The Tyco Half Traxx is a radio control car manufactured by Taiyo (Japan), and released into the US, UK, and other markets worldwide in 1992. It is a successor to the original 1991 Tyco Half Traxx (not currently documented, but similar to this)
Practical purpose or just another gimmick?
At first glance, you might consider the Half Traxx as just another frankenstein model, the result of Taiyo / Tyco’s common habit of mixing existing parts to create a “new” vehicle. However the concept of a half-tracked car is a very real and very practical design that played a role decades earlier in 1938 during the dawn of World War 2.
The US cavalry found that its regular armored scout cars were getting stuck in the wet and mud thanks to the high ground pressure caused by the weight of their armor, and so a new design was called for.
Taking inspiration from imported French Citroën-Kégresse snow vehicles that had canvas half-tracks, the US designed a full size vehicle with tank treads at the rear, and truck wheels at the front, combining the carrying capability of heavy tracked vehicles, with the maneuverability of regular wheeled vehicles.
The M2 Half-Track was born (photo above) and it soon became the go-to vehicle for the US and it’s allies via lend lease during World War 2 for the towing of howitzers, the carrying of tank shells, and scouting in rough muddy terrain.
Features and Performance
And so the Half-Traxx, a combination of a Mini Blaster front and a Fast Traxx rear comes as a known worthwhile design – particularly if you are seeking to carry heavy munitions around the European hillside during a wet winter, while under attack from ‘Ze Germans’. Or, you know, just playing in the backyard and wishing to have performance both in the muddy wet, and concrete paths.
Recommendation
There are literally a dozen different Fast Traxx designs (many listed here), and while the Half Traxx isn’t the most popular of them all, it’s still the only one to modify the original design, and it did so in an interesting and exciting way.
These Tyco versions, with their striking Silver/Chrome Flames and Fluorescent Green color schemes are especially attractive, and we think you’ll agree that there’s something uniquely cool about these cars, and that they deserve their place in any Taiyo / Tyco collection – especially for those Fast Traxx fanatics just like me who can’t get enough of them!
Buyers note: make sure you pick one up with decent rear tracks, because while regular ‘long’ tracks can be hard to find and replace, these half traxx are near impossible.
Photo Credit: Silver Half Traxx from Facundo Julian Perez via Facebook.
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