The Taiyo Super Fast Traxx was a radio controlled vehicle manufactured by Taiyo (Japan) and released into the Japanese, European, and other markets worldwide in 1991.
A successor to the original Taiyo Fast Traxx, the Super Fast Traxx is gigantic at 1/10 scale, or 25% larger and faster than the original. It is perhaps the largest R/C vehicle ever produced by Taiyo, and technically on paper only bested by the 1/8 'Super Typhoon', however physically the Super Fast Traxx is larger.
Don't bother zooming - quite blurry, best we could do.
Limited Photos: Unfortunately the Taiyo version of the Super Fast Traxx is so rare that we don't have any good photographs of it, and so I've had to use AI super-resolution to enhance a small photo we have of a Global / European Taiyo variant to give an idea of what it looks like. Apologies for the blurryness.
There were many Fast Traxx releases, here are some of them:
Hobby Grade Battery
Apart from its size, the most striking feature of the Super Fast Traxx is its massive hobby grade 7.2V battery pack, highly unusual in any Taiyo or Tyco model, though fairly common with its competitor Nikko at the time.
While it's less volts than the 9.6V Turbo packs, the larger capacity of 6 x Sub-C batteries inside these packs provide a huge amperage boost compared to AA cells, allowing for greater and longer lasting power charge for its large twin motors.
Commonly used in Hobby Grade models such as Tamiya kits such as a Lunch Box or Wild Willy, these 7.2V batteries are easy to buy even today, typically in upgraded NiMh format, though the original would have been the older NiCd technology.
It wasn't until the early 2000s when lithium polymer 2S and 3S hard case batteries came around that these heavier Sub-C packs stepped down from top dog position, but continue to be a common site at hobby stores across the globe due to their low cost and improved safety, especially in the newer NiMh format.
Features and Performance
Utilizing the largest motor ever in a Taiyo / Tyco model, the Super Fast Traxx packs two Mabuchi 380 size motors, as shown below, one for each track.
used by Taiyo/Tyco and the Super Fast Traxx has 2 of them.
Now that is a proper "hobby grade" R/C motor folks, the same used in some Tamiya radio controlled cars! Coupled with its hobby grade 7.2v Sub-C battery pack, the top speed is 25% faster than the original (25km/h or 15mph) despite the vehicle itself being 25% larger.
At 25km/h that's about as fast as a Turbo Hopper / Jet Hopper, amongst the fastest ones they made, and considering this beast is about twice the size of those vehicles, it's kinda nuts when you think about it.
Of course, any issues you had with the original Fast Traxx, such as difficulty cornering, will only be amplified in this much larger format, so that's the price to pay for such a gargantuan 'Traxx model.
Availability and Collectability
With so few Super Fast Traxx around, it's hard to gauge price or likelihood you'll find one. Unusually there's actually more of the Tyco version than there is the Taiyo, and so the best place to look is usually on eBay.
While I do own a Super Fast Traxx, it has seen better days - mostly just the stickers are heavily faded/damaged, but the rest is in good condition. I'll be doing a restoration at some point, and posting the article/video here.
As for collectability, well, it's a Super Fast Traxx! Most collectors would already have one if they weren't so incredibly expensive and hard to find.
Thank you to Jeramiah C. for providing photos of his shockingly good Super Fast Traxx and Super Turbo battery pack.
