Wild Willy Willys M38
Model Number: 58035
Released
27-Nov-82
Drive
2WD rear, gear differential
Suspension
Front swing axle, rear trailing link
Chassis Description
Sealed plastic mechanism box
Body Type
ABS Resin
Motor
Mabuchi RS-540S
Original Price
N/A
Width
242mm
Length
268mm
Height
343mm
Wheel Base
165mm
Tread Front
166mm
Tread Rear
196mm
Ground Clearance
30mm
Weight
2.6kg
Scale
1/10
Tires
front:46/103mm
Rear:46/103mm
Here's what the tamiya catalogue says...A new concept in radio control off road enjoyment. A truely versatile stunt vehicle that makes spin turns, jump turns and wheelies with ease. Body styling is from the famous Jeep which is now utilised by auto sports fans for racing and hill climbing. High strength nylon, ABS resins and injected molded plastics are used in its contruction for lasting durability. Precision ball bearings are employed on in the system to ensure smooth running. A large differential gear and a sealed mechanism box allows running in all types of weather. Large sand tyres and coil spring suspension dampen out all of the rough terrain surfaces. With a realistic driver of Wild Willy.
Basically it looks mad and it does wheelies all the time - what more could you want? When buying one make sure it has the the mechanism box cover - it's very hard to find later. The majority of body parts are common with the Wild Willy 2 body, not the bodyshell itself though. (Original description by njmlondon)
Basically it looks mad and it does wheelies all the time - what more could you want? When buying one make sure it has the the mechanism box cover - it's very hard to find later. The majority of body parts are common with the Wild Willy 2 body, not the bodyshell itself though. (Original description by njmlondon)
Reviews
rc-martin
Another timeless classic from Tamiya! I bet if you look at this car in another 20 years it will still look as fresh as it does today, and that mad Willy with his jumpsuit and oversize head has got to be the coolest and most instantly recognisable of all Tamiya figures.
I never actually owned one as a kid, (only Willy's head which I fitted to my Wild One driver) so don't know all the old pitfalls of this model, but what i can say from running my restored Wild Willy is that this car is just pure fun! Probably the worst handling car of all time but that doesn't matter, it pulls ace wheelies!!!
some of the trim parts of the original model are hard to come by, the winch and it's small hook for one, as this was the first thing to get whacked in a smash i suppose. Willy himself and the black roll cage are the same as fitted to the recent Wild Willy 2 but every thing else on the later car is different.
There were two versions of the original Wild Willy, the earliest version had a shorter wheel base than the later one, this can easily be spotted by looking at the metal bracket that the rear arms pivot around, the early version has a round hole in it while the later longer wheelbase version has a more elongated hole.
Overall verdict of model..... Bonkers Barmy!!!