This Taiyo 4WD Ford Ranger is a 4WD pickup truck with winch and crane produced by Taiyo R/C, and released across Japan and various other countries worldwide in 1983.
It is the first variant of the 1984 Taiyo 4x4 Winch Ford Ranger, and 1986 Taiyuan 4x4 Winch Ford Ranger which I am aware of, with the key difference being mostly visual in the wheels, chrome engine design, and winch color being the main points of difference I'm aware of.
Note that I do not own this version, and it very rarely appears in photos, so it's hard to tell if there's any other differences. If you know of any, please comment below or contact me.
Comparing this version to the 1984 and 1986 variants shown below you can immediately notice the different tires to the 1984, and the different chrome engine design, with this 1983 version looking more like a supercharger. Additionally the rear canopy and the lights are the same which show up later in the 1986 Taiyo Toyota Hilux 4WD. If you've been able to compare both and you're aware of other changes, leave a comment below!
Performance and Features
Unfortunately I've not been able to test this model first hand, however it's more than likely that it perfforms just the same as all other similar vehicles. It's an early 1980s radio controlled car, with a slow crunchy gearbox, a lack of torque, and passive steering.
But that's not why you'd want to own it. You'd want to own this as a piece of history, at least that's what I get from my 1986 variant. Oh and I'll admit the winch / crane are actually pretty fun to play with 🙂
Suspected to be based on the 1983 Auto Wheelie Ford Ranger concept (not radio controlled) which has the same chassis, just the fact that Taiyo were able to release a radio controlled car in 1984 at the price point they did would have been significant enough.
Without further evidence I'm not able to be 100% sure exactly what combination of batteries this uses, though it's quite likely to either be 4xC + 9V onboard, or 3xC + 9V onboard. Once again, it's amazing to think that only a couple of years later Taiyo would release the 1986 Taiyo Jet Hopper (Turbo Hopper) that would chance toy history forever, becoming one of the greatest toy R/C cars ever made.
Collectability and Availability
Seeing as I've only seen one or two of these in the wild, it's exceedingly rare that you'll stumble across one on eBay. But surely there will be collectors out there who have them tucked away on their shelves. If you're one of those people, and have some better photos you can share with Tyco Collectors, we'd very much appreciate it.
