The XRC Crashback was a radio controlled car produced by Kenner under their XRC (Extreme Radio Control) toy line in the US, UK, and other countries worldwide from 1996.
Features and Performance
The key feature of the Crashback was it's ability to Crash... and turn back!
It was made with a silicone outer body covering an inner plastic skeleton that contained all the usual radio control car components - main motor, steering, wheels, radio, battery, etc.
Along the centre was a geared shaft that was disengaged when pushed inwards. However once the car had been crushed together by impact, by pressing a button on the remote controller the gears would engage and push the car outwards, restoring it to normal shape.
As for performance, it was powered by the common 6.0V Jet Turbo style cartridge battery packs which contained 5 x AA Ni-Cd rechargeable batteries inside, and a Mabuchi 280 motor. This would have provided enough go for the purposes of ramming into walls at high speed, though nothing like a 9.6V Turbo vehicle. Similar to a Tyco Rebound and other similarly sized cars.
Electronic or Simple Spring Mechanism? Without a Crashback of my own, I've not yet confirmed if this is an electronic mechanism, or simply spring activated. The latter would provide a more simple mode of play where a high speed impact would be required to 'crush' the car and lock it into position, and the button on the controller would merely un-latch the mechanism, allowing a spring to push it back out again. Using a motor along the geared rail however would provide varying levels of crush and restoration, making for more interesting play. Do you have a Crashback and can clarify this for us?
geared rail that was used to push the car outwards and back into normal shape.
Versions
The Crashback came in many different colors which identified their frequencies (27Mhz, 49Mhz, or 40Mhz for UK), and whether or not you could race them together with a friends car.
TV Commercial
As with all good 90s toys, it was advertised with an awesome exaggerated TV commercial that we all looked forward to. Check it out below!
Availability and Collectability
There are many Crashback cars available online at the time of writing, usually with box included, however New In Box isn't something I've come across yet. Members of our Facebook group report this toy was a big deal during Christmas of 1996/1997, and so it's likely to have sold many units, meaning you're likely to come across a good one if you want one.
As for whether it's collectable or not, this is personal preference, however I'd suggest this is about as 90s RC Toy as it gets, perhaps challenging the 1996 Tyco Mutator, or 1993 Tyco Python for best R/C gimmick!
