The Tyco Hammer is a radio controlled car manufactured by Taiyo (Japan) and released by Tyco in the US, UK, and other markets worldwide in 1992.
Aggressively styled, with the power to match, the Tyco Hammer 9.6V Turbo in neon yellow was an excellent RC car released at a time with heavy competition from Nintendo and Sega for the attention spans of kids worldwide. It needed to be big, bold, and bright
The Golden Age of Toy R/C
Beginning in 1986 with the Tyco Turbo Hopper and continuing with several legendary models throughout 1987 and 1988, continuing into 1989 with the Lamborghini Countach Twin Turbo and 1990's Tyco Baja Bandit and many more, all the way up to 1992, the Golden Age of Toy R/C was about to end... but it would go out with a bang!
Released in the same year as the Tyco Hammer was the re-released 1992 Tyco Bandit 9.6V, the 1992 Tyco Fast Traxx Pickup 9.6V, the Tyco Eliminator (also sold as Super Bandit), the Turbo Blaster, the Hydroplane, and many more (checkout our full catalog), all 9.6v Turbo models, and all fantastic. And if you go back just a year prior, that's when Fast Traxx all started (in the US/UK anyway), so it really was a period of intensely cool RC toys for kids like me.
This was easily Taiyo and Tyco's best year of releases, and when they were truly No. 1 across the world for toy radio control in line with Taiyo's branding since the late 80s "Taiyo No.1".
Features and Performance
The Hammer itself has many excellent design attributes:
- Very high ground clearance
- Well sized (but not over-sized) off-road tires that allow it to maintain high torque and good grip
- Well designed suspension with shock absorbers all around
- Wheelie bar at the back
- Nice big front bumper to limit damage during the inevitable smash
All these factors made the Hammer a great all-round RC car, and definitely a favorite amongst collectors, with good condition models hard to find.
Marketing Appeal
Like other Taiyo / Tyco RC models, the 9.6V Hammer had a guest star role in a Hollywood movie. Released in 1993 direct-to-video, the film centers around a 13 year old boy who uses various remote control planes, cars, helicopters, and other models to help rescue his trapped friend.
Availability and Collectability
Clearly the Tyco Hammer is a winner, one of those few Tycos that just scream "own me!". Unfortunately they're not cheap, and the prices are only going up. Standalone cars (without a box) are obviously the best value, and are what I own personally. If you like them, I'd recommend grabbing one before they start to become unobtainable.
Update 31/10/2022: History in the making today as the Tyco Hammer becomes the most expensive Taiyo/Tyco model ever sold at auction, many times the estimate shown here. See the post.
