Collecting Tyco RC, Taiyo RC, and other 80s-90s Toy Nostalgia… (Part 1)
Powerful Memories
If you ask any kid who grew up in the 1980s or 1990s what their favorite Christmas or Birthday present was, there’s a good chance they’re going to nominate a radio controlled car. But not just any RC car… a Tyco R/C!
They were everywhere, all over TV, every commercial break, and every kid wanted one. Outside the USA they were sold under the brands Taiyo, Metro RC, and Dickie Toys, to name just a few.
Where I lived in Australia, they were the major prize in the most popular children’s cartoon show, Agro’s Cartoon Connection, for almost a decade.
In between Samurai Pizza Cats, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Scooby Doo, we’d be treated to action packed TV commercials for the latest model that would always make our jaws drop.
I have distinct memories of sitting at my grandma’s house, eating the plate of cakes, biscuits and lollies she’d prepared for my after school snack, doing my best not to breathe in the cigarette smoke. I’d huddle on the edge of the sofa arm, as close to the TV as possible, and then it would come…
FAST TRAXX! WILD THING! TYPHOON! PYTHON! REBOUND!
It was glorious.
Back on the TV show, they’d have kids racing Jet Hoppers (Turbo Hoppers in the US) around a track in the studio, and the winner would take one home. And for those watching, we’d have a chance at winning the Prize Pack by submitting drawings to the weekly ‘Mail Bag’ competition, presented by Crikey the Clown (Ian Calder) or one of this other nutty characters. It was unashamed product placement, but gosh it was fun.
And so, like many other kids across the world, I was introduced to Radio Control Cars not by cheap toys from Walmart or Kmart, but by these Tyco R/C cars that offered a glimpse of hobby grade quality and performance for a fraction of the price. Easily available for mum or dad to buy at the local toy store, or department store.
If a part broke, the same toy store would carry spares. Cracked bumpers, worn out tires, bent antennas, all fixable. Imagine that — Toy RC with spare parts on the shelf!
Designed in Japan, and Made in Japan, Singapore, or Malaysia (predominantly) these cars were well built. Even today, you can buy a well used 30–40 year old Tyco from eBay and it’s likely to work with little more than a new set of batteries.
Nostalgia to Reality — Beginning a collection
And so with the global pandemic giving us time to reflect on these memories, stuck and home with not much to do, many of us decided to purchase a little bit of nostalgia turned to reality.
For me it was a Taiyo Mini Hopper, the perfect car for a beginner collector.
There are almost a dozen versions of the Mini Hopper and they’re fairly inexpensive, so it’s easy to find a good clean car for not too much. That car will most likely work just fine just by adding a 9V battery for the transmitter, and 4xAA batteries in the car itself.
If you’ve got this far, I hope you enjoyed the journey so far.
Stay with me for Part 2 where I’ll delve deeper into the most popular cars to collect, where you can find them, and how much you should and should’nt pay.
Admin @ TycoCollectors.com, #1 Resource for Taiyo/Tyco RC Collectors.
