See the full article we wrote on this mystery machine here:
Super Rare? Mod? ProtoType? 1993 Tyco Mini Traxx Pickup
From what we know, this Tyco Mini Traxx Pickup is either a highly limited release, a factory sample/prototype, or simply a highly elaborate custom car. Our guess? Looks real, but hard to say with just in-box photos. (Update: Yeah I think it’s real. See article above).
The note on the side of the box adds mystery, stating “1st production 9-20-93 sample sent to Portland.” That’s 20th September 1993.
Whatever you believe, we can all agree this is something special.
Update 3rd July 2022:
It has since been confirmed this is GENUINE, with 3 more owners of the same model coming forward with photos, all living in Mexico. Nice! As such, this is no longer a one-of-a-kind prototype model (the specific car in our photos is, but this page is about the model overall), so we’ve adjusted the score for this Tyco model to a healthy 85/100 taking into consideration it’s rarity, cool factor, and that despite being a reverse-turn, it’s actually pretty fun to drive.
As for the performance, here is our take based on the regular Mini Traxx.
Despite the Mini Traxx having the reduced functionality typically reserved for ‘Micro’ versions (it’s not full function), it’s still surprisingly fun to drive, mostly due to the excellent track system it shares with its bigger brother. It will power over many obstacles indoors, and is a blast outside in dirt, rocks, scrub, etc. If you’re looking for one, we’re not sure you’ll find the Pick-Up variety, however the Taiyo Mini Traxx was sold in Japan to (slightly) higher frequency and can be found on Japanese Auction houses.
Note: The photos we’ve used are of what appears to be a manufacturing sample from Singapore, sent to Tyco for evaluation. Note the package says Eliminator when the model itself is a Pick-Up.
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