Did you know that right now there’s a rally in Africa called the “Africa Eco Race”, featuring motorbikes, cars, trucks and even buggies like this?
Tamiya Monster Beetle (1986)
1986 was a big year for big toy monster trucks. And combining their high-rise looks with the evergreen shape of a VW Beetle resulted in a hit for Tamiya.
“The Winch”, by Matsushiro (1984)
“The Winch” by Matsushiro was a versatile, toy-grade 4WD Toyota Landcruiser of high quality and with some unique features.
Nikko Night Stalker (1989)
Small but fast – the Nikko Night Stalker was a favourite in 1989, great value, and typical of the quality Nikko were releasing in the late 1980s.
Vintage Australian Christmas Commercials
With Christmas approaching once more, I always find myself reminiscing about old Christmas memories in the 1980s in Australia – hot summers, cool toys, and
Tandy/Radio Shack Wild Champ (1987)
An affordably priced little buggy with roll-cagey looks and big balloony tyres for fun in the dunes. The Tandy / Radio Shack Wild Champ is well remembered.
Teddy Ruxpin and Jet Hopper – the hot toys for Christmas 1986
Just for fun, here are two old Australian TV commercials in which the Metro/Taiyo Jet Hopper R/C buggy is shown as one of the hot
Gama/Likto Sea Ranger (1981)
A radio controlled amphibious toy, modeled after a one-off concept car that looks like it came from a 1970s sci-fi movie? The Gama Sea Ranger is too cool for words.
Team Associated RC10 (1984)
Remembered as a world-beater in competitive circles, the original RC10 buggy was a kit-based model and the first off-roader created by hobby-grade R/C company Team Associated.
Tandy/Radio Shack Mini Land Cruiser (1983)
A cute and reasonably affordable little soft-roader from the era before the toy-grade manufacturers were making open-wheeled R/C buggies. It was available from 1983 – 1986.
A quick guide to Vintage vs Remake Tamiya R/C kits
Tamiya’s early R/C models are now highly sought after. Some of their vintage kits have undergone remakes in recent years. Let’s compare vintage vs remake.
Tandy/Radio Shack Golden Arrow Buggy (1987)
In 1987, Tandy / Radio Shack stores released something to compete with the popularity of brands like Tamiya and others – the Golden Arrow Buggy.
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