Foreword before we start ...

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Give your home stereo this good compact disc, kick off your shoes and lean back in your favorite easy chair. Don't forget ice cubes in your soda or sugar in your cup of coffee. You should know be properly hopped-up to start reading this page.

Please note that all the technical drawings, official photos and promotional videos présented here are © Tamiya.

The main Tamiya chassis plateforms

A radio-controlled model is basically a chassis and a bodyshell, exactly what Tamiya did understand to its full extend since their introduction into the RC world back in 1976. The 2 star brand specialized in declining several models using a common chassis but varying bodies and rims. The interest in doing so is a triple combo:
    the offering range is wider
    conception costs are limited
    the industrial tool is made more profitable

In fact, developing a new chassis can take several years as it needs to commercially correspond to a known or supposed expectation of the market. Industrially, each part has to be carefully drawn and the materials selected, and last, the moulds for all the part trees have to be produced. Basically, designing a new chassis for a unique model is a tremendous risk, both industrial and commercial:
    commercially, the model needs to be long lasting since it should cover the period required to design its successor. It has to generate enough revenues to pay off its design costs and those of its successor: the consequence is that the maker can't make any mistake. The model needs to seduce the public and the public not to get tired of it too quickly.
    industrially, the production volumes need to be high otherwise the sell price will be much to expensive, ruining the model sales.

Many brands appeared and then disappeard in the radio-controlled industry, proving how real these constraints are. Specialized body makers also prove that the public needs custom bodies, or at least to find other bodies than those available at the model maker.

That's why Tamiya's strategy in this market is so interesting. The japanese manufacturer first designs a chassis and then produces different bodies in order to widden its offer as the public sees them as different models. Depending on the plateform success, they keep on declining new bodies to satisfy more clients. On several occasions, Tamiya brought evolutions to some chassis to give them new markets to conqueer. Widening or narrowing wheelaxle (arms length), giving more or less ground clearance or slightly modifying the gear ratio were often enough for this purpose. An on-road chassis could then become off-road (TL-01 / TL-01B or TA-01 / TA-02) or reverse (DF-03 / DF-03Ra).

Since 1976, Tamiya's range of RC products featured several chassis families, evolutions of these plateforms, but also adaptations to differrent markets. This article is not meant to be either technically detailed nor exhaustive on each chassis or plateform. Over 30 years of production are analyzed: the release chronology of the models is not respected in order to remain accurate with the different product range logic. This is an overview, an analysis that goes beyond the models themselves in order to unveil Tamiya's commercial and industrial strategies.

I arbitrarily decided to separate on-road and off-road articles for these reasons:
    it makes sense
    at first, I wrote everything on a single page: you could have assembled a whole kit before it finished to load
    I'm the boss?

The second reason is the most sincere since the first one is not that obvious: Tamiya made "cross overs" between the on-road and off-road ranges of products. Even better, an off-road chassis just gave birth to a very important on-road chassis product line.

To better understand the models, both on and off-road, you should remind (or know if you're too young) that back in 1976, Tamiya was already a major and renowned actor on the static models market. Back then, they had a 1/12th scale line of products called "Big Scale" (this series still exists). Tamiya will use them for its first RC models, which explains why they were so detailed and their specific scale. Litterally speaking, the first RC models were true models in motion: their boxes told no lies displaying "Suitable for Radio Control".

Many people think Tamiya released their first RC models following the rule: 1 chassis = 1 model, especially for the 50 to 60 first models to exist. Not in a strict manner, but the general idea is that they still hadn't developed a very effective industrial and commercial strategies by that time and that they were almost multiplying chassis at the same rate they released models. At the time, the truth is somewhat different: yes, multiplying models on a single chassis was not reaching today's level, but Tamiya never got to the RC market naively. Just the opposite: there was already a true market strategy, very efficient, right from the very beginning.

Now it's time to start the time travel, just a few millimeters above the tarmac.

The first on-road plateform

We're talking about the one used by Tamiya's very first RC model back in 1976. The one that is the ancestor of any other model from the brand, the one that started it all: the first kit, the famous Porsche 934 Turbo RSR wearing the RA-1201 reference (see the history of Tamiya kit references).

58001 Porsche 934 Turbo RSR (1976)	The chassis
The body and the chassis	Gearings and mechanical speed controller
The Porsche 934 Turbo RSR box	Chassis technical draw

At the end of 1977, Tamiya released a limited black edition of this model to celebrate the 100.000 units produced(!). Of course, these editions are very rare, even more than the original, and their price reaches levels strictly opposite to their availability on the market. A new limited edition was released in december 2006 to celebrate the 30 years of this model, this time on a specially adapted TA-05 chassis.

Only one other model is based on the same chassis because Tamiya will quickly bring an evolution on the next models. This is another Porsche, and two minor changes occured:
    the mechanical speed controller changed for a more progressive unit
    the Mabuchi RS-360 motor was swapped with a Mabuchi RS-380 (a little bit longer)

58002 Martini Porsche 935 Turbo (1977)

The body and the chassis

The body partially assembled

Bare chassis

Complete chassis

For their first RC models, Tamiya bet on their static model know-how: this explains the 1/12th scale bodies and why they are so detailed. The detail level is so high that you do need modelist skills to build them since many parts need to be carefully glued to assemble them.
On the chassis side, energy is provided by dry cells (NiCad batteries are possible), suspension only results from the chassis flexion, but the models already feature a differential.

Tamiya update their first chassis as per 1978 and will then settle their strategy of declining several models on a unique chassis, and even to release "Competition Special" versions that are the ancestors of today's R versions (R stands for Racing).

58005 Lamborghini Countach LP500S (1978)	58006 Martini Porsche 936 Turbo (1978)
58008 Lamborghini Countach LP500S (Competition Special) (1978)	58009 Toyota Celica LB Turbo Gr.5 (Competition Special) (1978)

Lamborghini Countach LP500S

Martini Porsche 936 Turbo

Lamborghini Countach LP500S (CS)

Toyota Celica LB Turbo Gr.5 (CS)

The chassis update mainly focuses on transmission and motor position moved to the rear in order to improve grip. Generally speaking, the new chassis is reinforced and now features a craddle for the NiCad pack instead of dry cell housing, even if the NiCad pack is still an option on non-CS versions. By the way, steering was also modified for an enhanced handling.

Tamiya also introduced the CS Competition Special variant which is an "hopped-up" chassis:
    Mabuchi RS380 motor swapped for an RS-540
    motor mount is different and relocated inner chassis
    front tires are semi-sponge
    larger rear sponge tires
    stiffened chassis
    mandatory 6v Ni-Cad pack instead of dry or rechargeable cells

The Lamborghini Countach LP500S and its Competition Special version

Competition Special and basic chassis

Despite these "competition" enhancements, the CS versions remain very light and can hardly be controlled due to the motor additional power and the chassis overall grip and steering limits.

Strategically, this very first plateform is obviously fundamental since it makes Tamiya step into a new market. The risk was quite important since the late 70's RC world was still at its beginning, either as a market or technologically.
Ni-Cad packs were just born and manufacturers took some time to consider them by removing the dry cell housings from their models. The radio equipment, though quite basic, was probably the most advanced element you could find.

Tamiya's first stunt move is done on motor side: they are very reliable and robust elements that already long proved their qualities with Mabuchi providing them for dot printers for years. That judicious choice prevents Tamiya from taking a big industrial risk in producing them when the RC market is just at its beginings. The partnership with Mabuchi still lasts afer more than 30 years, even if Tamiya since got a second source with Johnson Electric for standard motors.
Tamiya's second stunt move is to rely on their renowned static model know-how: their bodies very high detail level will, de facto, become the reference on the new market. Very nice move since the industrial risk on this embryonic market is drastically lowered by the use of already existing bodies and tools to make them: design cost is non existent and the production level raises. Tamiya also applied their know-how in making assembly manuals for this new market, and still remains one of today's standard for that.

This approach strategy to conqueer a somewhat very restricted market in the late 70's will prove to be a tremendous success celebrated by the first model 100.000 units sold in only 1 year. Step by step, Tamiya will develop a specific strategy for this new market, the 1/10th scale bodies being the most obvious proofs of it.

The Formula plateform

Tamiya quickly made their debuts in the Formula 1 class cars, thus the name given by fans to this chassis class (F for Formula). Even if you need to jump in 1992 to find an official name for it (the F102 chassis on the 58104 McLaren MP4/6 Honda kit). By the way, note that Tamiya retroactively referred to the F102 predecessor as to F101.

This is Tamiya's third model the first to inaugurate the series: the 58003 Tyrell P34 Six Wheeler kit. This car very specific design required the engineers to really make an effort to reproduce the complex steering system.

58003 Tyrell P34 Six Wheeler (1977)

The Tyrell P34 Six Wheeler boxart

The original chassis

The original steering system

49154 Tyrell P34 Six Wheeler (2000)

The re-released chassis

The re-released steering system

For their third kit, Tamiya didn't choose the easy way since the steering system is very complex. The rear deck is adapted from their first on-road chassis including some arrangments and a complete relocation of the motor. When re-releasing it in 2000 on an F103RS chassis, Tamiya had also to entirely revise the front drivetrain, but made it much simpler.

From then on, Tamiya will release Formula 1 cars in their range of products, bringing evolutions to the plateform as years go by. The first plateform is named F1 by fans and the Tyrell P34 Six Wheeler is the first car using it, even with its specific front drivetrain.

58010 Ligier JS9 Matra (1978)

58011 Ferrari 312T3 (1979)

58012 Ligier JS9 Matra CS (1979)

58019 Williams FW07 CS (1980)

58020 JPS Lotus 79 CS (1980)

58031 Brabham BT50 BMW Turbo CS (1982)

The direct comparison between the specific Tyrell P34's and the JPS Lotus's chassis doesn't show a direct relationship at the first glance. Apart from the front direvetrain, the rest of the chassis is very similar, especially the rear drivetrain and the central part of the chassis.

58003 Tyrell P34 Six Wheeler (1977)

58012 Ligier JS9 Matra CS (1979)

Last but not least model in this F1 plateform: the RC world's and more specifically Tamiya's UFO. Like the Tyrell P34 Six Wheeler, what we have here is a specifically adpated chassis used by a unique vehicle.

58017 B2B Racing Sidecar (1979)

This unique chassis

Make some efforts to concentrate and you'll that the rear 3/4th of this chassis are the same as the JPS Lotus 79: the B2B belongs to the F1 lineage. On the other hand, the front part is totally unique. With this model, Tamiya made what could be considered as a concept-car, as well as the Tyrell P34 Six Wheeler. Concerning this very original sidecar, it is definitely unstable and hardly drivable. But it is the 1/8th scale replica of a real thing that won world championships in its category. You can easily imagine that the real model handled much better than its replica...

F1 and F2 promotional video (© Tamiya)

The B2B Racing Side Car promotional video (© Tamiya)

Tamiya keeps on its move into RC by developping an evolution for the Formula series right in 1979. This new F2 plateform (that's the name displayed on the box and on the manual) will take place next to the F1 since the idea is to capture new clients: alike the Formula 2 compared to the Formula 1, the F2 chassis is meant to be an economic alternative to the F1. The few models using it seems to demonstrate that the commercial success was not as good as expected.

The main difference between F1 and F2 is the use of more plastic in the chassis structure: a single aluminium frame is used to stiffen the rest of plastic parts. Another difference is found on the bodies: they are 1/10th scale instead of the previous 1/12th.

58013 March 782 BMW (1979)

58014 Martini Mk.22 Renault (1979)

58018 Ralt RT2 Hart 420R (1980)

58030 Honda F-2 CS (1982)

The F2 chassis

F2 bottom view

F2 Competition Special chassis

F2 Competition Special bottom view

The F2 version doesn't seem to have been a best seller, either if you consider the number of models using it or the collector's enthousiasm for them. Tamiya may have given this chassis a last try when they released a Competition Special version 2 years later: either the public didn't like it either or it was only a gallant last stand before they released a new evolution. This is probably a mix of these two gueses when you look at that period range of products: Tamiya will wait until 1986 before they give a new try into the Formula series with the 58053 Road Wizard kit. Since 1983-1984, the RC market goes into a buggy craze and Tamiya range of products is one of the best proof to reflect that.

The Road Wizard definitely looks like a new try, a test to determine if the public is still interested in this kind of chassis. Reinforcing this guess, this model is mainly based upon two other on-road chassis (kits 58042 and 58052, see below) borrowing them most of their front and rear drivetrains. What's more, the Road Wizard is the replica of no real Formula 1 to reduce licensing costs: Tamiya did almost everything to make a market test out of this model.

58053 Road Wizard F1 (1986)

Different possible paint schemes

The Road Wizard is Tamiya's first model that comes with two lexan bodies and three different sticker sets. Compared to previous generations, the chassis is even lighter since it uses FRP (Fiberglass-Reinforced Plastic) and features a real suspension with an hydraulic damper instead of only counting on chassis flexion. The Road Wizard is not the most reliable or solid you can find, but it is very important in Tamiya's range of products since it is the true grandfather of any modern Formula chassis.

Two more models will follow the Road Wizard in 1987 featuring light enhancements to the chassis design.

58053 Road Wizard F1 (1986)

58068 Lotus Honda 99T (1987)

58069 Williams FW11B Honda F1 (1987)

Tamiya's market test reveals to be successful right when the market is still in its buggy craze phase. The Road Wizard as a first step, then its two evolutions the next year let the manufacturer keep on with the development of this plateform: 3 years later, the F101 chassis will be released on the 58084 Ferrari F189 model kit. From then on, the Formula plateform will be a permanent success during all the 90's.

Forsee talent or just circumstances? 1990 is a radical turn on the RC market: after a true off-road craze during most of the 80's, the public massively goes for on-road vehicles due to the racing sector. The story of the DF-01 / TA-01 plateforms tends to prove that Tamiya never expected such a sudden change on the market (see below). The Road Wizard test and the resulting decision for the Formula plateform will prove to be a very happy decision.

1990 is the year when the F101 chassis was released, although it had no name since Tamiya only gave names to their chassis a few years later. But retroactively, this is the official name Tamiya now refers to the F101.

58084 Ferrari F189 Late Version (1990)	The F101 chassis	Model overview
58090 Tyrell 019 Ford (1990)	58095 Lotus 102B Judd (1991)	58103 Jordan 191 (1992)

The relationship between the F101 and the Road Wizard chassis is pretty obvious. The F101 features important enhancements among which a ball differential, a more efficient suspension with more travel, and a serious raise of the overall solidity. It is quite surprising to see the last F101-based model released just a few months before the new F102 chassis: for the 103rd model, Tamiya may have had problems in getting the rights for the body replica. This would explain the delay: the real Jordan 191 ran the 1991 Formula 1 season but its RC replica was only released by the end of 1992.

The F101 chassis lifetime is rather short (apart from the late 58103 Jordan 191 release) and it quickly leaves room to the new F102 chassis in 1992 inaugurated by the 58104 McLaren MP4/6 Honda model kit.

58104 McLaren MP4/6 Honda (1992)	The F102 chassis	The F102 drivetrains
58105 Williams FW14 Renault (1992)	58114 Footwork FA13 Mugen Honda (1992)	58118 Benetton B192 (1993)

The F102 chassis lifetime was short too, despite its good overall performance, especially the grip on the rear and front drivetrains. The F102 is narrower that its predecessor and features some enhancements, the most visible being the spoked rims which are more resistant that the F101 dish rims.

1993 is the year when the F103 chassis was released, the one on which the greatest number of models are based in the Formula plateform, and the first offering different variants. No doubt this is Tamiya's best chassis since the beginning of the Formula series. It was even granted a re-release in 2008 to celebrate is 15th anniversary.

58126 Lotus 107B (1993)

The F103 chassis

This new generation is a huge overall enhancement compared to the F102, including a friction damper plate system that reduces roll and a better steering using isometric tie-rods from a vertically mounted steering servo. The F103 chassis performances and overall behavior reach higher level than its predecessor as soon as the pilot is gifted enough. There are different variants of this chassis:

The F103L chassis (1994)

The F103RS chassis (1995)

The F103LM chassis (1999)

The F103GT-DD chassis (2006)

58134 Lola T93/00 Ford

58179 Williams-Renault FW18

58247 Audi R8R

58376 Advance Courage LC70 Mugen

The F103L is a variant with a 20mm longer wheelbase to fit Indy cars bodies. The F103RS is an F103 base with weight reduction and enhancing the friction damper plate system to give it more setup tuning options. The F103LM is a unique adaptation to fit the Audi R8R body (thus the LM standing for LeMans).

The F103GT-DD is specific since it goes back to the roots after the F201 disaster. The F201 was only released due to a licencing problem on the F103 series: Tamiya had to stop the F103 production from 2000 to 2006. The engineers went back to the original F103 design and gave it enhancements a fewx years later after the licensing problem was solved. The main enhancements focus on the revised front drivetrain with front arms independant coil springs and the rear gearbox height is adjustable. This chassis is also made compatible with almost all Touring bodies in order to make it suitable for DTM races when rules allow it: this provides a more economic alternative to high end touring cars.

So, in 2002, Tamiya urgently needs to release a new evolution for the Formula plateform, the urge being dictated by the licensing problem mentioned above. As if one problem wasn't enough, the F201 is the proof that Tamiya can make strategical mistakes. This is why this particular chassis is so important in Tamiya's history, and more specifically in this market segment. The F201 fiasco demonstrates, if needed, how much a manufacturer can place himself in a difficult situation at the slightest mistake in designing a chassis: fortunately, one of Tamiya's assets is their product range diversification, avoiding them to get into critical situations in case a product is a problem. Nevertheless, the F201 episode will have a tremendous impact on Tamiya's presence on the Formula series market segment. Moreover, the direct consequence was to force the engineers to use an old chassis base to developp the new series: fortunately (again), the F103 was a very well designed chassis. If the F103 weren't that good, they would have been forced to design an entirely new chassis from scratch, with all the induced financial and industrial risks.

To make it simple, this is the F201: 2002, 3 models, 4 years of pain.

The F201 chassis

58288 Ferrari F2001 (2002)

Despite of these circumstances, the F201 chassis features many serious technical enhancements, among which a very low center of gravity, an efficient suspension system thanks to four inboard dampers (very similar to real F1s), good weight distribution thanks to the center-mounted motor and an excellent handling. But the crippling flaw on this chassis is its main characteristic: it is four-wheel driven! Heresy, absolute non sense, sacrilege are among the opinions shared by F1 fans, authenticity lovers and competitors who can't use it in official championships. Well, somewhat futile compared to the previous, the F201 also suffered from the restricted room in the chassis for electronics or the weak rear drivetrain. The consequence is obvious: the F201 revealed to be a complete failure, and moreover, not a cheap failure.

58294 F201 Chassis Kit (2002)

58303 WilliamsF1 BMW FW24 (2003)

Another consequence of the F201 fiasco was to keep Tamiya at distance from international races since technical specification require two-wheel drive vehicles in the Formula series. Either commercially, industrially or for the brand fame, the F201 demonstrates almost everything a manufacturer shouldn't do to avoid critical situations.

2009: the F201 episode is now history, the F103 renewal with the F103GT-DD chassis is far back in 2006 and Tamiya needs a new Formula chassis. At Shizuoka, they present the new F104 Pro chassis in may 2009.

58431 F104 Pro Chassis Kit (2009)

Close up on the F104 Pro chassis

This is a totally new genaration providing enhancements over the F103 chassis:
    a differential housing making easie to change rear wheels
    a longer wheelbase
    narrower drivetrains
    longitudinally mounted stick pack with a better access
    larger rear wheels
    toeing and ground clearance setup easier
    new electronics placement

The new differential housing

The new front arms

The new stick pack position and access

Compared to an F103 chassis hopped-up in the same proportions as this Pro version of the F104 (means carbon and aluminium wherever it is possible), the new generation is about 7 to 8 % lighter (we're talking about 50 to 60 grams on an empty F104 chassis that weights 730 gr).

Here's a direct comparison between an hopped-up F103 (white) and the new F104 Pro (black):

Wheelbase comparison	Bottom view of the two chassis
Front wheelaxle comparison	Rear drivetrains and tires

Photo credit: Carribou87 from Vintage-RC

Too soon to mesure the commercial success and the performance of this new chassis, but the first fans report that this chassis is pretty well born.

Even if the Formula plateform is not Tamiya's richest concerning the numbers of models, it is the oldest one since it started back in 1977 with the Tyrell P34 Six Wheeler model kit. Another record is the longest lifetime for a single generation (the F103). After more than 30 years of evolution, the modern chassis version has no longer anything in common with its grandfather. This plateform also demonstrates all the constraints Tamiya and other manufacturers face:
    market hazards: during the 80's buggy craze, the public has no more interest in Formula series making Tamiya doubt about the plateform future. They even had to release a specific model dedicated to test the public interest (the Road Wizard in 1986)
    licensing: either for bodies (no F1 body replica since 2003 due to over-expensive rights cost) or more generally for design layouts that should not be too close from competitors'
    commercial strategy mistakes (making a 4WD F1 chassis...) that don't respect realism which is one of the company assets

The Formula plateform left its footprint all Tamiya's RC history long, from its debuts when models were true models in motion, to doubts, failures and success stories. Commercially or industrially, this is not Tamiya's top most strategic plateform, but it is undoubtely one of the richest.

The GroupC plateform

The name of this plateform refers to replicas of real car belonging to the Group C series. This race series existed from 1982 to 1993 and featured different endurance races like Le Mans 24 hour race. But this name is due to fans, not to Tamiya since the vast majority of the models were released before they started to give names to their chassis.

Officially, the unofficial(!) name is given at first to the 58088 Mercedes-Benz C11 model back in 1990 and ends with the 58174 Street Devil model kit in 1996 (except re-released editions from 2005). This plateform future doesn't exist anymore since the real life series ended in 1993. The F103LM and F103GT-DD chassis can be considered as its successors since they were dressed up with LeMans series bodies.

But, the GroupC plateform history starts long before 1990 and the Mercedes-Benz C11 model. Even if it is not an official name, and even if it is dedicated to a specific model range, I also used the GroupC name to consider the origins of that plateform.

So, this plateform history could go back to the 58002 Martini Porsche 935 Turbo model since the real model belongs to one of the championship series unified by the GroupC. As well as the 58006 Martini Porsche 936 Turbo and 58009 Toyota Celica LB Turbo Gr.5, replicas of real cars running in another championship unified by the GroupC. But the relationship between these chassis and the one that will give birth to Tamiya's GroupC is far from obvious: OK there are some points in common (like 4 wheels ), but not enough to establish a real relationship.

The true GroupC plateform story starts back in 1980 with the 58021 Can-Am Lola (Racing Master) model, so before this series appearance in real life championships. Tamiya's Racing Master naming featured on some models will de facto create a relationship between models and lead to the GroupC: so GroupC could also have been logically named Racing Master.

58021 Can-Am Lola RM Mk.1 (1980)

58022 Datsun 280ZX RM Mk.2 (1980)

The Racing Master 1 chassis drawn on the box

The Racing Master Mk.1 chassis

Bottom view

This chassis features many novelties:
    the first ever "option" motor of that era, the Mabuchi Black RS-540SD
    steering geometry can be entirely set up
    metal ball differential (as solid as heavy)
    fully ball-raced (cost an eye at that time)
    the first lexan body

The Racing Master 2 is its economic version counterpart: Mabuchi 540 motor, plastic differential (much lighter but less resistant), not a single ball bearing.
There are similarities between the Racing Master and the F1 chassis, including the FRP plate chassis and the rear gearbox location. There's no direct relationship and if you want to make a link between them, consider the Racing Master 1 as an F1 by-product.

Two years later, Tamiya releases the Racing Master version 3, followed a few months later by version 4:

58032 Tornado RM Mk.3 (1982)	58033 Ford C100 RM Mk.4 (1983)
Racing Master Mk.3 chassis	Racing Master Mk.4 chassis

Since the first Racing Master chassis release, the public showed much interest in this series and many manufacturers compete on the market. So Tamiya introduces evolutions to simplify its chassis and to make it lighter. The front drivetrain is borrowed from the F1 Competition Special chassis and the rear part is made lighter and simpler. So the third version is more likely to be considered as a step backwards than a real innovation.
About version 4, same thing as the previous generation: remove the Black Motor and replace it by a standard 540 to reduce costs and you get an economic version. If this weren't enought, the Racing Master Mk.4 gets a much heavier ABS body to cancel any weight improvment. This way, the Mk.4 can't be a rival to the Mk.3 on performance side (unless you hop it up, which was possible ... but very expensive).

Another two years and Tamiya releases the Racing Master chassis versions 5, 6 and 7.

58042 Porsche 956 RM Mk.5 (1984)	58049 Toyota Tom's 84C RM Mk.6 (1985)	58052 Porsche 956 RM Mk.7 New Man (1985)
Racing Master Mk.5 chassis	Racing Master Mk.6 chassis	Racing Master Mk.7 chassis

Again, this is an entirely new design introducing a double-deck chassis and a suspension system much more efficient than the previous versions' FRP chassis flexion. This damper system will also be used the next year by the Road Wizard Formula chassis. Tamiya also comes back to a multiple setup steering system that had disappeared on the previous generation. The Racing Master chassis versions 5, 6 and 7 reveals to be specifically quick and shows an interesting behavior despite of being fragile.

Then the platform will cross an interstellar space until 1990 and the 58088 Mercedes-Benz C11 release on a new chassis named GroupC (at last!). The Racing Master / GroupC plateform very long sleep explains itself for the exact same reasons as described in the Formula plateform history at the same period: the market is focused on buggies and this situation will last until the end of the 80's decade. So Tamiya decided to temporarily leave this plateform apart all these years long and will only focus on its Formula plateform sporadic releases to feed the on-road segment.

Right at the end of the 80's, the market makes a sudden and radical move towards on-road vehicles, abandonning buggies and off-road vehicles. Like almost every other manufacturer, Tamiya didn't expect this sudden market shift (see the DF and TA plateforms history for more details about this period). But on the other hand, Tamiya has an asset at that time: with the last Racing Master generation, they have a good plateform, althought it's been sleeping for 5 years. The base is good, but it definitely needs a complete and serious refresh in order to comply with the market evolution. At the same moment, Tamiya is right into achieving the development of its new DF-01 buggy plateform that will reveal to be tremendously important to face the radical market shift because the main DF-01 characterisics are its versatility and modularity.

The new Racing Master generation will be released starting from the previous generation, adding F101 suspension and rear drivetrain enhancements, and fitting all this to a bathtub chassis largely inspired by the DF-01's. To make it clear and simlified, the new Racing Master / GroupC chassis will roughly be made of:

    Racing Master Mk.5 - Mk.7 front drivetrain
    modified DF-01 bathtub chassis (modifications mainly concern a narrower front end)
    stick pack housing almost identical to the DF-01's
    F101 suspension and rear drivetrain

Of course, this is not a puzzle stricto sensu: better said, these are adaptations of different chassis parts from different plateforms. Roughly imaging this, here's the union between a Racing Master mk.5's front drivetrain fitted to the DF-01's chassis, the whole thing being propelled by the F101 rear drivetrain. For a direct comparison of the three main chassis parts, I cut a GroupC chassis image to show the parallel.

      
      

Surprising result, and of course, the first assembly will never run unless you pour it with glue: yet, I'm not sure. But the general idea that lead Tamiya for the GroupC chassis design is there. After this artisanal work, let's see what real engineers did:

The GroupC chassis

58088 Mercedes-Benz C11 (1990)

58091 Nissan 300ZX IMSA (1990)

58092 Jaguar XJR-12 (1991)

58094 Honda NSX (1991)

58098 Ferrari F40 (1991)

58102 Mazda 787B (1992)

58109 Nissan R91 CP (1992)

58153 Daytona Thunder (1995)

58174 Street Devil (1996)

The GroupC chassis is the successful conclusion of the platform initiated by the Racing Master back in 1980: only 8 models will follow the 58088 kit without the slightest modification to the original chassis. There are two "waves" in this chassis production, the first row with 7 models between 1990 and 1992, and then a second one in 1995-1996 but with specific bodies: these are bodies made by Parma, not Tamiya.

Is the GroupC / Racing Master plateform definitely dead since Tamiya already revived the Racing Master when market circumstances forced them to do so? I don't believe it since in 2009, almost 20 years after the initial chassis design, that chassis being also a chassis designed under pressure from older existing elements: the basis seem too old now for Tamiya to give it the evolutions required by today's standards.

The TA plateform

This chassis family name means Touring Group A because bodies are replicas of real cars from that race series. The first version is a direct fit from the 58087 Manta Ray buggy chassis (see the DF section).
This is Tamiya's most declined plateform of all times, also because it already has seen five major evolutions since it was first released in 1991 with the 58096 Toyota Celica GT Four Rally model kit. It is precious to Tamiya since it made them pass through the begining of the 90 decade when the RC market made its radical shift to on-road vehicles and oriented almost exclusively at the racing aspect.

The TA-01 chassis (1991)

The TA-02 chassis (1993)

The TA-01/TA-02 chassis (1994)

58096 Toyota Celica GT Four Rally

58128 Alfa Romeo 155

58136 Toyota Prerunner

Basically, the TA-02 is a slightly shorter TA-01 chassis. More precisely, the rear arms were modified to keep the wheelbase, the front arms are longer, the spur gear is one-piece and the turnbuckles are modified to fit bigger wheel axles (thus more resistant). Two other TA-02 chasssis variants were released:
 the TA-02W (Wide) using TA-01 parts on kits 58144, 58165 and 58170 to widen the front wheelaxle.
 the TA-02SW (Short Wide) on kit 58172 also using TA-01 part to widen rear wheel axle and reduce wheelbase. This version suits a unique model in order to respect the specific dimensions of the Porsche 911 GT2 Taisan body.

The TA plateform will mark a radical evolution in 1996: that year, Tamiya releases the TA chassis version 3 with the 58177 TA-03F PRO and 58182 Audi A4 STW kits. Yet that new version leaves the oringial DF-01 shaft-driven concept behind: from now on, the plateform will be belt-driven. In addition, the two first TA generation were oriented to the leisure market, even if the chassis versatility allowed more competitive versions. With the TA-03, Tamiya completly changes their strategy: the TA-03 and following generations will be the "public" version of these chassis used in on-road world championships(The ROAR 1996 edition is won by David Jun on a TA-03F-Pro). Winning bet since Tamiya will at last become a renowned actor in international reces with its TRF (Tamiya Racing Factory) team, first on-road and later off-road. Driven by its international results, models based on this plateform will prove to be commercial success stories: of course competitors buy them, but also the fans since some very realic and splendid bodies are released (like the Lancia 037 Rally's, kit 58278).

The TA-03F chassis (1996)

The TA-03F-S chassis (1998)

The TA-03R chassis (1997)

The TA-03R-S chassis (1997)

58189 Martini Alfa Romeo 155 V6 Ti

58250 Peugeot 206 WRC

58220 Mobil 1 NSX

58278 Lancia 037 Rally

The TA-03F features a front-mounted motor (F for Front) and introduces the 4WD belt-driven transmission. The F-S version (Front Short) has a shortened wheelbase by fitting the front gearbox closer to the chassis. R versions feature a rear-mounted motor (R for Rear) and the R-S version (Rear Short) gets a shorter wheelbase (from the rear side this time) and features a repositionning of the stick pack more to the rear of the chassis.

In 2000, Tamiya releases the TA-04 evolution on 58261 TA04-PRO and 58266 Ferrari 360 Modena Challenge kits. This new generation is based on the two-belt driven and double-deck TRF414 chassis used in international races by the factory team.

The TA-04 chassis (2000)

The TA-04S chassis (2001)

The TA-04R chassis (2001)

The TA-04SS chassis (2002)

58266 Ferrari 360 Modena Challenge

58272 Corvette C5-R

58276 HKS Racing Altezza

58300 ABT Audi TT-R

Compared to the TA-04 base, the TA-04S (S for Sport) comes with ball bearings on the steering system, the TA-04R (R for Racing) is the S version hopped-up (carbon parts) and the SS version (Sport Short) réduced the wheelbase by 10mm.

Since 2005, a new generation was released with the TA-05 on the 58345 Ferrari F430 kit, then a first evolution in 2007 with the TA-05-IFS, and the last one to date, the TA-05 V.2 in 2009.

The TA-05 chassis (2005)

The TA-05-IFS chassis (2007)

The TA-05 v.2 chassis (2009)

58345 Ferrari F430

58389 Ebbro 350R

58435 Cusco Dunlop Subaru Impreza

The TA-05 is an evolution from the TA-04 based on the TRF415 chassis. Compared to its predecessor, it features a two-isometric belt transmission to enhance power distribution, a lower center of gravity and a centrally-mounted motor. The IFS version (Inboard Front Shocks) released in 2007 features inboard horizontally-mounted front dampers: this solution better protects the dampers and the damper mount from hits and track debris. Another advantage is to allow low-nose profile bodies to fit the chassis. The version 2 released in 2009 keeps most of the IFS evolution, but the chassis is slightly narrower, the stick pack is located more to the front and a few parts were redesigned.

The TA plateform history is as interesting as strategic in Tamiya's range of products during the last 18 years. It was born from an urgent need to face the RC market sudden shift to on-road vehicles at the beginning of the 90's when the last part of the previous decade was in the craze of buggies and big wheel trucks. In the urge, Tamiya adapted a fortunately versatile buggy chassis to produce a first series of models responding to the new market demand. But the racing market growing so much as to professionalize pilots, Tamiya reinforced their Tamiya Racing Factory structure and rapidily adapted their range of products to the new requirements. The radical change of architecture made on the TA-03 demontrates the tremendous impact of this.
Nevertheless, Tamiya decided not to rely on a unique plateform: in parallel, they developped another on-road plateform, this time based on a central shaft 4WD transmission. This is the TB plateform that also quickly evolved to the racing sector.

The TB plateform

This plateform name means Touring B, just because it came after the TA series in Tamiya's range of products. There is not the slightest relation with either the real GroupB (for on-road GTs) nor the Rally GroupB (the WRC championship ancestor). The first model based on this new chassis is the 58257 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI WRC model kit that was released in 2000, quickly followed the same year by its racing version, the 58267 TB Evolution kit.

The evolution of this series is based on racing models, but differently from the TA plateform: all racing versions were not declined in model kit standard range of products. Here, Tamiya seems to have chosen two parallel developments for their plateform:
 a public range of products with the different TB generations
 a racing range of products with the successive TB Evo generations

The TB-01 chassis (2000)

The TB-02 chassis (2003)

The TB-03 chassis (2008)

The TB-03D chassis (2008)

58257 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI

58311 Xanavi Nismo GT-R R34

58412 Xanavi Nismo GT-R R35

Six out of eight models based on the TB-01 chassis were fitted rally bodyshells, domain in which the TB-01 is definitely gifted. It does feature a chassis cover and sponges all around the steering system to preserve from dust and pebbles. To date, no other on-road chassis has ever been so well design for these conditions.

The TB-02 is the public version of the TB Evolution III developped for the racing sector: it even features the TA-04 chassis damper mounts to reduce costs. This version settles the end of the rally qualities of the intial TB-01 and will now on focus on a strict on-road racing use.

The TB-03 is a new generation featuring the IFS system (In-board Front Suspension) seen before on the TA-05 chassis, together with parts directly coming from the racing TRF416 chassis (front and rear uprights). The TB-03D variantis dedicated to Drift and leaves the IFS system apart to renew with a classic front suspension mount.

In parallel, Tamiya worked a lot on the TB plateform racing version, releasing a new generation almost every year.

TB Evolution (2000)

TB Evolution II (2002)

TB Evolution III (2002)

TB Evolution IV (2004)

TB Evolution 5 (2006)

The TB Evolution is a TB-01 chassis fitted with tons of hop-ups meant to make it lighter (carbon double deck instead of bathtub chassis), to reinforce it (carbon damper mounts) and to provide better on-road performances (ball differentials). The Evolution II focuses on weight gains (differentials, aluminium uprights) and better setup options pour drivetrains toeing. The Evolution III modifies the weight distributionby inverting the stick pack and motor locations, then the Evolutions IV and 5 mainly aim at lowering the center of gravity.

Whereas the TB series is still active in Tamiya's public range of products, the TB Evolution series developpment seems to be stopped to the benefit of the belt-driven TA/TRF series. The last TB Evo generation was released in 2006 despite of a hop-up relooking on the TB Evolution 5 MS in 2008. Does this means Tamiya think they did everything they could with the shaft-driven transmission technology and finally decided to give up with it for on-road racing, prefering belt-driven technology?

The TL plateform

The name of this plateform means Touring Light: its monoccoque chassis central frame is definitely lighter than its predecessors based on bathtub chassis format. It was first released in 1997 with the 58191 Calsonic Skyline GTR model kit and counts 29 models filling Tamiya's on-road offer over 5 ans, and two additional models adapted for the buggy class. The concentration of these models in the offer is pretty impressive: almost 30% of the models released by Tamiya between 1997 and 2002 are TL-01s.

At the time, this series models are aimed at the leisure market segment, but also to the beginners entry-level racing segment. Its main limit for a true racing use is the three available gear ratios, but its performances, solidity and reliability provide more than necessary for leisure type use.

The TL-01 chassis (1997)	58191 Calsonic Skyline GTR	58246 Stadium Raider
The TL-01B chassis (1998)	58221 Baja Champ	58301 Baja King

Apart from longer lower arms and driveshafts, and suspension with more travel, the TL-01B buggy chassis version is identical to the on-road version. At the end of its career, the TL-01 introduced the TL-01LA variant with a slight modification on the suspension system: only the two last models of the series feature it.

This plateform revealed to be an excellent on-road chassis, reliable, solid and a good performer. It was one of the best choices to start racing with a Tamiya model. In 2003, the TL-01 left its place and role to the TT-01 chassis end the buggy variant remained a try with only two models.

The TT plateform

The name of this plateform means Touring Trainer because it is meant for on-road beginners: this is the TL-01 successor.

So far, almost 50 models were declined on this chassis base, the series is still going on and Tamiya still give it evolutions. In 2003, the first model to be announced on this plateform is the 58302 Enzo Ferrari model kit.

The TT-01 chassis (2003)

The TT-01D chassis (2005)

The TT-01E chassis (2007)

The TT-01ED chassis (2009)

58302 Ferrari Enzo

58349 Subaru Impreza WRC 2005

58402 Nissan Fairlady Z Ver Nismo

58432 Toyota Aristo / Lexus GS400

Every 4 years, the plateform receives an evolution: 2003 for the first version, 2007 for the E version (E for Enhanced), whereas the Drift adaptations alternate (2005 for the D version, 2009 for the ED version). Tamiya obviously employs this plateform with success to stick to the slightest evolution of the market and the public taste.

Commercially, this plateform is a vital need for Tamiya: it represents  35% of their offer since 2003. The parallel with the TL-01 plateform is established, but the TT-01 brings even more flexibility: the Drift variant generates high sales volumes since this specific use is very "trendy", especially on the japanese market which is Tamiya's domestic market (thus fundamental).

Moreover, the TT-01 chassis targets the on-road entry-level market, but hop-ups allow to make a good performer out of it: it is the best way to drive customers to racing higher-end products. On another side, this is the chassis Tamiya relies on to developp their Ready To Run range of products (the XB Xpert Built versions). This RTR offer is also strategic since it allows Tamiya to spread their products through different distribution channels (especially toys stores): so they aim at a new type of customers.

In the end, the TT-01 chassis is a kind of industrial achievement for Tamiya as far as chassis design is concerned. On production cost side, this plateform is some kind of perfection: the chassis front and rear ends are almost perfect mirrors. Yet, gearboxes, drivetrains and even bumpers are identical: only the bathtub chassis determines where the front and rear are because of the specific steering system and motor implantations.

The FF plateform

After reviewing the saga history of the TA, then TL, TB and TT plateform for a question of logic, let's go back to history in 1993 with the FF plateform. Its name means Front Front since the bodyshells featured cars that had front-engine and a front wheel-drive configuration.
There are two generations:
 the FF-01 released in 1993 borrowed the TA-02 bathtub chassis and arms (again!). Better said, this is a front wheel-drive front motor TA-02.
 the FF-02 released in 1998 borrowed M-03 parts (chassis and transmission) and TL-01's (arms).

FF-01 chassis (1993)	FF-02 chassis (1998)
58121 Idemitsu Motion Mugen	58224 Peugeot 306 Maxi WRC

This plateform is interesting because it is another demonstration of the TA versatility and how smart Tamiya are in using a plateform to release a new chassis type. The FF-01 chassis will be used by 16 models from 1993 to 1998. Customers will love the realistic behavior, but also the splendid boyshells on some models like the highly desirable Clio Williams released in 1994 :

58138 Renault Clio Williams

Action shot

The FF-02 chassis is some kind of fantomatic in Tamiya's range of products since only three models use it. Customers only saw it as a longer M-03 chassis enlarged with TL-01 arms (which is what the FF-02 is all about): it lost the M-chassis power of attraction and didn't contribute in anything to the on-road range of products.

Tamiya soon realized the little interest of this chassis generation and year 1999 will be see the release of the last two FF platform models. Both for racing or leisure, the on-road market is already exclusively oriented to 4WD transmission at that time, the M-chassis being the one and only remarkable exception.

The M-chassis

The name of this plateform means mini chassis: that easy. It made its first appearance in 1994 and its success now has been lasting for more than 15 years in Tamiya's range of products.

Here's the family tree of this still growing plateform:

The M-01 chassis	The M-02 chassis
The M-03 chassis	The M-04L chassis
The M-05 chassis	The M-06 chassis? (not yet announced)

Tamiya's genius for this plateform was to make it modular since the very beginning: there are not 5 generations (6th being imminent), but only 3. Impair nombered chassis are front wheel drive whereas pair numbered chassis are rear wheel drive. Even better, the 3 M-chassis generations were declined in short, medium and long wheelbase to fit diffent bodyshell types. One exception: the M-04 has no short variant.

Very modular indeed since only one part tree differs between front and rear wheel drive versions in the same generation (M-01 / M-02 and M-03 / M-04). The first generation could easily be switched from front wheel drive to rear wheel drive (and reverse) just inverting the front and rear gearboxes (and adapting steering linkage length). Moreover, on the two first generations this time, you could easily fit two motorized gearboxes and get a twin-motor 4WD chassis. We'll have to wait for the M-06 release to check if the new generation is also modular.

To make it even simpler, the wheelbase is exactly the same whatever generation. So, any short variant (no suffix) has a 210mm wheelbase, Medium-M variants are 225mm and Long-L variants are 239mm. Fans and of course Tamiya can easily fit any generation bodyshell as long as the variant remains the same. A good example is the Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA that is both available on M-02M and M-04M chassis.

This plateform features many remarkable bodyshells:

58149 Rover Mini Cooper (M-01)	58158 Fiat Abarth 1000 TCR (M-02)	58163 Rover Mini Cooper Rally (M-01)
58168 Alpine A110 (M-02)	58187 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA (M-02/04 M)	58368 Suzuki Swift Super 1600 (M-03M)

With an M-chassis, any bodyshell is fragile, but some are even more fragile: you are very lucky if you can see running Fiat Abarth 1000 TCR and Alpine A110 beacause they are so rare and expensive bodies. Well, it has to be said that M-chassis bumpers are only meant to protect the chassis, not the bodyshell. Moreover, whatever generation or variant, the plateform general behavior is pretty quick and tricky: quite often, the car will roll over if you're too confident when entering a curve. Concerning the above last presented model, its bodyshell is neither rare, nor expensive or fragile: it's just mine 


In 2009, Tamiya released the new M-chassis generation with the M-05 that should be quickly followed by an M-06 by the end of the year. Firstly designed for leisure, the M plateform is a true success story thanks to the great realism and the fun it provides. The craze reaches such an extend that official races were created just for this class of chassis in several countries.

Since the debuts in 1994, the model average release rate is a little bit less than 2 per year. Commercially, this plateform doesn't seem very strategic for Tamiya since others were much more intensively marketed over the same period. However, this plateform did create an all new market segment for a new category of vehicles, giving Tamiya the opportunity to extend their diversification strategy on the RC market.

The plateform with no name

In order to preserve the obvious logic among all the previous plateforms, I intentionally "forgot" two antediluvian models. Yes, models 58025 and 58026 released back in 1981 are unique ... yet not that much in fact: they can't be attached to any previous plateform, but they could have been guest stars in several ones.

The chassis draw on the box	The motor mount	Front and rear drivetrains
The real chassis	58025 VW Golf Racing Group 2 (1981)	58026 Renault 5 Turbo (1981)

This chassis relies on an FRP plate unique to these models on which is mounted the first Competition Special aluminium radio deck (from 1978 model 58005). Nylon uprights and tire sets are borrowed from the F1 Competition Special chassis (model 58012) and the servo-saver belongs to the Racing Master 1 chassis (model 58021).

Despite of very nice bodyshells (which are the collectors' main interest in these models), this Lego plateform will not prove to be a success story and Tamiya will definitely give up with it. Strategically, this plateform had a commercial interest close to zero. Industrially speaking, it is Tamiya's first serious attempt to significantly rationalize their developpment and production costs.

Before concluding on Tamiya's on-road platforms, here's the promotional video of these two ephemeral models:

© Tamiya

Conclusion

Over 30 years of Tamiya on-road production are reviewed here, from the very firsts models in motion to the lastest actuals models targeting micro-markets like the Drift's. 30 years including renowned success stories, failures and a constant need to fit any market evolution and public demands.

Strategically, Tamiya very soon understood the main public demand: variety. As a matter of fact, the chassis is nothing more than the bodyshell support for the vast majority of people who are interested in the model look before anything else (well, and to its price too). Tamiya always counted on their static model know-how to make very realistic bodyshells: this is one of their main assets.
Another characteritic of their strategy relies on a continous presence on every market segment, either as a precursor, among the top manufacturers, but sometimes also in the urge when the market suddenly shifted. This is another considerable asset: the faculty of adaptation, both commercially and concerning the product design.
Last, Tamiya always prefered their chassis evolution rather than radical design changes from scratch: advantage is they rely on the previous generation knowledge, and even sometimes can "import" technical solutions from other ranges of products. Development costs are less expensive and sometimes allow to make the industrial tool even more profitable.

Unlike the majority of other RC manufacturers, Tamiya mainly aims at the general public. Because nobody was born competitor: the market is above all a leisure market, and thus the starting point for everyone or so. Exclusively aiming at the competitors is very dangerous:
    brand fidelity doesn't exist: the pilot personnal result only matters. The vehicle will be the best performer he can afford at the season start or during the season, no matter what
    innovation must be permanent to have a chance to be competitive: this implies tremendous search and development costs that can't be financed by production volumes. Therefore, they have to be financed by the model expensive retail price.

The racing sector is a high risk activity, both economical and industrial. Of course, the racing products can be declined in more economic versions for the general public, but the brand image will definitely the one earned on racing tracks: don't win and the general public version sales will dramatically drop. Say good bye to the financial ressources you need to redesign a winning chassis. In these conditions, it becomes very difficult to built a sane strategy: the company durability is far from being an asset. RC history counts many sorry stories about this.

Tamiya judiciously chose a diametrally opposed strategy: with numerous easy to assemble esthetic and economic models, they give a response to the general public demand. On performance side, the general public demands are quite limited: this avoids over-stressing the designer teams all year long, and above all, to maximise industrial and financial profitability which is the company health source. Also, general public brand fidelity does exist and is an important asset for any manufacturer.

Tamiya never forgot their target customer market on which they have been living for over 30 years now, but they were able to develop their racing sector, unsuccessfully at the beginning, then collecting world titles lately. And yet, the vast majority of cometitors started with a leisure oriented model before they got into racing more seriously: this is where the brand fidelity will play its role, allowing Tamiya to aim at both maket sectors.

Moreover, one of Tamiya's characteric is to make a full option line-up, the famous Hops-Up. Every single model has a pretty vast option parts catalog available: chassis performance and look can then be enhanced. Apart from their financial added value, the Hop-Ups are strategic since they are made to develop the public appetite for racing. Naturally, anyone willing to step further in racing will first have a look on more competitive models in a manufacturer catalog he already knows. From an entry-level economic or middle-range product, the Hops-Ups will drive Tamiya customers to more competitive and more expensive products (always better for the sales curbs on graphics).

Tamiya's overall strategy for on-road vehicules during the last 30 years evolved, but it permanently kept focused on the heart of its market (the general public) and its static model know-how (realistic bodyshells). From this point of view, this strategy is globally the opposite of the competitors' who do need to bet everything on the racing sector to exist, with all inherent risks.

Tamiya is the absolute leader on the general public market thanks to a fantastic and effective strategy based on a renowned state of the art know-how. Morevover, Tamiya perfectly plays with market synergies:
    a static model customer who wants its models in motion will definitely opt for the brand RC models, and reverse
    a customer willing to get better performances out of his model will automatically opt for Hop-Ups. And if he goes a step further on performance side, chances are he chooses a model from the same manufacturer, even more since many parts are compatible for different models.

The on-road plateform analysis demonstrates Tamiya did enter the RC model market in 1976 with a very clear vision and strategy. During the next 30 years, this strategy was made even better and proved its accuracy and efficiency, even when times were pretty difficult. Very soon, Tamiya gave themselves the necessary ressources to establish their absolute leadership on the market, never giving their competitors the slightest chance to overcome them.

Now let's see how Tamiya developped their strategy on the off-road vehicles market.

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First publication: august 05, 2009 Last modified: february 25, 2010

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