The Tyco Dropstars Chrysler 300C was a large 1/6 scale radio controlled car cross with speaker / light show toy manufactured by Tyco Toys and released into the US, UK, and other markets worldwide in 2005.
The vehicle designs featured 'after market accessories' from real life brands such as Borla, and were clearly inspired by the 2004 'reality' (later found to be not so much) series Pimp My Ride, the Dropstars legitimately did look pretty flash despite their uber-gimmicky nature and over-the-top size.
"There are stock cars, and then there are Dropstars. Dropstars radio controlled customer vehicles - the hottest cars featuring aftermarket accessories and wheels made with Phat Lip technology for that ultra deep-dish look and menacing wide stance. The cars are the stars with Tyco R/C Dropstars radio controlled custom vehicles."
- Tyco marketing for the Dropstars range
Features and Performance
While technically the Dropstar range were radio controlled cars with a controller and full function (forward/back/left/right), their on-road performance wasn't the focus of the design. Instead these were intended to pick up on the 'bling' phenomenon of the 2000s, where vehicles (and plenty more) were decked out in chrome, lights and sound.
If it' wasn't already clear - these things were BIG. At 1/6 scale it's the largest R/C car that Tyco ever made, and if you're familiar with the 7.2V batteries typically used in hobby grade RC cars, well these used the same battery, and you can see the comparative size in this photo. Yes, it's freak'in huge!
Actual performance was average though, looking underneath we can see no suspension but the fact that large 7.2V battery can fit into that rather small looking (comared to the car) battery bay really emphasizes that this thing was a beast!
What about the bling?
Oh yes, it featured plenty of that stuff.
The Tyco Dropstars 2005 Chrysler 300C featured:
- Dual 3 inch Speakers with Stereo sound
- 'Full body show lighting'
- LEDs on the rims
- Rear trunk* that can open
- Ability to connect your MP3 or CD player via a standard 3.5mm audio cable.
- Audio track by BABY A.K.A Birdman from the single "Shyne On"
Sweet as!
Checking out the back of the box we can see the full range of features
*It's time for Yanks Vs Poms in Battle of the Languages!
With over half my audience from the United States, I tend to use Americanisms where appropriate, yet today's is a little more interesting than usual. So in the United States, the rear storage compartment in a vehicle is called a 'Trunk', which is based on the word for a large traveling chest in the 1930s. Okay, makes sense I guess, though it's spelled the same as an elephant's trunk, so a little weird.
Now across the pacific in Australia, we use the British / UK terminology, and so here a trunk is called...a "Boot". Yes, like the shoe. It comes from the word for a built-in compartment on a horse-drawn coach, used for storage. So... boot. Open the boot! Chuck it in the boot! Yep, that's us.
Yet it doesn't stop there. In the UK they also can call it a "Dickie" (smirk), from the British word for a seat in an early 1900s vehicle that was installed at the very back of the car and uncovered (no roof), literally in the samn location that our trunks/boots are today. Funnily enough, Dickie was also the name of the distributor for Taiyo / Tyco RC cars in Germany (click here for all our Dickie R/C cars), still in business today!
Any color as long as it's Black! Or... White!
Available in both Black and White models, the Chrysler 300C was the most popular and widely sold of the Dropstars based purely on the number of these I see compared to any other Dropstars model out there.
Let's take a closer look at how cool this thing was... yep, it's cool.
Availability and Collectability
Of all Dropstar models, the 500C seems to be the most common and popular based on how often it appears compared to other varieties, and it's not too difficut to find one with several listed on eBay at the time of writing, though all but one are loose (no box). Typical sell price is relatively high, and they do sell, so there's clearly a strong market for these at the right price, even in a terrible global economy.
So available? Check. Collectable? Absolutely!
I'd love to hear from anyone who owns a Dropstar to learn what makes them interesting to you, and why you think they're worth the prices that people are asking. Not that I'm judging - I'll freely admit myself, these are pretty darn cool...
