The Tyco Turbo Indy is a 1/18 scale radio controlled car, manufactured by Taiyo (Japan), and released into the US, UK, and other markets worldwide in 1989.
This Turbo Indy is an upgraded version of the previous years 1988 Indy Turbo Pennzoil Rick Mears.
Features and Updates
This updated version swaps out the 8xAA Batteries with the Tyco 9.6v Turbo Battery Pack, much more convenient and economical than burning through AA batteries.
It also comes with a Pistol Grip controller, better than the boxy old controller of its predecessor, and also does away with the references to Rick Mears, perhaps no longer associated with the car.
1989 Turbo Indy, as good as it looked as the day it went on sale. Look at the chrome wheels, arrggh!
Performance
The Tyco Turbo Indy has the following specifications:
- 1/18 scale chassis with full function control
- 9.6v Turbo Battery Pack
- Slick Rubber Tires, excellent for smooth indoor surfaces
- Front Suspension
As a lightweight model with grippy slicks and a 9.6V Turbo Pack this is going to be alot of fun, especially on smooth surfaces (drifting). It’s predecessor had a claimed speed of 25km/h (16mph), so this should equal that at least.
Recommendation
Just looking at photos of a perfectly kept ’89 Tyco Turbo Indy shows you just how good these all were upon release, and while I doubt I’d afford a MIB/Mint In Box myself, I’m glad we can all share these photos of a classic late 80s R/C beauty.
These 1989 versions with a battery pack are not as common as the original 1988 versions with 8xAA battery compartments, and are superior in both the convenience of a battery pack, and the better pistol grip controller (both are 9.6V Turbo). While both versions are excellent, this is the one to get if you have a choice, and therefore it’s likely to be slightly more expensive.
As with all rubber tire R/C from the 1980s, be sure to check for any signs of deterioration/decomposition, it’s relatively common in all slick tire Taiyo. So far I’m not sure whether its due to UV/Sun exposure, or simply the batch of material used, but you can identify it in photos by the rough orange peel, dimpled surface of the rubber tires as shown at the bottom of that page.
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