the tamiya blackfoot was a 1/10-scale, electric radio controlled model monster truck produced by the tamiya corporation of japan. it was released october 8, 1986 and produced through 1993. == importance == available only in kit form less the necessary radio equipment, battery pack and charger, the blackfoot was one of the most notable contributions to the growing radio controlled model car hobby due to its relatively inexpensive purchase cost, ease of assembly, an excellent instruction manual - tamiya's are regarded as among the finest in the hobby industry - and wide availability of both factory and aftermarket parts to improve performance and durability as well as to simplify and expedite inevitable repairs. *********** == basis and variations == the model's space frame chassis was molded from abs engineering resin and was identical other than color to the tamiya r/c dune buggy on which the blackfoot was based, "the frog." the frog's main chassis parts are grey while the blackfoot's are bright red, presumably since the chassis was far more visible on the blackfoot. the highly detailed styrene body was that of a ford f-150 stepside pickup, itself a carryover from an earlier tamiya ford f-150 model based on the srb-chassis (special racing buggy). two other similar early releases were given the "monster treatment" as well. the "monster beetle" was topped with a replica of a volkswagen "baja bug" while the "mud blaster" was a subaru brat sport truck. mechanically identical to the blackfoot, the only other differences in these two models besides the bodies and body mounts were plastic wheels vacuum-plated in a golden finish, the inclusion of rubber-spiked tires for slightly improved off-road traction, a metal bracket to support the servo saver and oil-filled, coilover shock absorbers. also, the monster beetle included a combined gearbox skid plate and rear bumper. the retail price of the monster beetle and mud blaster was about twenty percent higher than that of the blackfoot, mostly due to the improved shocks. the blackfoot's inclusion of simple coilover "shocks" less the benefit of oil dampening kept the initial cost of the kit down. since the oil-filled units were available separately in kit form, blackfoot owners could easily upgrade once their budget allowed. == problems and solutions == as rugged as the blackfoot and its variants were, the design suffered from a number of problems with its drivetrain. its hexagonal-shaped "dogbone" axles, while allowing for an independent rear suspension, were extremely prone to wear because of the oversized wheels and tires as was the nylon and pot metal-geared differential. interestingly, the pot metal parts genera
Tamiya_Corporation