Pick Up: three other models will follow until 1992. Over one decade later, a version respecting the original concept but featuring a totally modernized architecture will be released in 2006 with the 58372 Ford F350 High-Lift.
For both generations, they are models in motion and extremely sophisticated pieces of mechanics. The four first original models are now true collectors masterpieces and they trade at insane price levels.

Version 1 3 speed transmission

Version 1 3 speed chassis

Version 2 3 speed transmission

Version 2 3 speed chassis

58028 Toyota 4x4 Pick Up (1981)	58029 Blazing Blazer (1982)
58048 Toyota 4x4 Bruiser (1985)	58111 Toyota 4x4 Mountaineer (1992)

Realism is the key word for these models: they are 4WD propelled on the 1st gear to overtake obstacles and 2WD propelled on the 2nd and 3rd gears to get more speed. Moreover these chassis feature an electronic waterproof box and their transmission is also well protected: they truly can ride everywhere in a very realistic manner. For all fans, the transmission on these models is a pure jewel of mechanics.

The Hilux and Blazing Blazer promotional video (© Tamiya)

The Bruiser promotional video (© Tamiya)

More videos can be found on Youtube.

Over one decade passed before Tamiya stepped back onto this market segment with a new product line-up. And the consequence is that it is now quite impossible to think about any kind of re-release of the orignal models, especially because the image below in no fake: this is an offical photo published on Tamiya USA website. The heritage seems more than obvious.

Modern 3 speed transmission

Transmission et châssis

58372 Ford F350 High-Lift (2006)

Family history

58372 Ford F350 High-Lift (2006)

58397 Toyota Hilux High Lift (2007)

58415 Toyota Tundra Highlift (2008)

3 speed transmission (© Tamiya / Watch the complete video)

The mechanical solutions are different, but the concept is absolutely the same: fans of the vintage generation are today's fans of the modern version because realism and mechanical complexity were kept alive.

Here again, Tamiya proves they can be very original on the RC market, capitalizing on their mechanical know-how and their state of the art realistic bodyshells. The current 3 speed concept is in between the "crawler" segment on which Tamiya recently stepped with their CR-01 plateform (see below) and the scale "cross country" segment on which Tamiya also stepped with their CC-01 plateform (see below too).
The original 3 Speed series is very important for Tamiya image: already renowned for their realistic bodyshells, they gained the reputation of a great mechanical realism. In fact, both the original and modern 3 Speed models are among the most realistic models ever released at this scale.

The CC plateform

The name of this plateform means Cross Country, thus the CC or XC acronym. Whatever CC or XC, this plateform is dedicated to the Scale Trial, ie the "cross country" or "realistic crawl": to make it clearer, it is what you can do with your real scale 4WD SUV when you drive it in the woods to get to your favorite picnic place (you lazy boy, you could walk: you just destroy nature with your truck! Well, that's not the point ).

So this plateform is purely meant for realism, Tamiya's favorite excercice.

The CC-01 chassis

Underside view

The gearbox

Six models used this plateform between 1994 and 2004.

58132 Mitsubishi Pajero Metaltop Wide (1993)	58141 Jeep Wrangler (1994)	58152 Isuzu Mu (1994)
58166 Isuzu Mu Type X (1995)	58178 Honda CR-V Sport Utility (1996)	58324 Volkswagen Race-Touareg (2004)

This plateform was a commercial success story for Tamiya who bet on their know-how in realism. While the market massively went for on-road models, these models successfully create a new market segment which represents a new diversification for Tamiya.

The two first released models on this plateform are considered as the reference on the segment and they are much sought after by collectors. Especially because Tamiya had a serious licensing problem with the Jeep Wrangler for which they had to stop the production (this model was re-released in limited series in 2009). Another version of the Mitsubishi Pajero was scheduled in 1999 (kit 58249) to give a renewal to the CC series but for a mysterious reason Tamiya cancelled it and finally released it as an XB version.

This plateform was active from 1993 to 1996 for the first wave, a second was scheduled in 1999 but will only hit the market in 2004. The Jeep Wrangler limited edition re-release is probably a market test performed by Tamiya to quantify the Scale Trial segment in comparison with the Crawler segment (see below in the CR plateform section) and with the modern 3 Speed line-up. A third CC wave could hit the market by the end of 2009 or early 2010. October 2009 note: the third CC wave has arrived. Tamiya annouced the release of the 58445 Toyota Land Cruiser 40.

Here too, Tamiya strategy was to be innovative betting on realism (which is one of their best know-how) to create a new market segment even while the market was totally oriented toward on-road models.

The Clod Buster plateform

In 1987, Tamiya releases a... huge model: 2 motors, 4 Wheel-Drive, 4 Wheel Steering, 2 dampers per wheel. All this mounted on 16,5cm diameter wheels, which is just higher than any buggy. Any other model seems ridiculously small and light compared to that monster: even previous "Big Wheels" models look small compared to the Clod Buster.

The Clod Buster chassis top view

The Clod Buster chassis underside view

58065 Clod Buster (1987)

58089 Bullhead (1990)

58321 Super Clod Buster (2004)

Just to give an idea on how huge it is...

The last above photo show my friend Teamneogordini's modified Clod Buster crunching my poor King Blackfoot dressed with a Monster Beetle bodyshell.

The Clod Buster promotional video(© Tamiya)

The Monster Trucks on this plateform are huge, very heavy and two motors are needed to move them. Of course, they're not designed for anything else than leisure use: their weight and very high center of gravity make them impossible to race. They're exact replicas of those american Monster Trucks crunching everything around in shows.

The Clod Buster is the father of every today Monster Truck. With this model, Tamiya created the current Monster Truck market segment on which the Emaxx reigns: today's trucks are only boosted by 20 years of technology steroïds.
The Bullhead is a Clod Buster with a different body and different colored parts: and its yellow dampers are friction models. But this variant was not the same best seller as the Clod Buster.

About the Super Clod Buster, it brings no specific evolution, only the color of some parts are changed as well as bodyshell and decoration details. In fact, this model is a regression as per the plateform design: the Clod Buster evolution is the Juggernaut released in 1999, 5 years before the Super Clod Buster. But the complet failure of what was meant to be the evolution of this plateform will lead Tamiya to radically revise their plans (see below).

Strategically, Tamiya innovated to create a new market segment on which the Clod Buster reigned as an absolute reference all its production time long, one of the longest in Tamiya history. Even better, this model almost represents on its own its whole market segment until a new Monster Truck generation shows up around 1999. Of the Emaxx and alikes got much inspired by the Clod Buster concept, they made it evolve to a different and more modern usage: this ancestor's realism leaves room to pure and brutal performances. Beyond leisure usage, current Monster Trucks are before all designed to get through any track situation by brute force and are designed to resist the violent impacts their pilots impose.
Tamiya doesn't seem to be willing to use the Clod Buster leading position to design a steroïd version that would match the current market. In fact, the sole model name and reputation might not have been enough to place Tamiya on a market segment that is pretty far from their know-how and farther from the original concept. Morevover, the current Monster Truck market is saturated by models whereas the Super Clod Buster released in 2004 still respects the original concept and stands alone in its micro-segment. The proof it sells very well is the 2009 release of a Chrome Metallic version.

The Juggernaut is the evolution of the Clod Buster, the over a decade market leader on the Monster Truck segment. The concept is good, the genes of the 1987 ancestor are excellent, but...

The Juggernaut chassis	From above	The Juggernaut transmission
The Juggernaut 2 chassis	Front drivetrain close-up	The twin motors
The Mammoth Dump Truck chassis	The differential	The Mechatronic Speed Controller
58232 Juggernaut (1999)	58256 Juggernaut 2 (2000)	58268 Mammoth Dump Truck (2000)

The Juggernaut uses the Clod Buster concept but with two centrally-mounted motors instead of one per drivetrain. Wheels are even bigger since their diameter reaches175mm. But this model will have an extremely short production period: within just a few weeks, Tamiya realizes the gearbox suffers from a serious flaw making the pignon wear dramatically. The problem is so dramatic that the Juggernaut will even removed from stores and Tamiya will provide an "emergency kit" with modified parts for free to all customers.

One year later, Tamiya re-releases it under the name Juggernaut 2 with the modified gearbox parts and some changes in decoration. But it's already too late and the revised version will suffer very poor sales.

A last specific model will complete the plateform in 2000: the Mammoth Dump Truck is obviously based on the Juggernaut 2 revision but features only one motor. It's not another Monster Truck but a 1/20th scale roadwork vehicle featuring a semi-electronic speed controller that is unique in all Tamiya range of products. This model didn't sell very well simply because it is limited to a very specific use and has no complentary vehicle in the manufacturer range of RC products.

Strategically, both on commercial and industrial aspects, the Juggernaut is a complete disaster that probably cost a lot of money to Tamiya. The Clod Buster successor is a total failure and will strongly impact the manufacturer image who wisely didn't use the Clod Buster name for this disaster.

The TXT-1 (Tamiya Xtreme Truck) is a new Clod Buster generation that was released after the Juggernaut disaster.

The TXT-1 chassis

The cantilever suspension

58280 TXT-1 (2001)

The TXT-1 is the unique model for this third generation despite of its great commercial success. It features the Clod Buster wheels on an entirely new chassis base which is reliable and versatile. Indeed, it reveals to be too much prone to be heavily modified and dedicated to an unanticipated usage by Tamiya: the Rock Crawling. The manufacturer then seems to decide not to get into this new market segment using this new generation of the Clod Buster since it goes too far from the original Monster Truck concept. In fact, even if the TXT-1 can be heavily modified to become a crawler, its design has limits.

In addition, Tamiya releases two models based on a 1/18th scale chassis: they are presented as pure crawlers but reveal to have limited abilities compared to competitors dedicated models.

The TLT-1 chassis	Chassis from the top
47201 Rock Buster (2003)	47202 Max Climber (2004)

These two models were released in the 47xxx series which was initially dedicated to the Tamtech Gear series before they changed for the 56xxx series. Even internally at Tamiya, it seems like the TLT models were difficult to clearly position among the different ranges of products. Nevertheless, this plateform was a commercial success thanks to its custom evolution potential.

TXT-1 video (© Tamiya)

TLT-1 video (© Tamiya)

Thanks to the TXT-1 and even more to the TLT plateform, Tamiya almost accidentally steps into the crawler niche market. The Clod Buster already had good abilities for this, especially after it was heavily modified by their owner, but it did essentially remain the Monster Truck reference on the market. Fully aware of both the crawler market trend and the Juggernaut complete disaster, Tamiya will only give the Clod Buster a light lifting in 2004 and release it under the name Super Clod Buster. This will successfully reinforce both the Clod Buster reputation and lead on the Monster Truck market segment.

Strategically, the Clod Buster plateform commercial success is very important for Tamiya as long as the models are named after the original Clod Buster since it is the absolute reference and leader on this segment of market. Every attempt to give the original plateform a significative evolution revealed to be very difficult, either due to heavy technical flaws or to an ambiguous positionning of the models on the market since the Crawler niche was at its debuts. Industrially, Tamiya reversed to the original plateform design and was able to even make their production tool more profitable.

The CR plateform

This plateform name simply means CRawler and comes in straight line from the troubled Clod Buster plateform history, but also from the interest the public had for the the TLT-1. To some extend, Tamiya incidentally created the Crawler market niche thanks to the versatile design of the Clod Buster axles. But pure crawlers are not made to be realistic: a crawler is meant to go where nothing else could unless it has lizzard genes and ******VENTOUSES***** instead of tires.

From 2008 on, Tamiya will be like trying to square the circle with the CR plateform: it has to both deal with extreme rock crawling and the manufacturer realism know-how. Antinomic concepts only lead to a compromise.

The CR-01 chassis	The suspension travel
58405 Toyota Land Cruiser 40 (2008)	58414 Mercedes-Benz Unimog 406 (2008)
58429 Jeep Wrangler (2008)	58436 `73 Ford Bronco (2009)

When Tamiya does it, it suddenly seems easy: the highly detailed bodyshells fully respect what's to be expected from the manufacturer and the chassis is well designed for rock crawling, even if it is clearly not the best among crawlers. But people at Tamiya are some kind of realism-maniacs: they added fake damper springs to the chassis to make it look a little bit more realistic.

The Toyota Land Cruiser 40 video (© Tamiya

An extreme crawler

This is a compromise: yes, the CR-01 can't compete with the crawler market references, but it does crawl with unrivaled elegance and realism. Even heavily modified, it will never be a serious competitor in rock crawling events: but it definitely fits the leisure market for which Tamiya designed it. CR-01 based models are commercial successes and help developping what still remains a market niche segment.

Strategically, Tamiya show they listen both to the market and their customers. In fact, custom modifications on the Clod Buster plateform and TLT success helped create the crawler market segment. It seems Tamiya was patient and waited for the crawler market to grow before they stepped in. But they remained faithful to their commercial strategy: realism and leisure. Thus, realism in the crawler world is a very subjective matter, but Tamiya had to bet on it since it is definitely one of the pilars of their over 30 year history.

The RC technology jewel

Last but not least, a chassis that will send you more than 20 years back in time. Of course, Tamiya never gave that name to their chassis, neither fans did. But everyone agrees to consider it as one of the most interesting chassis in all Tamiya history, and even in all the RC industry.

This is not the model meant to officially celebrate Tamiya 10 year anniversary in the RC world: this role belongs to The Bigwig. But this is a long-term developpment made by Tamiya since the kit reference is far from being a coincidence. The least that can be said is that the engineers had a great time when designing this technology jewel: it just concentrates everything Tamiya knows about RC design, both mechanically and esthetically.

This chassis importance in Tamiya industrial and commercial strategy is close to zero. In fact, it has neither importance or direct influence on any other model or plateform. Even worse, the models didn't sell very well: impossible to say if Tamiya made money with this chassis, but one can doubt it when considering how much it could cost to design and produce it.

The worst of all is that this chassis is good at nothing or so: it is too fragile and too complex either for on or off-road use, it is strictly unsuitable for racing it and hardly for leisure use either. Its best usage is lying on a shelf if you're lucky enough to own one: I know, it's a strange way to present one of the most significative model ever released by Tamiya and more generally in the RC industry..., isn't it?

But yet this chassis, and more specifically the first of the two models to use it, have a very high value for collectors (or should have for those who are only interested in Tamiya 50 first models).

This very special model is the 58059 Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar Winner kit released in 1986. To a lesser extend, its mate model 58064 Toyota Celica Gr.B Rally Special released the year after is also sepcial.

58059 Porsche 959 (1986)	The boxart	The chassis	The drivetrains
58064 Toyota Celica Gr.B (1987)	The boxart	The chassis	The gearbox

Porsche 959 Paris Dakar Rally Winner

Toyota Celica Gr.B Rally Special

This outstanding chassis is propelled by the RX540VZ Technigold motor (21 turns) that provides very good performances both on tarmac or rally. Because this chassis is more an on-road chassis than an off-roader to be true. The Celica Gr.B features the same motor but received a front bar stabilizer and a central ball differential. As you can see on the chassis pictures, the chassis is very innovative and pretty much cutting edge for its time: engineers efforts were mainly targetted at the reduced space they had to fit the three differentials, a central propeller shaft and all the electronics among which you can find working front lights. Dampers are also entirely new, original and exclusive to this plateform: but they reveal to be complex to build and a pain to care since air bubbles appear with time. Last, have a look at the tires: these are the forerunners of today's Rally Blocks tires.

The chassis and motor performances explain the sorry state of most bodyshells that can be found more than 20 years after their release. But their extreme fragility is mostly due to the technics Tamiya used to mold them: the "blow" molding provides more detail precision and curb lines are rendered better. The resultat is closer to perfection, but it is very fragile.

The Porsche 959 promotional video (© Tamiya)

The Celica Gr.B promotional video (© Tamiya)

This outstanding chassis in Tamiya production was inevitable. Even being strategically and commercially meaningless among the manufacturer 30 year production, it represents the height of their know-how at the time, both on mechanics and bodyshell moulding sides. It is true that these models do not behave that well on tracks and are far from being reliable, but their rarity and the know-how they carry make prices fly very high as soon as new or good condition models show up somewhere on internet.

Conclusion

This second part is much longer than the previous one dedicated to the on-road vehicles since Tamiya off-road range of product is very rich and features more models... ??? ... sorry, a voice in my ear tells me that I just wrote something stupid... 

In fact, Tamiya 30 year activity on the off-road segment is rich, but not that rich considering the number of models: here, we are only talking about 135 models versus more than 300 for the on-road models! (as per the circa 435 models in summer 2009). But you may have noticed that on-road/off-road distribution in Tamiya model production is pretty significative:
    59% for the 100 first models (1976-1991)
    23% for the next 100 models (1992-1997)
    10% for the next 98 models (1997-2002) since 2 of them were cancelled
    29% for the 99 next models (2002-2007), 1 model was cancelled
    33% for the current 400 series (as per summer 2009)

The figures say it all: Tamiya production obviously changed when the market suddenly switched to on-road models in 1990. Thanks to their permanent activity on the RC market and their leading position, you can precisely observe the RC market evolution since 1976. Of course, Tamiya is more than one actor on the market: they lead it. So their innovation strategy, their diversification strategy and their overall strategy influence the overall RC market.

Generally speaking, Tamiya general strategy does apply to the off-road segment. From the first models in motion propelled by dry cells or stick packs to the current models, the target market is first of all leisure: here also, Tamiya bet on their renowned bodyshell quality. But the sudden move of the market towards the on-road models from 1990 made Tamiya concentrate almost all their efforts on their main market: leisure. This let them explore new market niches on which they could diversificate, but most of Tamiya current strategy relies on two core business: the re-release program on one side, and the update of older plateforms on the other. From the beginning of the 1990, it is obvious that their developpment programs are mainly targetted to on-road vehicles and Tamiya strategically bets on their history treasures to keep offering an off-road product line-up.

Thanks

Writing this two-part article and searching for information and photos took me several months, quite a lot more than expected. But all this wouldn't have been possible without some very much appreciated help.

This is why I want to thank all the Tamiya fans around the world who publish photos of their models, especially on Tamiyaclub, with special greetings to TamOR for his wonderful videos.

Thanks to the Vintage-RC forum members who, for some of them, even made shooting scenes out in their garden.

A warm thank to the person at Tamiya Japan who took time to answer my questions.

And for those of you who still had a doubt about it, Tuba especially wrote me from Brasil to diagnose my case: I'm "Tamiyaholic". Being himself infected, I'm afraid he's right 

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First publication: august 05, 2009 Last modified: september 20, 2010

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