Bigwheels_inc 11 Posted October 25, 2006 Hi folks ive got a nikko jet hopper complete with box but the steering doesnt work as far as i can remember is it worth repairing or shall i sling it in the trash ??? Pete Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MikeG8 1 Posted October 26, 2006 Sling it in the trash? I assume then that the 'jet' part of Jet Hopper isn't a real one then! No idea mate. No help either. No change there then! Mike Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
focus1 0 Posted October 26, 2006 Not familiar with the Jet hopper. If you have a picture or a better description we will be able to help you better. focus1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rhenbelz 0 Posted October 27, 2006 I did manage to find one on German eBay, I don't think eBay links are allowed but it's item # 180039150985. It's a 1:16 buggy and has an unfamiliar controller. Given the scale and what I know about these buggies, it's likely just an AA-powered mini frame buggy. Similar to the Rhino etc in basic design but that's it. I wouldn't toss it, but then again it's not worth much except to a die-hard collector. Unless of course I am wrong and it's a 1:10 buggy, in which case I want it. EDIT: Just found another mention of a Jet Hopper on a forum "eating AAs". Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
focus1 0 Posted October 27, 2006 Looks kind of cool with that spare wheel, looks small. Eating batteries must mean that it is fast? If you don't want it, you should try to sell it or give it away for the price of shipping. Maybe some kid had this exact car 15 years ago and would love to have it back on he's shelf, you never know. Cheers Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DJTheo 2 Posted October 27, 2006 Eatingbatteries must mean that it is fast? No, just batteries were weak back then LOL as almost no kid had NiCDs for it, still was one of the best RC car toys back then. 2 friends of mine had it back then, poor thing stood no chance next to my (modified) Boomerang. Cheers Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hibernaculum 933 Posted October 27, 2006 Focus1 guesses right. Plenty of people collect these. I'm surprised no-one else has really identified it yet! First up.... Bigwheels_inc, the Jet Hopper is not a Nikko. It was manufactured by Taiyo. It was first released in 1986 I believe. In America, it was sold by Tyco and known as the Tyco Turbo Hopper. In Europe (like the one rhenbelz has pictures above) it was sold by Dickie as the Dickie Jet Hopper. In Australia it was sold as the Metro Jet Hopper. In all cases "Taiyo" still appeared on the box. In good condition, this car can fetch over US$70 on ebay. NIB examples can go for well over US$100. I've seen them pushing US$150. Why? Because this little car was in fact one of the most popular sub-$100 buggies of the entire 1980s. It was massively popular. Tyco sold tens of thousands of them. And they are now collectible for many people. The great thing about the Jet/Turbo Hopper is it had scale realism, real sponsor decals ('Hella' headlights!), good quality tyres (like perfect mini versions of Tamiya's "buggy spike tyres"), and it even came with some cute accessories - flags on the aerials, witches hats for practising your driving, and more. You could even buy spare parts for it from toy stores. I have some brand new packets of tyres, for example. It runs on 8 AA batteries and is quite nimble for it's size. Looking back, it was a gorgeously presented toy that was the first taste of R/C for many people. Sometimes I look at my NIB Tyco Turbo Hopper, and just think "Gee I wish the toy store R/C cars of today looked THIS good" - great toy, great packaging. Nowadays, toys of this grade all look like they're about violence or bling bling - just look at the junk at Toys R Us. This car hails from a gentler, better quality era, when R/C of all kinds was still about scale models, and buggies ruled. An absolutely classic little 1980s buggy. Sell it on ebay. Start it low and you are sure to get a few bidders. Even if you only get $20, that's better than throwing it out. [] cheers, H. PS. There's a previous thread here all about it too, and in which I pretty much said all the same stuff as I did this time [] Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TA-Mark 195 Posted May 22, 2007 Nikko did have a very similar car to a Jet/Turbo Hopper, I have one. My brother was given the Metro Jet Hopper (Aussie version) one X-mas and I'd bought the Nikko Venus buggy a few months later with money I'd saved. The Jet Hopper had it all over the Venus for top speed, the Venus had better handling due to the trailing arm front suspension and the 2 bevel differential, Jet Hopper was a solid rear axle. Anyway here's some pics of mine, I've since torn out the standard circuit board and fitted a 1:10 s3003 servo and my receiver, esc on velcro and a spare 380 motor from my Micro RS4. Goes very fast on todays 9.6v (8) 2500mAh AA's for it's size. Sorry about the poor pic quality. Still lots of fun to drive when you put 'real' radio gear in them. Some GPM Micro RS4 rear shocks are perfect size replacements for the spring/friction damper that was standard (One-day). I would've kept the Jet Hopper myself and done similar to it as I have. Cheer, Mark Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
QuesoGrande 0 Posted May 23, 2007 My Jet Hopper still gets used and is great fun. A decent set of NimH AAs and yuor away for ages. Put it on the bay, I'm sure someone will want it. I bought a junk one for spares a year or two back after trying to jump mine from our shed roof on to the neigbours'. The angles look perfect, it looked so do-able. Crunch! Fighter Buggy survived it, but they survive most anything. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pageda 0 Posted June 20, 2007 This is it!!! My topic for locate that buggy - its the Venus! Do you still have this? Would love to take it off of your hands if it is still available. Thx pageda Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
