The Metro Hurricane is a radio controlled hovercraft manufactured by Taiyo of Japan, and released into the Australian and New Zealand markets in 1990 (estimated).
Cool Story Bro
Christmas morning 1990, and the young Admin of TycoCollectors.com has just opened the present he was hoping for – a Metro R/C Hurricane! YES!
Opening the box and plugging in the batteries, and GO! It lifts off ZZZZZZZZZ!!!!! And it flies across the room! ZOOOOOOMM. Quick! Turn before you hit the sofa! Turn! Turn! A young me yanks the sticks to the left, and to the right, but the vehicle just spins on its axis aimlessly while sliding quickly towards a certain collision. Zzzt! Zzzt! I try to regain control, but it makes no sense! BOOM! It smacks into a wall.
At that moment I learned the difference between advertisement and reality.
The Hurricane, otherwise known as the Typhoon Hovercraft, is remembered both fondly for its revolutionary design and for its barely controllable real-life performance. Like trying to choreograph a toddler wearing ice skates, it’s both scary and exciting, and it always ends in tears.
Features and Performance
As with real hovercrafts, there is no physical connection to the ground, no resistance, no friction, meaning there’s no natural brakes – only momentum. Lots and lots of momentum, which you fight against by blowing air in the opposite direction to where you want to go.
Changing course takes some effort and careful planning, the exact opposite of what a child might want to do, or be capable of, which is what makes the whole concept utterly hilarious, yet brilliant at the same time. You just know whatever evil b@stard unleashed this upon Christmas was giving one of those deep heartfelt MUH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAARRR as he signed the contract with Kmart.
Despite this, the Hurricane still manages to be an utterly cool toy, and really truly an actual hovercraft that balances on a thin sheet of air, and is capable of crossing both water and land.
Collectability and Availability
Perhaps it’s just the passage of time sugar-coating those memories of Christmas morning, but the Typhoon / Hurricane is one of the most popular 80s/90s radio control models across the whole product range of Taiyo / Tyco / Metro RC, with only the Jet Hopper really beating it out. Usually people pick it up because seeing it brings a whole wave of nostalgia, while others want to share (perhaps cruelly) the experience with their own son or daughter in a time when radio control isn’t as commonplace as it used to be.
But are they available? Well sadly these Metro Hurricane models are extremely uncommon, I’ve only seen photos of a couple during the past few years, and never seen one listed. However the Tyco and Taiyo versions (the Typhoon – identical except for the Metro stickers) are widely available and easy to pick up, often in good condition. Just ensure you buy one with an air curtain / rubber skirt in good condition, as replacing those is near impossible (the spare parts are even less common than the vehicles themselves).
If you are having difficulty coming across a decent quality Typhoon, let us know in the forum and we’ll point you in the right direction.
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