A Big Tamiya Wild One MAX From The Little Car Company

Tamiya Wild One MAX - The Little Car Company

Have you ever wanted to drive your own radio control car? Well, The Little Car Company has just the thing for you. whilst normally your Tamiya kit would come in a 1/10th scale, the new car is in 8/10th scale. No need for a radio control unit, this version comes complete with steering wheel and pedals.

Tamia was the must have thing back in the 1980s, I remember them very well. Famous names like the Hornet, Sand Scorcher and Lunchbox. Building one is part of the fun, and complication. They are also brilliant to drive.

The Wild one was released in 1985 and became one of the most popular models and something of an icon. It got a re-release in 2012 and gained new fans as well as many returning originals.

A decade later the Wild One is returning, but this time in a slightly larger size. From 2022 the new car licensed by Tamiya will be 8 times larger than the original kit. But just like the original it will still be a kit, though I’m wondering how big that box is going to be. The Wild One Max is a rear wheel drive off road electric buggy, just like the one from Tamiya. But it’s 3.5m long, 1.8m wide and weighs in at around 250kg. Which is pretty light.

The spaceframe chassis has coilover suspension, lightweight 15″ wheels with off road tyres. Brakes are provided by Brembo which incorporate regenerative braking to help extend the range. There’s enough space in the cockpit to accommodate someone from 5′ 3″, 160cm, and up to 6′ 5″ or 195cm. The MAX will feature multiple driving modes including, Novice, Eco and Race, which give different top speeds, throttle maps and power outputs.

The top speed is 30 mph or 48 km/h with a peak output of 5.5bhp from the electric motor. A single battery pack onboard with a 2 kWh capacity and a range of up to 25 miles or 40 km. It will be possible to go faster and further by adding more of the battery packs. Of course, there will be a Hop-Up catalogue with additional extras. But to make life easier The Little Car Company are selling upgrade packs, a Tarmac Pack ads mudguards and road biased tyres. But there are to be three Road Legal Packs which means you can venture out onto the highway making the Wild One Max compliant with L6e or L7e Quadricycle legislation in Europe, or Neighbourhood Electric Vehicle legislation in the USA. Indicators, reflectors, brake lights and a rear view mirror being included to make the buggy road legal. Oh, and you can add stickers too.

Tamiya Wild One MAX Box - The Little Car Company
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“We are massively flattered and thrilled by the launch of the Wild One Max by The Little Car Company under official licence from Tamiya. Tamiya assembly R/C kits, especially our unique buggy range, have captured the imaginations of generations for over 40 years. The prospect of a nearly full-size Tamiya buggy, which can be built and driven, is truly exciting and will be the ultimate vehicle for any Tamiya fan.” Pete Binger, CEO, The Hobby Company – Tamiya UK Distributor

“As a child of the 80s, developing an almost full-size Tamiya model, which you can actually drive, is a dream come true. We are honoured to be working with the Tamiya team on the project to bring one of their most iconic models to life for a new generation. Because it is still early days in the project, we have the opportunity to include the feedback and feature suggestions from the legions of Tamiya fans out there. We encourage anyone with imaginative ideas and feedback around the engineering of the project to sign up to the newsletter at WildOneMax.com. We can’t wait to get these on, and off, the road in 2022!” Ben Hedley, CEO, The Little Car Company

If you want one you’d better get your deposit down. Prices are expected to be £6,000 and all you need is the first £100 to secure a build slot.

Visit Wildonemax.com before they sell out.

Wild One Max Detail

Many thanks to the Little Car Company for the use of the images.

Simon

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