Nitro Trucks
Terra Crusher (TG-01), released in July 2002, was a brand new attempt from Tamiya aimed at the nitro RC truck market, dominated by American trucks such as T-Maxx from Traxxas. T-Maxx was a revolutionary 4x4 truck. T-Maxx had big tyres, 2 shocks per tyre that provided excellent off road capability, and on-board ez start system. T-Maxx was sold with a 3 channel radio included, 2 speed transmission with reverse gears. Responding to the popularity of T-Maxx, Terra Crusher also featured a big tyre 4x4 with two shocks per tyre, with a 2 speed transmission, as well as reverse gear and on-board starting system, in a 2 channel radio set instead of 3. But unlike Tamiya's other Nitro trucks of the past, such as the TR-15 (2 wheel drive stadium truck) and Mad Bison, it was a significant step forward in off-road nitro truck design. Tamiya's first Nitro truck, the TR-15, was a rear wheel driven stadium truck, which was simpler in construction, but stadium trucks were not a popular category. The second off-road nitro truck, Mad Bison, in 2000, was simply a 4 wheel drive on-road car with off road tyres (with a reduction gear that bulged under that bottomed out easily). Unlike these predecessors, the Terra Crusher was built from scratch to be a winning off road glow engine vehicle. New to Terra Crusher were: double wishbone suspensions with 2 shocks per tyre, differential that worked as reverse gear, on-board starting system, and telescoping universals. Immediately after the release of Terra Crusher, it was evident that it suffered under the weight of massive 175mm tyres and lack of power from 0.18 (3cc) engine.
Wild Commando (TGM-02) was released in the autumn of 2002, only a few months after the release of Terra Crusher. It was identical to the Terra Crusher, but equipped with much lighter and smaller tyres. That alone reduced weight from 5.7kg to 4.8kg and improved performance greatly. The same small size tyres were sold separately for the Terra Crusher. However, smaller 144mm tyres that were better suited for on-road races were not popular for fans of the Terra Crusher who wanted a rugged off-road monster truck.
TNX (TGM-03), released in 2004, proved that Terra Crusher's basic mechanical design was a very sound one. TNX is almost identical to Terra Crusher, aside from a few upgrades, notably a stronger O.S designed 1.8 (3cc, up from 2.5cc) glow engine, removal of electronics box and employing much lighter tyres. The TNX 148mm tyres were smaller than Terra Crusher's 176mm but bigger than Wild Commado's 144mm tyres, going back to the off-road category. The reverse gear in the Terra Crusher required delicate-tuning and was abandoned from the TNX. Terra Crusher's 5.7kg weight was reduced to 4.4kg in the TNX. The TNX quickly proved that it is a very capable racing truck by winning numerous races.
TNX 5.2R (TGM-04) is basically the same as the TNX, but mounts a larger and more powerful 5.2cc engine, instead of a 3cc engine. Aside from an engine upgrade, a few minor modifications were made to improve upon the performance of the TNX. The weight was further reduced to 4.3kg. Dual shocks were simplified to a single shock, universal shafts were also simplified to dog-bone type universals. The on-board starting system was abandoned for a handheld starting motor, which saved weight.
Nitrage 5.2 is the most race worthy truck that was released in the summer of 2007. It uses the same 5.2cc engine, but the truck is redesigned around the 5.2cc engine, geared toward adjustability of many parts for off-road racing. The chassis uses shallow tub construction, removing the necessity for bulky support beams from the TNX. This lowers the centre of gravity, and makes the Nitrage more "race ready." Double wishbone suspension allows the adjustment of camber angles. 2-speed transmission is available as a separate hop-up option. Plastic shock towers of the TNX were replaced by aluminum shock towers. The weight has increased slightly to 4.6kg. Overall, the Nitrage has adopted many lessons learned from various races the TNX has taken part in.
TRF801XT (pictured above) is Tamiya's competition level 1/8 truggy, and is currently in the process of being released.