These cars were much more awesome when i was a kid. I didn't think RC cars could get much better at that time. I can't imagine what they'll be like in another 30 years.
So my Dad bought a Tamiya Boomerang in '86, and 8yr old me helped him build it. I loved that Boomerang and bugged him to drive it nonstop. A few months later he came hime with a pair of these exact buggies. I took the Red #49(mhz) and the white #27(mhz) which my brother wanted. We got the higher voltage rechargable batts(I used yellow Sanyo batts with red writing, my brother used a generic brand and I always killed him in races lol) and these actually had a fairly respectable speed for toy grade in the 80's! We ran those cars until they died yrs later (thinking back, Im blown away by how much abuse these took and kept going 😆) I was able to purchase a MINT Boomerang a cpl yrs ago, but now want to add these to the collection for nostalgia reasons. Thank you for this vid! Also, the reason you could only steer while moving was to avoid servo burn out. As a kid, your hands would be too small to one hand both joysticks like you did in the vid. The car had to be moving fwd/rev to activate the steering function, so both hands had to be on the controller, and it wouldnt turn unless moving, meaning the chances of a kid holding/messing with, the car AND driving/turning were Very slim. It was a way of avoiding Customer service calls & warranty claims. Until servo's and tech got better/more sophisticated.
Great story! Thank you for sharing! Yeah those electromagnetic servos could be an issue of they where accidentally left engaged. I didnt think about that!
I had the white one, 89’ maybe. Loved it. Took it on a ski trip, ruined it, sent it in for repairs and 3 months later good as new! Thanks for this video and the memories!
I came across the white model at a Goodwill in a plastic tote full of old rc cars. It was in good cosmetic shape but the board was disintegrating so I had to replace the electronics. I ended up having to modernize all of the cars which also included a standard red Turbo Hopper, a white Turbo Panther, and a Radio Shack Turbo Buggy Master.
I had the white version of this car. I remember it was very fun to drive. I used to drive it on top of the snow when it would get that frozen crust on the top. 4wd helped it to float over all the drifts!
Very cool and it is in great condition! I have a RadioShack buggy and it only has on power steering which is very strange to drive!! I had one of my viewers suggest it may have been a servo saving element as turning while moving is way easier on the servo than when sitting stationary. Or, like you mentioned, a way cheaper/easier PCB layout and design. I do love these old hoppers and I used to have the Heads Up Turbo Hopper. It ended up getting thrown away once the super glue wasn't able to hold the front end together any longer!!!
I honestly have no idea why they did that, haha! I know that the cars I have with motor servos allow operation while stationary but these solenoid servos do not.
I got mine still it's. Red .. it stopped. Running though it looks like it wants to go but it can't like the gears are broke. Want to fix it some day. It's been broke for like 30 years though
I remember these cars on the department store shelves here in Australia in the 80s, more often than not, KMart would have them and others. I also remember getting a Niko F10 Bison from KMart over here. On a side point, how did the wheels come off, with those square nut inserts. Great episode, thank you.
There were A LOT of crappy toy (cars) out there but this thing is awesome! Compared to current versions of this type of RC it's not very fast. But it looks like a lot of fun. On the slow speed smaller kids could keep up to chase it. Also for us grown up kids, the faster speed would be fun on a small race course. Fast enough for fun but slow enough that you don't lose it in a cloud of dust.
@@CheapCheerfulI'm a big fan of this channel, I learn something on every new video. I'm sorry if this came across as an effort at trolling. I didn't mean it that way. I did try to say it as a comparison to today's RCs. Obviously a toy that old could not compete with a current UDR RC. I was saying that it would be perfect for younger kids. My grandkids would go crazy chasing this around, especially since in isn't very fast. They could easily keep up with it. It also seems pretty maneuverable even at it's top speed so on a scaled-down track it would be fun for us older kids, like me.
@@AMPROEngineering thus is one of the things I like about your channel. You have kept/restored some older RC toys and showcase how good some of them really were!
Years ago I stripped mine down added esc and front servo and found a better motor that fit to look stock. I used a small front servo. However as I did this I ruined all the wheels. I used to have these from turbo hopper to this one three outlaws and about three bandits. I changed all them for esc and servos. I wish I had them still.
Fun Fact ! The Taiyo Original Japanese release of the tyco red super hopper aka taiyo jet racer 4wd has active steering! But the European Taiyo release had passive like the tyco. There may have been some releases in Europe that had active steering.
do love the looks of these old buggies, i have the taiyo variant of this its black and gold. I tried bringing the original electronics back to life but didnt succeed so i put in some cheapo ebay electronics and servo. On the upside not it was proper-ish steering
Ooooh I can't wait to watch this! Edit: If you like this car, there is a successor in 1989 with METAL steering cups. I'd link here, but don't want to spam your chat too much. Search my site for "1989 Tyco 4WD 9.6V Super Turbo Hopper"
@@AMPROEngineering NO WAY! You did too!! How did I miss that! Mate, you are too good. I've linked your channel on my site, so other Tyco/Taiyo fans know to come here.
I think the steering/throttle thing may have been because they were technically only 1 channel so you had the steering and throttle signal combined as one hence you couldn't just steer without throttle. You either had the throttle signal or the throttle+left or throttle+right etc. Might be wrong but I'm sure it's something like that. Then later models had true 2 channel operation.
I have one of these, thinking of putting a modern esc and servo into. It works fine as it is and afraid that maybe I should keep it original. I would also like to get inside the gearbox to relube the gears but the wheels are press fitted.
I would let it be. If you want to mod one, buy a cheap broken one. The main issue is how weak they are now. Anything faster than the stock motor is going to make the thing fall apart. If you want to keep the stock motor, then it is a nice upgrade. You can reach the gears if you pull the motors but I would not open the box. They are a nightmare.
@@AMPROEngineering I'll keep the stock motor and put an ESC and some sort of servo into it. It will derestrict the stock motor abit I am sure to release all its power. I did remove the dual motors and can spot the gears in there yes. I wanted to rebuild the rear differential with Tamiya grease applied but I can see that probably won't happen now. The front differential on the other hand can be opened easily so I can at least take that apart.
As always, great content ! I don't remember that brand in France in the 80's but recently acquired 2 Tamiya quick drive. I see some similarities. Which one do you prefer if a comparison is possible ? Thanks for the video !
Honestly I have never touched a QD tamiya. I do not know that they sold all that well in the US but perhaps elsewhere they did better. I suspect they would be rather competitive.
@@AMPROEngineering thanks for your answer. I guess I should find a Tyco 😉. I hope you'll find a good deal for a QD if you're interested in trying. My brother and I have a QD midnight pumpkin and a super sabre and we're very happy with them !
I just tried it out in the hopper. It's got great speed. But I didn't realize the batteries would cause such interference with the receiver! It ended up severely limiting my distance. I might try running 3 14500's with dummy batteries to keep the voltage high. What about running 8 Ni-Zn's? Would that be too much voltage?
Im surprised how level it jumped your sidewalk. I have the blue 27mhz and orange 49mhz turbo fighter which are basically the 2wd 9.6v version only difference being the turbo fighter has no front air damn, uses a single front mono shock and has one air scoop. Same body and everything else though. They’re good runners wish the front shock was dampened softer though they’re ridiculously stiff and almost pointless.
These are awesome. I prefer them without a remote to justify hobby swapping. I use a 450mah 3S LiPo. By the time the motors get hot, the battery is dead 😅 I get 17mph with slightly flat tires
Why are you so anti alkaline? I mean for the sake of testing its not a crazy idea. Odd to feature classic RCs and be against the batteries they are meant to run on.
They are horrible for the environment, poor capacity and leakage. One time use is not ok to me. I run 1.6V NiZn batteries for electronics designed for 1.5 batteries. There are LiPo 1.5 AA, AAA and other common form factory packaged batteries but I do not like the company that makes them, pale blue earth. I have a set and dont find them very good.
@@AMPROEngineering Yeah I have seen those 1.5v rechargeable batteries online, they are very expensive atm. Would be interesting to see if these are safe to use in the old taiyo, tyco's as on the rare occasion I have had even ni mh batteries not work properly with some models. Would be cool to get your take on these in a video and what you recommend if upgrading to 1.5v rechargeable 🙂
These cars were much more awesome when i was a kid. I didn't think RC cars could get much better at that time. I can't imagine what they'll be like in another 30 years.
It was a fun time!
around 100$ ya right. more like $200 now in running good condition, and good luck finding both
It has been a while since this video. Yeah, they are creeping up.
I never had the money to buy one of these when I was a kid, but drooled over it, and still do. lol
4wd!
it was a cool car to review. I did not expect to be as good as it way.
Facts!! me too
I’m 44 years old that reminds me of my childhood I had a Nikki turbo panther and a tyco pennzoil car 9.6v no thank you remind me of my childhood 1988
I still have my turbo panther. I love that car! You can see a review of it here.
So my Dad bought a Tamiya Boomerang in '86, and 8yr old me helped him build it.
I loved that Boomerang and bugged him to drive it nonstop.
A few months later he came hime with a pair of these exact buggies. I took the Red #49(mhz) and the white #27(mhz) which my brother wanted.
We got the higher voltage rechargable batts(I used yellow Sanyo batts with red writing, my brother used a generic brand and I always killed him in races lol) and these actually had a fairly respectable speed for toy grade in the 80's!
We ran those cars until they died yrs later (thinking back, Im blown away by how much abuse these took and kept going 😆)
I was able to purchase a MINT Boomerang a cpl yrs ago, but now want to add these to the collection for nostalgia reasons. Thank you for this vid!
Also, the reason you could only steer while moving was to avoid servo burn out.
As a kid, your hands would be too small to one hand both joysticks like you did in the vid.
The car had to be moving fwd/rev to activate the steering function, so both hands had to be on the controller, and it wouldnt turn unless moving, meaning the chances of a kid holding/messing with, the car AND driving/turning were Very slim.
It was a way of avoiding Customer service calls & warranty claims.
Until servo's and tech got better/more sophisticated.
Great story! Thank you for sharing! Yeah those electromagnetic servos could be an issue of they where accidentally left engaged. I didnt think about that!
I had the white one, 89’ maybe. Loved it. Took it on a ski trip, ruined it, sent it in for repairs and 3 months later good as new! Thanks for this video and the memories!
Wow one of the few that was fixed! Nice!
What a great piece of history 👍🏼 I miss my Turbo Hopper
Yeah the Turbo hopper is another gem!
I came across the white model at a Goodwill in a plastic tote full of old rc cars. It was in good cosmetic shape but the board was disintegrating so I had to replace the electronics.
I ended up having to modernize all of the cars which also included a standard red Turbo Hopper, a white Turbo Panther, and a Radio Shack Turbo Buggy Master.
I am sure it runs way better like that!
LOVE your videos about the old TYCO turbo toys....
Thank you! I love Tyco
I didn’t know they made a 4wd turbo hopper. This thing is awesome
They are super common but it seems no one cares about them. I think its due to the old AA batteries. The 9.6 cars have a way bigger following.
I had the white version of this car. I remember it was very fun to drive. I used to drive it on top of the snow when it would get that frozen crust on the top. 4wd helped it to float over all the drifts!
Very cool to hear. I bet it was fun!
I had one new when I was a kid. I used to pop the front dog bones out which "doubled" the power. Very cool thank you.
I bet it was fun as a 2wd buggy too!
Way more fun! You could drift it!
I used to really like taco products back in the late 80s early 90s.
Especially the hovercraft.
Oh yeah the Typhoon! I had one.
Very cool and it is in great condition! I have a RadioShack buggy and it only has on power steering which is very strange to drive!! I had one of my viewers suggest it may have been a servo saving element as turning while moving is way easier on the servo than when sitting stationary. Or, like you mentioned, a way cheaper/easier PCB layout and design. I do love these old hoppers and I used to have the Heads Up Turbo Hopper. It ended up getting thrown away once the super glue wasn't able to hold the front end together any longer!!!
I honestly have no idea why they did that, haha! I know that the cars I have with motor servos allow operation while stationary but these solenoid servos do not.
I got mine still it's. Red .. it stopped. Running though it looks like it wants to go but it can't like the gears are broke. Want to fix it some day. It's been broke for like 30 years though
That is how my bandit was. Keep your eyes peeled for a parts car!
@@AMPROEngineering im not sure whats wrong with it it "jumps" like its going and stopping but wont roll i should take it apart someday
That’s a really cool car. Everything about it is fun
It is really interesting. I was surprised to see all the engineering on it.
Gotta love the Tyco Turbo Hopper cars range. Excellent example you got there. Enjoyed your video very much.
Glad you liked it!
I remember these cars on the department store shelves here in Australia in the 80s, more often than not, KMart would have them and others. I also remember getting a Niko F10 Bison from KMart over here. On a side point, how did the wheels come off, with those square nut inserts. Great episode, thank you.
The F10 is a great car. Reviewed one a while ago and it was a gem. These wheels have the square nut pressed on so they cannot come off.
There were A LOT of crappy toy (cars) out there but this thing is awesome! Compared to current versions of this type of RC it's not very fast. But it looks like a lot of fun. On the slow speed smaller kids could keep up to chase it. Also for us grown up kids, the faster speed would be fun on a small race course. Fast enough for fun but slow enough that you don't lose it in a cloud of dust.
Yep, bit slow, but important to remember this is 30+ years old! :)
@@CheapCheerfulI'm a big fan of this channel, I learn something on every new video.
I'm sorry if this came across as an effort at trolling. I didn't mean it that way. I did try to say it as a comparison to today's RCs. Obviously a toy that old could not compete with a current UDR RC. I was saying that it would be perfect for younger kids. My grandkids would go crazy chasing this around, especially since in isn't very fast. They could easily keep up with it. It also seems pretty maneuverable even at it's top speed so on a scaled-down track it would be fun for us older kids, like me.
Totally spot on. It was fast for the 80's but more importantly, most actually survived. Many new ones will not.
@@AMPROEngineering thus is one of the things I like about your channel. You have kept/restored some older RC toys and showcase how good some of them really were!
Another great vid. Amazing how the tyres look like the Boomerang
Yeah it is crazy how much they look alike.
Get your hands on MN78 next time please!
I want a review of that body
It is really cool! Ill have to see if I can get one.
Years ago I stripped mine down added esc and front servo and found a better motor that fit to look stock. I used a small front servo. However as I did this I ruined all the wheels. I used to have these from turbo hopper to this one three outlaws and about three bandits. I changed all them for esc and servos. I wish I had them still.
I also used a tiny servo and it worked well. Massive improvement.
@@AMPROEngineering nice
Fun Fact ! The Taiyo Original Japanese release of the tyco red super hopper aka taiyo jet racer 4wd has active steering!
But the European Taiyo release had passive like the tyco.
There may have been some releases in Europe that had active steering.
I had no idea. That is insane!
I just recently acquired a Tyco mini jet bandit. I gotta clean the contacts on the controller, but it like this is in near mint condition
I did a review on the Outlaw. Super cool!
do love the looks of these old buggies, i have the taiyo variant of this its black and gold. I tried bringing the original electronics back to life but didnt succeed so i put in some cheapo ebay electronics and servo. On the upside not it was proper-ish steering
Yeah some times it is just impossible. I have a Nikko Turbo Pursuit Escort and I just cannot get working.
Ooooh I can't wait to watch this! Edit: If you like this car, there is a successor in 1989 with METAL steering cups. I'd link here, but don't want to spam your chat too much. Search my site for "1989 Tyco 4WD 9.6V Super Turbo Hopper"
Oh yeah, I think reviewed that one too! I had a card come up and I think I compared the two together. e 272, is that the one?
@@AMPROEngineering NO WAY! You did too!! How did I miss that! Mate, you are too good. I've linked your channel on my site, so other Tyco/Taiyo fans know to come here.
I think the steering/throttle thing may have been because they were technically only 1 channel so you had the steering and throttle signal combined as one hence you couldn't just steer without throttle. You either had the throttle signal or the throttle+left or throttle+right etc. Might be wrong but I'm sure it's something like that.
Then later models had true 2 channel operation.
That is an interesting thought. You may be correct.
I have one of these, thinking of putting a modern esc and servo into. It works fine as it is and afraid that maybe I should keep it original. I would also like to get inside the gearbox to relube the gears but the wheels are press fitted.
I would let it be. If you want to mod one, buy a cheap broken one. The main issue is how weak they are now. Anything faster than the stock motor is going to make the thing fall apart. If you want to keep the stock motor, then it is a nice upgrade. You can reach the gears if you pull the motors but I would not open the box. They are a nightmare.
@@AMPROEngineering I'll keep the stock motor and put an ESC and some sort of servo into it. It will derestrict the stock motor abit I am sure to release all its power. I did remove the dual motors and can spot the gears in there yes. I wanted to rebuild the rear differential with Tamiya grease applied but I can see that probably won't happen now. The front differential on the other hand can be opened easily so I can at least take that apart.
Is this the early version of VSC. Awesome car, thank you for sharing.
Sure seems like it.
Who was the person you said upgraded theirs? Do they have a channel?
Thank you
channel name is "TLW theLEDwheel"
As always, great content !
I don't remember that brand in France in the 80's but recently acquired 2 Tamiya quick drive. I see some similarities. Which one do you prefer if a comparison is possible ?
Thanks for the video !
Honestly I have never touched a QD tamiya. I do not know that they sold all that well in the US but perhaps elsewhere they did better. I suspect they would be rather competitive.
@@AMPROEngineering thanks for your answer. I guess I should find a Tyco 😉. I hope you'll find a good deal for a QD if you're interested in trying. My brother and I have a QD midnight pumpkin and a super sabre and we're very happy with them !
These are cool
Hell yeah they are.
Do you recommend putting 8 1.5v Li-Ion AA rechargeables to run it?
Yes that will work great.
I just tried it out in the hopper. It's got great speed. But I didn't realize the batteries would cause such interference with the receiver! It ended up severely limiting my distance.
I might try running 3 14500's with dummy batteries to keep the voltage high.
What about running 8 Ni-Zn's? Would that be too much voltage?
I can smell the Tyco plastic, rubber and electricity from my phone screen
They seriously do have a certain smell.
Im surprised how level it jumped your sidewalk. I have the blue 27mhz and orange 49mhz turbo fighter which are basically the 2wd 9.6v version only difference being the turbo fighter has no front air damn, uses a single front mono shock and has one air scoop. Same body and everything else though. They’re good runners wish the front shock was dampened softer though they’re ridiculously stiff and almost pointless.
Honestly I was also! Yeah some times the shocks are way too hard. Tyco usually did ok but for this car they were too stiff.
Taiyo rc 1/14 Jet Fighter Buggy she looks like tamiya boomerang
Ah yes, same color as the 27mHz version of this.
These are awesome. I prefer them without a remote to justify hobby swapping. I use a 450mah 3S LiPo. By the time the motors get hot, the battery is dead 😅 I get 17mph with slightly flat tires
Same here. I like them broken so that I can play with them and modify.
I’m still mad at my friend for riding my car off the deck, Axel never was the same😡
Awe yeah, that's a bummer. Even as a kid I never let anyone touch my stuff.
Why are you so anti alkaline? I mean for the sake of testing its not a crazy idea. Odd to feature classic RCs and be against the batteries they are meant to run on.
Curious as well
They are horrible for the environment, poor capacity and leakage. One time use is not ok to me. I run 1.6V NiZn batteries for electronics designed for 1.5 batteries. There are LiPo 1.5 AA, AAA and other common form factory packaged batteries but I do not like the company that makes them, pale blue earth. I have a set and dont find them very good.
@@AMPROEngineering
Yeah I have seen those 1.5v rechargeable batteries online, they are very expensive atm.
Would be interesting to see if these are safe to use in the old taiyo, tyco's as on the rare occasion I have had even ni mh batteries not work properly with some models.
Would be cool to get your take on these in a video and what you recommend if upgrading to 1.5v rechargeable 🙂