e224: Nikko F10 Rhino - The Buyers Guide Series

[@dennou.ba9ra]

こんにちは　はじめまして！わたしはJapaneseです 英語わかりません　ごめんなさい このニッコーのバイソンf10！ 父親が初めてプレゼントしてくれたラジオ・コントロールカーです！ 今まだ持ってます　ボディだけ残ってます　オリジナルのまま　BlueColor すこしこわれていますが　なおしたいです！ ステキな動画 ありがとうございました！

[@AMPROEngineering]

ああ、ありがとう！申し訳ありませんが、KZbinの翻訳者がいません！これはとても良い車です、そして私は話をありがとう！少なくとも車を持ってくれてうれしいです。すぐに元に戻してください。

[@horseypig8631]

My dad had the golden arrow lying around since it broke, and we decided to restore it. Something in the original circutboard had gone bad, so instead of trying to fix it and keep using the 10 AA batteries that it required, we just bought mordern electronics (servo, esc, and transmitter). What a wonderful Buggy!

[@AMPROEngineering]

That is a perfect idea. If one is broken, why no upgrade it!

[@mattmclafferty6265]

im blown away! im from New Zealand, when our family and i visited the west coast of the US my parents brought me and my brother both of these cars, i had the super lobo and my brother the smaller one.I was 11 and he was 9. We drove thouse cars so hard foe about 3 years and they were epic! Eventually i got a Tamiya Falcon and the rest is history. Thanks for the trip down memory lane

[@AMPROEngineering]

Oh how awesome! The nostalgia is strong with you then! I actually have a falcon video coming soon too!

[@arturoguzzi7467]

I grew up with a golden arrow. Fun car to play with and very durable. I think you see a lot of these nikkos abd radioshacks out there cause of the presence of those stores in shopping malls. Thats how i found mine by the way. It was more common for my parents to take me to the mall than a hobby store. Great channel.

[@AMPROEngineering]

This is a good point and something I should have thought of for sure.

[@alwynmcmath]

My goodness, this takes me back. I had the little Nikko turbo panther. I would have given my left ball for a tamiya back then but unfortunately means just didn’t allow. Aged 45, I’m now contemplating my first ‘big’ RC car and am choosing a model. Maybe a tamiya for authenticity, or maybe I’ll treat myself to a Schumacher - now that, finally, means do allow. Enjoying immersing myself back into all this 👍

[@AMPROEngineering]

Haha, I hear you . I love my turbo panther!

[@danrunnheim3870]

Back in the early 90s my parents bought me a nikko for my birthday, it lasted about 2 days before i had issues. Took it back and upgraded it to a grasshopper super G that is still running 31 years later with the mechanical speed control on a 540.

[@AMPROEngineering]

Weird, usually they are rock solid but you always have the 2% to worry about! hahah!

[@cynicalskeptic2563]

Man, I was here fixing my 20 years old Losi XXX-NT, watching these nostalgic videos. as a kid I was never able to get a Nikko or Tyco but loved to go to Toysrus window shopping. Am gona have to find me my dream one, the Aero Jet Hopper.

[@AMPROEngineering]

Man....I loved going into Toys R Us. I miss that store.

[@edbrunning3137]

Wow I actually had the thunderbolt from toys r us back in 84 85 I wanted a tamiya grasshopper but there were no hobby shops where I lived and this was the closest to a hobby grade rc I could find. It actually wasn't a bad little buggy for the early 80s the problem I quickly found out was everyone had technigold motors and upgrades where I was stuck with stock lol. But I have great memories of going out Christmas day waiting all morning to charge the battery for a whole 7 minutes of pure enjoyment lol

[@AMPROEngineering]

Oh man...those 7 minutes....murder on the 8 years olds.....

[@tommy1504]

Me and my brother got lobos one year for Christmas and wrecked them in about two seconds in the cold weather. I think mom returned them to sears and picked up a couple of aero turbo hoppers which we got plenty of use out of. Love the vids- really brings back memories

[@AMPROEngineering]

Thank man!

[@rebelndirt8830]

In 1985 I got a Kyosho Optima and my best friend got a Nikko Rhino (with pistol grip radio). I thought that because I had to build my car and that I had 4wd that I would be faster!! I was way wrong, with each car having the same motor and same batteries, my friend's Rhino kicked my Optima's ass in everything except handling. We quickly found out as well that his car was stronger than mine, but also when something did break on his, it took longer to get the parts and they usually cost more too. We went to the local track to race one night and I was able to finish better in every race than my friend due to the better handling of my Optima. We were last and next to last but I beat him every time. Not long after that he got an RC10 and I eventually ended up with a JRx2. Thanks for bringing back great memories!

[@AMPROEngineering]

wow really? I guess the Nikko had less stuff to move?

[@DeadnCold]

@@AMPROEngineering My guess would be it was prolly geared for more speed. If they used similar motors the Optima was likely geared lower to deal added stress 4wd would have put on it.

[@rebelndirt8830]

@@AMPROEngineering Typically 2wd buggies were much faster than their 4wd cousins. This is one reason when racing there is not usually a "stock" class of 4wd as they are too slow for most of the jumps and tabletops unless they are running a "modified" motor. No biggy, they are all still a lot of fun!!

[@NordicRC]

Thank you so much for this video, my friend! Lot's of new interesting things for me, like the Traxxas and that Nikko MT. I can't remember you taking about this in other videos. Anyway, that was great. Well, my red Bison is still in the box ... still not functional ... and yes, you are right, I also only have it due to my Turbo Panther passion/history :-) Must get it out. Ohh, and I think there are another much more important reason why kids bought this and not a Grasshopper. Believe it or not, I think there where a lot of kids and parents back then who didn't know "Hobby Shops" or "Hobby RC" or "Tamiya" existed ... like me. So all that was available to us, in our ignorance back then, was what the local Toy Stores had on their shelf or cataloges: And in Denmark that was pretty much Nikko and Taiyo :-)

[@AMPROEngineering]

Any time man! No I didnt mention this in the other videos with this car since I wanted to save it for the buyers guide. You brought up a great point. I know for me, this was never in the "Toy" stores. I only ever saw this in a hobby shop but this is probably an anomaly.

[@modderfukker]

Nice nostalgia great! Remember having such a mech. speedcontroller on my roadrunnerII that got stuck one day in full speed... burnt and melted everything...tech came a long way since then🤘

[@AMPROEngineering]

Oh yes it has! Man those MSC's always ruined my day as a kid.

[@geoki4539]

Love these Buyer Guides Series...lost and forgotten gems! I just picked up a mint conditioned Tyco Hi Jacker. Great Childhood memories! btw nice slow motion jump lol

[@AMPROEngineering]

Oh man I thought those were so cool! They were out of my parents budget though so I made due with my used Bandit. LOL! yeah that was a lot of "air" i got there.

[@rjanbrathenbarholt.5417]

MY FIRST RC NIKKO TURBO IN RED . SLOOOWWWWWWW .

[@AMPROEngineering]

Really can be with NiCads

[@odomandr]

I love how you bring back all of these

[@AMPROEngineering]

Its all good fun! Thanks!

[@odomandr]

@@AMPROEngineering I just picked up a golden arrow second hand. Hoping to go through it soon

[@billynomates920]

haven't seen one of those in well over 30 years but i can still smell those tyres and feel the squish! 😄

[@AMPROEngineering]

Hahah! Yeah I know how that is.

[@hightorquerc]

I found a Nikko Fireball recently for €15 (my first RC car) The box is tatty but it only ran for a few hours by the look of it. I ran it on a 2s lipo, it was like Christmas 1990! Still have the original one too

[@AMPROEngineering]

Nice! Its funny how they can take you back!

[@BriansRCStuff]

Awesome video... brought back memories!

[@AMPROEngineering]

thank you!

Nikko Thunderbolt. 😃 Replacement parts through Nikko were easy to get at the time. Bang for the buck at the time was awesome. --- Dropped a Twister Hurricane motor in it. It took a bit to get up to speed, but did it go... Until the electronics went into thermal shutdown.

[@AMPROEngineering]

Yes, I remember how easy it was to get parts too.

[@diggy2107]

I used to have the golden arrow, "very interesting", I loved it!

[@AMPROEngineering]

It is a cool car. I remember the ads for them vividly!

[@cwbetb]

Had one growing up, brother had it then passed it down to me. Thing was a tank and would never die! Nikko had some nice stuff in the 80s. I also had the aero Thunderbolt, Midnight Crusher and a shockwave boat. All NEVER broke! :P

[@AMPROEngineering]

Oh they sure did. Real gems from the golden age!

[@MustangsCanTurnToo]

I bought the transmission pivots and they’re shockingly durable! After a collision at 38 mph (measured by gps) the transmission folded under the chassis, but the pivots held! Also my F10 is a riot on 3s.

[@AMPROEngineering]

OUCH! Well I am glad they held up but sorry to hear about the car!

[@MustangsCanTurnToo]

@@AMPROEngineering Tamiya grasshopper rear ends slide right in and are still manufactured. Not a complete loss 😁

[@nomusicrc]

You finally drove it The ROCK BUSTER was my first ever RC car I can’t believe you actually have one it came with a 380 sized motor I can’t believe I didn’t wear it out I drove it so much one day I came home after school and apparently the mechanical speed control was pushed into low and the battery was still connected so it melted something inside the motor because I remember some black stuff had leaked out around the motor after that I put a 540 in it so much better Thank you for not adding music while you were driving it

[@AMPROEngineering]

It is a neat little car. I did a review on it here if you want to see it running.

[@lupillos7404]

Oh man this super lobo yellow one reminds me when I was a young boy playing with it walking to my friends house and play races with other friends that had rc cars back in the days. Good video 👍🏻

[@AMPROEngineering]

Thank you! It was a cool little car.

[@MrJcoupe96]

YESS!! Been waiting for you to release this video, love these buyers guides! I personally have a Golden Arrow, which is why I was really wanting to see this video in particular. I found mine at a Goodwill in near mint condition for only $4 but no controller. Bought one off eBay and works perfectly now! I can confirm (unless the video makes it look slower than it is) the Golden Arrow is DEFINITELY faster. I have a GrassHopper with a Sport Tuned 540 as well and while that’s faster, the Golden Arrow still holds its own quite well against it. Funny, I just swapped all the bushings for bearings on the Golden Arrow tonight, so I can’t wait to see how it performs tomorrow! Great work on these videos as always man, love the content!

[@AMPROEngineering]

No you are right, the GA is faster. Turns out this motor has a smaller armature and different ESC FET's so that it is much slower than the GA. I think this was targeted to a different market.

[@silviamills5218]

The camber gain is a plus point for the grasshopper makes it easier to stance lol 😂

[@AMPROEngineering]

Wow...haha! Good way to look at it.

[@s14tat]

I love the Nikko scorpion. It is such a sick toyota body.

[@AMPROEngineering]

Oh yeah it is cool!

[@thedumpydustman6088]

I did hear while researching parts for my 4x4 Nikko Dictator that nikko/Taiyo were owned by Tamiya so they were just toy grade versions of the Tamiya 2wd RCs. Which is why the Taiyo/Nikko Nissan pick up looks exactly like the Tamiya King Cab. As I stripped and cleaned the Diffs on my Dictator it did look like a Tamiya set up on the inside!

[@AMPROEngineering]

So Nikko was acquired by Toy State out of Hong Kong in 2014. In 2018, they shut down. Taiyo on the other hand is hard to figure out. They are either part of Taiyo Electric or Taiyo Nippon Sanso. Tamiya used to make some more consumer level RC's but they had no success at it. I think the reason that Tamiya copied Nikko with the Toyota Bruiser (yeah, lol, nikko had the paint and style first) and that the Bandit and KingCab were both the same models is all just due to popularity. I cant really recall the Japanese making many US styled cars back then.

[@TastierBackInThe80s]

Thanks for the videos on the Bison. Subscribed!

[@AMPROEngineering]

Any time!

[@whome5810]

My first RC was a Bison F-10!!! Whoop whoop!!

[@AMPROEngineering]

Great first car!

[@oleblue73]

Ah yes! The Turbo Panther. My first RC car. I drove the poor thing until it fell apart. I ended up pooling all by birthday money and getting a Tamiya Lunch Box, which I owned and loved for 15 years. But what I really wanted, and never got to own, was a Nikko Dictator. I didn't know much about it... except that I couldn't afford it and it looked AWESOME! In retrospect, the Lunch Box was a much better purchase... but to this day, I still kind of want the elusive Dictator.

[@AMPROEngineering]

About the same here. My poor turbo panther was trashed but I loved it so much. Then I got my Pumpkin!

[@JB73691]

Oh, the dreaded mechanical speed controller with BEC or without. Needed and extra servo just for that, was happy to discover and afford an ESC.

[@AMPROEngineering]

Jeez me too.

[@JB73691]

@@AMPROEngineering Yep.

[@bradvdb4136]

Great video! I miss the buyer guide series there my favorite. I have a restored traxxas cat with modern electronics in it , and your right I take it out every so often but it’s so out classed by everything today it’s really not much fun It’s mostly a shelf queen.

[@AMPROEngineering]

Very cool! I am curious what the differences are between the two.

[@bradvdb4136]

The cat is much more of a hobby grade car all the parts are replaceable and removable. It has oil filled adjustable shocks ,the rear end is on pivot ball style I think like the hornet , It has a standard mechanical speed controller and traxxas servos and ran on a 27 MHz transmitter .It doesn’t have a battery cover it uses big reusable zip ties witch really stink by the the way. The body is lexan ,not sure about the gear box I haven’t seen the inside of the Nikko. Fyi you can put a after market brushed motor in with the end bell cover it’s just a little tight.

[@ValleyRC]

You know I love a Nikko video. Especially when you pull out a Scorpion! It's worth knowing that they sold these buggies with two different 540 motors and corresponding electronics. Some had the classic 27t Mabuchi and powerful mosfets giving the same performance as the Golden Arrow. Some had a unique 40t motor but the internal windings were undersized so the armature was only half full. It's almost as if they put the windings from a 40t 380 motor into a 540 casing. The result is a much more laid back motor with less torque and RPM. The electronics in these cars were similarly low powered and weren't happy if you tried to make them run a full fat 27T. Some even had an actual 380 motor with a plastic spacer to make it fit the 540 mount. The Scorpion also has this less powerful motor so it really benefits from a motor and electronics swap! I'm not sure if the Sears version has the full fat motor or not. It might be worth shining a light inside the air vent of the motor. It's quite obvious by the size of the windings which one it is. It might explain the sub Golden Arrow performance!

[@AMPROEngineering]

Oh so the Golden Arrow was more beefed up! ok makes sense. I will need to take a look in there! Thanks for the info.

[@ValleyRC]

@@AMPROEngineering As far as I know, the Golden Arrow always had the 27T and more powerful electronics. The Rhino and Bison had the same. The later Nikko Thunderbolt always had the weaker electronics and either the 380 motor or the less powerful 540. The Sears version, I'm not sure? But it might explain why the performance was quite good but not in the same realm as the Golden Arrow or a Hornet. The Scoprion has the less powerful motor and electronics too and also a different gear ratio. They did make a Scoprion variant in the early 2000s with the 27t, powerful electronics AND the fast buggy gearing. It was called the Thunder Falcon and was really quick but the motor was so on the edge thermally that you can't even run it with a lipo because it gives it enough rope to hang itself. It must have been right inside the limits of burning out running on a 1600mah nicad! It had the buggy gearing but the bigger wheels too so the gearing was super tall!

[@timwalek9426]

@@ValleyRC You seem to know alot about these older Nikko's. Do you know if the Nikko Aero Thunderbolt had the weaker 540 as well? Would the electronics handle a sport tuned 540?

[@videobymark]

I have the Traxxas cat front clip on a couple of my Nikko F10's. The entire front clip will swap right over and bolt in place, this gives the Nikko a wider front end over stock.

[@AMPROEngineering]

Oh the arms are wider on the Cat? That makes sense. Narrow arms would make the car more durable due to stresses of impacts so the Nikko would have shorter ones.

[@videobymark]

@@AMPROEngineering No the arms are the same, it's the part the arms and the top of the shocks mount to that is wider then the Nikko. That entire front clip will bolt right onto the Nikko chassis.

[@pandroidigital]

Also known as the Nikko Thunderbolt. It also had a yellow body and wing with different decals.

[@AMPROEngineering]

Yup, showed some images of that one too. Great car.

[@Bormac073]

Watched many of your great videos. Thank you. Liked and Subscribed!

[@AMPROEngineering]

Thank you!

[@hortn123]

The Golden Arrow, Nikko Rhino/Bison, and the Sears Super Lobo II were upgraded from the standard Nikko F10 Thunderbolt and Sears Super Lobo. The ESCs handled a bit more power that resulted in better power delivery. They had a Mabuchi 540-SH which had more torque/00mph than the standard 540-S

[@AMPROEngineering]

Yup, they were pretty versatile cars.

[@ss9c1]

I have long thought about the fun that could be had with modern electrics, a a combo of frame buggy - the cat/spirit - scorpion parts.... Personally, even in the early 80's, I had the Hopper/Hornet/RoadRunner/Cyclone & the Frame Buggy/Golden Arrow/Super Lobo on the exact same low entry level hobby grade tier..., I still do today [along with the the Cat/Spirit].

[@ValleyRC]

Maybe something like this? kzbin.info/www/bejne/qaOkgpWsr6-gqdE

[@AMPROEngineering]

I hear that man.

[@rlake349]

I’ve got a 87 Golden Arrow in the box with everything it came with, I get it out occasionally, looks very similar. My first full functioning Rc car was the Nikko Turbo Aero. Just watched the run at the end of the vid. It’s definitely slower then it should be, maybe the motor needs cleaned.

[@AMPROEngineering]

The motor was cleaned in an earlier video (when the car was rebuilt and bearings added) but I just learned that these may have had a 540 case with a smaller armature in there for power consumption purposes.

[@rlake349]

AMPRO Engineering Now that you mentioned it I can remember a 540 size motor that’s is basically a 380 in a 540 can. Anyways I like these interesting videos on 80’s rc cars👍🏼

[@MustangsCanTurnToo]

I just bought an intact F10 with no radio for $53. I’m pretty excited to clean it up and put in a modern receiver and ESC. Hornets and Grasshoppers are at price points that compete with WLToys models which absolutely blow them away. Throwing $30 at an F-10 (maybe $50 if I upgrade to oil filled shocks) and getting 30+ mph out of it sounds like a win to me...while fully aware an accident at those speeds could shatter the 36 year old plastic 😬.

[@AMPROEngineering]

Yeah, these have rock hard plastics and a crash could spell disaster.

[@hpgdawnpatrol9456]

I had a Nikko Rhino and a Thunderbolt. The thunderbolt had a smaller 380 motor and the rhino had a pretty legit 540 motor. I busted mine up pretty quick..

[@AMPROEngineering]

Yeah some of those could really move!

[@hpgdawnpatrol9456]

@@AMPROEngineering thanks for the video. I always thought the Rhino and other Nikko cars were one offs with next to zero parts availability. They could have easily been fixed. Wish I had my red Rhino

[@silviamills5218]

Rockbuster: comes onto screen My brain: BZRRRRRPZRPZRPPRPRPR

[@AMPROEngineering]

Hahah!

[@AdventureTimeRC]

Thanks for doing this video I have been looking at these on ebay😀✌🏻👍🏻

[@AMPROEngineering]

Anytime!

[@AdventureTimeRC]

@@AMPROEngineering lol as I read your message the one I bought is sitting in front of me

[@nealramsey4439]

I had that exact car. I drove it under a porch banister and broke the shock mount. Never did get it fixed. Later with the lobo 3 I did replace the transmission when it stripped out. But the 3 never seemed as good as the super lobo.

[@AMPROEngineering]

Yeah the later ones became cost cut unfortunately. The originals were usually better.

[@thedumpydustman6088]

Yeah I think I had one of those but at least here in the UK they were branded as the Jet Hopper and Mini Jet Hopper!

[@AMPROEngineering]

The Jet hopper was awesome (I have a buyers guide on the US version, the Turbo hopper) but those were Taiyo cars. Still awesome.

[@MoparMuscle1970]

i have the exact same lobo. i restored it and added period correct hobby grade electronics

[@AMPROEngineering]

Oh awesome! It is a cool car.

[@faithdenelzen8808]

The pivotal rods on both of mine have the sleeve on one end and lock nut on the other. Just use my Tamiya tool to unlock the nut

[@AMPROEngineering]

Very interesting. They area all so different.

[@bradgotch]

Was the Jet Hopper in Australia my first useable outside rc car.

[@AMPROEngineering]

I love that car. I did a review on it also but as the US version the Turbo Hopper.

[@jimmyjohnson6287]

Loved this car. This was my first real car. I had the smaller version too (also in yellow, bobcat maybe?). Anyways, love the videos!

[@AMPROEngineering]

Oh very cool! I think they had so many names it is hard to keep it straight!

[@schuttrostig5729]

Germany the same: The Nikko cars where available through the toy shops, since they also produced other elektrikal toys that they already had. So just next to the cable bound toy cars the remote controlled were. My Parents were buying the kid stuff because the smaller Tx gear was better for kid hands.... and running of AA batteries or 9V batteries the hope was that after a few playing hours the kid would put it away and no more cost. Buying the rechargable batterys and chargers the hobby shop asked a fortune. 12 500mah AA batterys + 6v 1200mAh pack Cost like as much than a toy car on top.

[@AMPROEngineering]

I agree totally. The rechargeable batteries back then were a mint!

[@willt628]

Loved the videos. Brought back memories and im just dusting off my old F10 but looks like i will need a new set rear tyres. Any idea what i could use as compatible parts?

[@johnandrews5173]

I'm just running the rear wheels and tyres off my Tamiya Hornet. fit straight on.

[@AMPROEngineering]

yeah like John says, hornet ones go right on.

[@SuperBigdanno]

Thank you

[@AMPROEngineering]

Sure thing!

[@silviamills5218]

I guess the electronics must do something different than modern ESCs because it doesn't make that high pitched hum/buzz/beeeeeeeeeeeep when at very low throttle I got so used to that sound that it felt weird not to have it there.

[@AMPROEngineering]

It has to do with the hertz of the esc. Modern units are 30k to 50k cycles per second. Old ones were like 100 cycles per second. If you see the rising fighter video, I mention it there where the car is running. It has an ancient Airtronics ESC

[@ericrichard5237]

Just finished "restomodding" a friend's Monogram Thunder, it shares some Tamiya parts. Mix between hobby and toy grade. 1984 I think

[@AMPROEngineering]

Oh those were made by Yonezawa. Super cool cars!

[@ValleyRC]

Radio Shack sold a clone of it too, the Red Arrow. One thing I love about the Yonezawa/Monogram is the wheels. It's only a small thing but the style of them just really appeals to me!

[@datsun4x]

It's been a long time, but I want to say that the golden arrow had better electronics (bigger/more Mosfets maybe?) And had a faster motor. I remember guys racing them in the novice buggy class in the mid 80's . You could buy shock adapters to mount oil filled shocks on to this platform as well

[@AMPROEngineering]

I think you are correct. It also seemed that the motor was hotter than this one. I know the Cat had oil filled shock so I believe it.

[@DontLieBoutStuff]

The Traxxas "The Cat" is the same vehicle as the Nikko/Radio Shack buggies , other than the gear box (the gear box hooks right up, but the internals are different )

[@AMPROEngineering]

Oh is that right? Thank you for the info!

[@videobymark]

The CAT front suspension mount is a little different which makes it a bit wider, but it will bolt right onto the Nikko and can use the nikko or traxxas suspension arms, you would just need the longer tie rods for the steering.

[@viper-qi1po]

Bring up the golden arrow, I can tell you from owning one back in the day and having one now, after watching you run the nikko I can confirm the golden was faster. Much faster.

[@AMPROEngineering]

Yeah it turns out the motor and circuitry was different and more robust for higher speeds.

[@viper-qi1po]

@@AMPROEngineering sadly I shelf queened mine as I found it at a flea market mint in box for 40 bucks lol. Ran it a few times to relive memorys of my original but it's just to perfect to wreck

[@odomandr]

I have a golden arrow too I'm having to go through the electronics to get it up and running. Need a comparison truck...?

[@wamplertube]

My first rc car was a thunder bolt!

[@AMPROEngineering]

Nice!

[@7272nighthawk]

someone just had a working traxxas spirit on market place for about 80 bucks I wish I could have grabbed it up !!!

[@AMPROEngineering]

Those are so cool!

[@jerrysmith7166]

golden arrow i had in the early 90's hauled ass

[@AMPROEngineering]

I would like to drive one of those. I think they were the fastest of the whole group of Nikko cars.

[@faithrockz1]

I`ve always wanted the Bison F10 version since forever now I have 2

[@AMPROEngineering]

Oh very cool!

[@faithdenelzen8808]

Yep good ol eBay for the red bison f10

[@bradkalman2353]

Hey there is new pictures of the new cc02 on the internet it a total new chassis it 4link suspension and two solid axels.

[@AMPROEngineering]

Yeah I saw that. Post on Instagram but still skeptical. Why, why oh why do they think a trail truck needs a diff.

[@bradkalman2353]

I'm sure they'll be a way to lock the diff that come in the kit.

[@boharihamen]

I got one of these, trying to remove the rear wheels to overhaul the rc car, but i can't. Can you share some tips on how to do it please? Thanks.

[@AMPROEngineering]

These wheels just unscrew with a 4 mm nut. Perhaps you have the smaller version that has the pressed fit in that? I did a video on this already while restoring my Tyco bandit. If you search my channel for Tyco Bandit, you Will see an episode on the transmission.

[@emeltea33]

I picked up both of those cars, but without the transmitters. What frequency are they? I bought a 27 mhz on a whim, should be here in a couple days.

[@AMPROEngineering]

These cars don't use the same style of Transmitter that the smaller versions have. These are all 27 band but they use six different frequencies. They are number one through six

[@emeltea33]

@@AMPROEngineering Is the specific channel (1 of 6) indicated anywhere? I saw receiver/transmitter kits, is it for these instances? Thanks for your reply, and videos.

[@joerutkowsky3261]

I remember when I was in grade seven. My school had a fun day .and one of the events was any one with any rc could bring them . And they have a timed race event . There were all types of rcs there radio shack rcs and tamiya mostly . But I do remember there was four rcs that kicked butt. The frog . The blackfoot. The hornet and the golden arrow. The frog was the fastest but it had a techna gold motor . The blackfoot was second fastest and it had a sport tuned motor. Or a dyna tech. I dont remember. Then there was the other two. My golden arrow and the hornet . Both were stock. The golden arrow was slightly faster. Everytime. Then at the end we lined them up and dragged them . And the golden arrow aways came in a car length ahead .

[@AMPROEngineering]

Oh nice. My highschool had an RC club too! It was about 5 of us but that was all you needed!

[@joerutkowsky3261]

@@AMPROEngineering its nice when schools offer clubs like this . In my electronics class we had to build a rc boat from nothing. We could by the remote thats it . We had to build the board to run it . That was a fun class.

[@faithdenelzen8808]

The suspension on my bison f10 is tighter than what yours has. I think the previous owner did something to mine. Not a sloppy as yours

[@AMPROEngineering]

Wow thats cool. Mine is not well used so i cant imagine it is worn out.

[@TheCollector5150]

Do you have any need for a 6 cell Sears Diehard Nicd battery that I purchased with my Super Lobo back in the day? The car is long gone but I still have the battery, I doubt it actually charges (too skeptical to try) but if you want it as a display piece, I'll send it to you.

[@AMPROEngineering]

Oh thank you for asking but I have been getting rid of my old batteries. I think some would want it for sure!

[@DeadnCold]

I think your reasoning for why the Nikko was more popular than the Tamiyas is colored by your adult hobbyist's viewpoint. I have no doubt that everything you say about the quality difference as well as the better electronics is true, but I think the truth of the matter is much simpler than that. I would say the Nikkos were more popular because they were far more visible and available. You could get them at a Sears, or a Radio Shack or other large chain stores that were everywhere and were ready to run. Tamiyas were kits and mostly relegated to specialty hobby shops that weren't everywhere and, especially back then, not always the friendliest places to people not already into the hobby or interested in it. So when your kid wants an RC car for their birthday or Christmas, a parent who isn't into RC is more likely to head to Sears or hey, Radio Shack always has a big display of those, let's go there. I would hazard a bet and say the vast majority of people who bought a Nikko F10 variant didn't know the Tamiya Hornet or Grasshopper even existed, or for that matter even realised that hobby grade RC existed. I can remember as a kid back in the 80s, I saw that Lobo in the sears catalog. I wanted it so bad, I begged for it for christmas. It was so cool, it wasn't like the cheap baby RCs, you could get parts to fix it and even hop up parts. But it was too expensive so I never got one. At that time I'd never heard of any RC other than what I saw on the shelf at the big chain stores. It wasn't until I saw the Blackfoot ads on the back of the car magazines at my dads repair shop that I learned rc could be more. Then I discovered the rc car magazines.. And after that I never looked at a Lobo or the Radio Shack 4x4 I had again. Though now I would really love to get my hands on another one of those Radio Shack 4x4s. It was the one with the yellow Ford pickup body with the supercharger hood scoop.. Oh and sorry for being such a long winded bore.

[@robertturnip7850]

I agree totally. People didn't buy this car based on the tech specs. They bought it because it looked cool and they didn't know any better.

[@AMPROEngineering]

No you are not a bore and totally correct. I never saw these in stores when I was a kid. There was one sitting in the window of the hobby shop by my grandmas house but that was an anomaly. These were sold right next to the produce and underpants at most random stores and that was ultimately why they were purchased. It was a bonus that they were good!

[@jeschreindl]

The blue and yellow radio shack off roaders are on eBay fairly regularly. They’re very easy to hobby-grade too if they need a resurrection.

[@nathansmith1011]

That's the Nikko Super Lobo (Sears '86 X-mas special) that I remember... smooth distinctive wine of the gearbox, and the coolest sound when spinning the metal diff gears via hand. Eye catchingly sharp, maintenance free, but not quite on performance par with its Tamiya type brethren. It was a great first r/c nonetheless, but I didn't think that it got anywhere near 19 mph though. Honestly, it is deserving of re-engineered (juiced-up) steering, suspension... hint, hint:)

[@AMPROEngineering]

Yeah it is an interesting car for sure. LOL, I would hop it up but it all works so well! I hate to do that to cars that clean.

[@nathansmith1011]

Aw... nice pivot blocks though. One of mine actually did break in half. Super glues are a mess... LOL!

[@treyfixes884]

Dude I want one of these but I think I’ll get a hornet or grasshopper instead. Is the grasshopper better or basically the same car? Also thinking about doing what you did to your scale dodge van, only to a pumpkin.

[@AMPROEngineering]

Yes, get a Hopper or Hornet. Better in pretty much every way and more drivable. Yes, do that with the pumpkin, it would be awesome!

[@chipsandsalsa2520]

Hi , I have one of these that looks just the save but with futaba internals and just the one large battery (no AA bateries) not even an area for the AA batteries and a cover with a white racer head on top. Having terrible trouble figuring out what it is because I was given it without a top body. Would you have any idea?

[@AMPROEngineering]

It really sounds like a Tamiya Hornet that you have. Unless someone took the body off one of these and then swapped the electrics out.

[@chipsandsalsa2520]

@@AMPROEngineering anyway I could send you an image?

[@chipsandsalsa2520]

@@AMPROEngineering I think its a Traxxis Cat btw

[@joerutkowsky3261]

The golden arrow was slightly faster then the hornet. Only cause of tire size . And gearing . I think . I have a golden arrow from 1987. Now my shelf queen. It is almost identical to your car . It came with a rs540s motor. It is faster then your car . But i would think maybe gearing . I love the golden arrow. I am getting my childhood dream buggy soon the tamyia frog. Always wanted it but never could aford it until now . It will be the re release. But will love it just the same :)

[@AMPROEngineering]

This car is very slow. I found out that the motor is the reason. The Golden Arrow has a better tuned motor where this Nikko is much less powerful. I think it shows the target audience.

[@harpertut]

I have had this car for ever and I have the battery and the little dongle thing to plug into the battery and I can’t charge the battery (if it works) because I don’t have the charger can you please tell me the info on the charger if you can thank you :)

[@AMPROEngineering]

Most likely the battery you have is no longer good and it's pretty difficult to find nickel cadmium chargers now unless they're used. I have one here if you want it for free, just pay shipping. Otherwise my recommendation is get yourself a new nickel metal hydride battery pack and a new charger. It will just need to be a 7.2 V pack. [e-mail]

[@harpertut]

+AMPRO Engineering Thank you for the advice (and offer) I assume the battery is not working so I will just get a new battery pack and use that.

[@Jo-hu3eo]

Hi, I have the rhino red one. Do you know where I can buy new rear wheels/tires?

[@misterthegeoff9767]

he mentions in the video that it will take hornet/grasshopper wheels if you can't find the originals.

[@Jo-hu3eo]

@@misterthegeoff9767 great thanks, I'll give that a try.

[@AMPROEngineering]

Yeah hornet wheels and tires are the way to go.

[@ryansimba10]

Can i use a 7.4 battery on my kikko f10?

[@AMPROEngineering]

Yes. This is what I used

[@silviamills5218]

If it has parts it was a hobby grade just wrongly marketed as toy grade.

[@AMPROEngineering]

I dont think its that cut and dry. My Tyco Bandit and Nikko Turbo Panther all had parts you could order. That was how I got all the bits I restored mine from but I did order them in the 90's. I think that they were less likely to be fixed due to the fact you couldnt walk into a hobby shop.

[@artieaudio77]

Haha my 1st car. I spent 150 bucks on it at toys r us 😂

[@AMPROEngineering]

Man that is crazy for the 80's!

[@fearnobeer9077]

These were called a "jet hopper" here in Australia. OMG I melted many of those analogue speed controllers,you could definitely fill a video with how shit they were,after that do one on "the frog" gearbox, and just how bad it was.

[@rcalltypes8230]

No the jet hopper is a different buggy & was the competition.

[@fearnobeer9077]

@@rcalltypes8230 it looks like a jethopper, my mistake,iv'e made it up to hpi baja's these days ,my autistic step son is no:2 in Australia for 1/8th buggies,sponsored by mugen and some others , been to france and italy competing , he can't make a sandwitch or understand currency but RC cars light him up and are his thing !...his trophy cabinet is really impressive.

[@rcalltypes8230]

@Fear no beer Wow, that’s impressive. What a talented child you have their. Something to look forward to everyday 👍🏻😎

[@AMPROEngineering]

OH yeah, I will....I will..

[@ozmosis74]

My first offroad toy grade rc car when I was about 12 was a red Jet Hopper, I think in Australia they were made by Taio. Think they were Tyco Turbo Hopper in America. loved that car and thought it was the ducks nuts until I seen my cousins hobby grade Hirobo Zerda 4wd belt drive frame only body style. Was soo quick and quiet. Could only hear the the tyres grip the road. Well now I have 17 cars and he has none lol. He's got a family. One good thing you can say for being single lmao. 🤣. We had Bisons in like Target but my parents couldn't afford one. I always wanted one until I found my first hobby shop and got a Tamyia Monster Beatle at age 14. Here's a link to the one I had and the other American variants. rctoymemories.com/2016/09/11/metro-taiyo-jet-hopper-1986/

[@AMPROEngineering]

The jet hopper was amazing. I did a video on the Jet/Turbo hopper. I love that car. Thanks for the story! I got my Monster beetle at 14 or 15 too.

[@ozmosis74]

@@AMPROEngineering yeah I loved mine.. I just watched that video you did on the Jet Hopper or Turbo Hopper to you huh.I loved my Monster Beatle. I upgraded the motor to a Lemans Blue motor and it flew. Just bought a Hornet rere kit, from watching your upgrade and grasshopper vids. I don't have the beatle anymore. Only have the Hornet kit and a F1 F104W that somone made into a pro I got without electronics for 80 bucks on Ebay.. The Beatle rere is a bit dear but I loved my Tamyia cars I have had heaps of Tamiya models at some stage..Fox,Supershot,Thunders hot,Frog,. A mate swapped his Schumacher Cat XLS fur my Hornet.. I had to fix it a bit but couldn't understand why he did it.. Now I've got 1/8 nitro HoBao hyper 7s 8.5 running 6s and Traxxas Tmaxx 3.3 I'm rebuilding.. They were just fun.. Straight up good ole bashing fun. So Thankyou heaps for your videos because it helped me realise why I loved these things.it was the fun. I've become such a brand snob I've got a Yokomo tourer I was going to race. Had the first esc you could plug into laptop. Was a Novak Atom weighed a gram. Had it 21 years now and hardly used it lol. Thanks anyway and keep up the great work. I've been following you for years. First time I've spoken on here. I knew of you b4 you had a channel from magazines I used to read. You had a small mail order business of I remember correctly. Cheers for your good work mate. 👍🍻😁

[@nealbechstein8350]

Do you know the name of the more modern monster truck? I’m on the process of rebuilding a super lobo & that could be helpful in finding a cheaper parts donor.

[@AMPROEngineering]

Some were called "the scorpion" but the names always changed. So hard to figure that out.

[@nealbechstein8350]

AMPRO Engineering another question would be can a grasshopper transmission be mounted to this chassis with your mounts? I know the method of mounting the transmission is very similar but are the widths the same?

[@mattmclafferty6265]

ps it was 1987 when i got the super Lobo..

[@AMPROEngineering]

I think I got my Turbo Panther (the one your brother got) in '87 too!

[@7272nighthawk]

those are very close to the real thing a friend at work has a vw dune buggy the layout is very close to the rhino

[@AMPROEngineering]

Oh im sure!

[@Faith_and_Kindness]

i had sand eagle 2.......

[@AMPROEngineering]

Those are cool!

[@selligreirvech6321]

Rhino came before bison and the rhino had waaaay more power

[@AMPROEngineering]

Very cool.

[@macelius]

How ironic that the "Rock Buster" is the one most likely to bust on a rock..

[@AMPROEngineering]

LOL! True.

[@EvolVillainRC]

Love this video! I had the Nikko. The main reason I ended up with one was because I found it in a department store. I didn't see Tamiya's until I visited my first hobby shop. Here is a video of my restore and my cars story if you want to see it. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z2jLm4SqaMedZ9U

[@AMPROEngineering]

Thank you! See I should have mentioned that. I think these had a leg up as people would find them in places they were more inclined to shop at.

[@MightyistheRCGamer]

That was not 19 miles per hour that was more like 12

[@AMPROEngineering]

Well that was the GPS tracker and it is what I use all the time for RC's and my 1:1 race car. Its been pretty accurate but it sure did look a little slow.

[@tonberryhunter]

Pretty sure the Golden Arrow was faster. At least to 9 year old me.

[@AMPROEngineering]

I think you are right. Turns out it has a different speed control and a different motor.

[@kevinmasters7189]

My golden arrow is quite a bit faster than that.

[@AMPROEngineering]

I have read that the GA has a different motor. This motor seemed sluggish.

[@kevinmasters7189]

@@AMPROEngineering yeah i would definitely think it should be a bit faster. A friend of mine years ago had the nikko and it would keep up with the golden arrow.