The Taiyo Aero Jet Hopper II (or Aero Jet Hopper 2) is a radio control car manufactured by Taiyo (Japan) and released in the Japanese market in 1988, and likely under various other brands worldwide.
A successor to the Taiyo Jet Hopper MK3, it is the 'Aero' version of the standard Taiyo Jet Hopper II.
Why 'Aero' ?
With Computer Aided Design (CAD) now being used routinely to design regular motor vehicles, the shape of those cars was often described as being more 'aerodynamic', and so the word trended and became a popular marketing tool.
In the late 80s and early 90s, Taiyo released many 'Aero' versions of their most popular RC cars to capitalise on this trend.
This particular version is the 'Aero' version of the Taiyo Jet Hopper 2.
Features and Performance
The car featured:
- Good sized 1/14 scale (original was 1/16)
- 9.6V 'Turbo' battery power
- Top speed of 27km/h (17mph)
- Rear Differential
- Chrome Wheels
- Wide Front and Rear Wheels
- Solid tires
with its extra wide rear tires
Instructions actually marked "MK II" which is a little different to Tyco Collectors naming convention which uses MK1, MK2, MK3 to identify the different versions of the original.
Do you need new tires?
Check out MCI Racing (not sponsored)
While I've not tried these myself yet, they're pretty much the only option I know of for replacing old Turbo Hopper Jet Hopper tires.
Rear Tires for Jet Hopper and Turbo Hopper MK1/MK2
https://mciracing.ca/products/1-14th-tyc-turbo-hopper-rear-tires
Front Tires for Jet Hopper and Turbo Hopper MK1/MK2
https://mciracing.ca/products/1-14th-tyc-turbo-hopper-front-tires
Availability and Collectability
Any Jet Hopper II / Turbo Hopper 2 chassis car is worth having given the history, nostalgia, success and straight up capabilities of the chassis, and the Aero Jet Hopper II is no exception.
These are still generally available online, though it is getting harder to find cars that aren't uh, thoroughly enjoyed by their owners!
Photos of the lovely Neon Aero Hopper II donated by NostalgiaRC.
