This is the Tamiya Toyota Land Cruiser 40 rock crawler, it’s a 1:10th scale remotely controlled vehicle based on Tamiya’s highly-regarded rock crawler chassis/platform featuring a ladder frame with aluminum side channels and resin crossmembers, 4-link suspension with aluminum rods, a four-wheel drive system with lockable differentials, heavy duty off-road tires, and beadlock wheels.
With many people under quarantine or lockdown there’s been a huge uptick in interest around model building and remotely controlled vehicles like this one, the added benefit to the Land Cruiser 40 rock crawler is that you can use it inside the house on elaborately constructed rock crawling environments made from sofa cushions, canned food, books, and sleeping friends or family members.
The Toyota Land Cruiser J40 series is a four-wheel drive that needs no introduction, it’s one of the most beloved 4x4s in the world and it remained in production for decades – from 1960 until production ceased in Brazil in 2001. A number of companies have appeared over the past 10 to 20 years that specialise in restoring and restomodding J40s, with some examples selling for the better part of $100,000 USD.
The Tamiya Toyota Land Cruiser 40 is based on the aforementioned CR-01 rock crawler chassis, it has a lightweight polycarbonate body with an oval-shaped grille which is separately-moulded, and there are separately available LED lights that can be installed to give it functioning headlights.
The rock crawler platform is highly capable, we included a video of it in action above, as you can see the wheel articulation is excellent. The model measures in at 435mm (17.1″) long, 265mm (10.4″) wide, 274mm (10.7″) high, and it weighs in at 2,330 grams (2.33 kgs or 5.13 lbs).
Many model builders already have a slew of controllers, battery packs, and other essentials so Tamiya offer this kit without them to keep the cost down, if you don’t have them you’ll need to get yourself an ESC speed controller, a receiver/transmitter, and a battery. The good news is that they can also be used with most other Tamiya kits so you typically only need to buy it once.
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Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
