The Tyco Terrainiac was a uniquely designed three-wheel radio controlled vehicle manufactured by Mattel and released into the global market in 2008 under the Tyco R/C brand.
Background
With Tyco Toys being purchased in 1995 by Mattel, it took a full 10 years for the Tyco Headquarters in Mount Laurel to be closed and staff aborbed into Mattel's HQ in El Segundo, California. Sadly, over that 10 years the core design and manufacturing base in Japan (Taiyo Toys) had also undergone takeover by SEGA and eventual gutting of that company, leaving Mattel without Tyco's historical Japanese alliance to draw new models from.
As a result, Tyco RC would become no more than a brand name in the stable of Mattel's many brand names. Thankfully Mattel would keep much of Tyco's playful spirit, and continued to release several interesting toys under the Tyco branding, such as the 2003 Tyco Vertigo, the 2004 Tyco Terrain Twister , and many years later the 2015 Terra Climber. Still, it was clear the design language had changed, and these were now 110% Toys, with no resemblance left of Taiyo's influence towards models with a grounding in reality.
Design and Performance
Describing the Terrainiac is even harder than spelling it! With a single huge rear tire mounted on a spring and attached to a car-like main body with two pods containing the thin front wheels, this is one of the weird ones.
What it does have going for it though is the 9.6V Turbo Battery pack and the speed to be gained by such a large rear wheel.
- Available in Blue (49Mhz) and Green (27Mhz) as well as a Red (49Mhz) variant sold only at Target
- Large rear tire (hard plastic with rubber strips) and two thin front tires
- Unusual controller with tilt/flappers unlike any other Tyco RC
- Huge spring linking the powerful rear, but without any suspension up front the ride is going to be rough
- Convenient USB Charger
Sadly I've not had a chance to drive this, so I'm unable to rate it based on performance or fun-factor, however I'd like to hear from anyone who has.
From the marketing department
"With its rear-sphere Mega tire, Hydro hulls and gyro pivoting motion, the Terrainiac™ tears up the turf in completely unexpected ways! On asphalt, dirt, grass, gravel, sand, and even water the Terrainiac™ is a multi terrain titan! Requires 1 Tyco® 9.6 V battery and charger plus 2 X AA for the transmitter. All Batteries included. Colors & decorations may vary. Age 8+" - Copyright Mattel.
Recommendation
Unfortunately this is not an R/C I've had the opportunity to try, however I'd love to hear from others as to whether this model holds a special place in their heart, or whether it deserves to fade into history.
