The Taiyo Land Cruiser 100 is a radio controlled car manufactured by New Concept Taiyo R/C (Japan) and released into the Japanese market, and others worldwide in 2003.
It is a successor to the original 2000 Taiyo Land Cruiser 100.
Features and Performance
Manufactured by 'New Concept Taiyo R/C' in China, this model appears to be a product of Taiyo following its purchase by Sega (just a guess) given the obvious rename of the company.
Baring no direct resemblance to any previous Taiyo model, this is an all new design however it still carries with it many design traits that are typical of Taiyo, such as the front bumper (very similar to the Tyco Bandit, Tyco Hammer, and other bumpers).
No longer using a 9.6V or 6.0V NiCD battery pack, this large 4WD model is powered by just 4xAA batteries instead, with a top speed of 8km/h, it's one of the slowest Taiyo RC has ever made. That said, it's not intended to be a speed machine, and is an ideal toy for a kid driving around the house, especially with its 4WD capability and large bumper.
It's a great looking model, designed after the Land Cruiser rally car of the same name, and it tells us alot about the times that Taiyo were faced with in the early 2000s when customers were no longer willing to pay $60-100 USD for a high performance R/C toy due to the flood of much cheaper lower quality competition from China.
Recommendation
While initially I did not recommend this model, over time I've come to terms with the fact Taiyo was never going to stay in it's 80s/90s prime, and there is much to love above these early 2000s designs that grow on me and become apparent as I get older.
If you have one of these, or recall having a 2000s Taiyo R/C as a child, I'd love to hear from you below, and what your impressions of the toy were.
