Winner of the oddest RC car name EVER is........

[Sheriff 36]

Did they actually to pay someone to think of this??.....

[OCD 514]

Mooneyes is a huge name in Japanese automotive culture:

http://www.mooneyes.co.jp/

http://www.speedhunters.com/2013/03/shige-suganuma-on-the-japanese-custom-scene/

That kit is all kinds of awesome imo

[mr crispy 2293]

TBH it's better than Rock Socker!

[JeepnMike 150]

For what it's worth, my son named his DT-02 Bob

[Gruntfuggly 562]

Not as odd as Sonic Fighter!

[XV Pilot 1936]

My mate named his Ansmann buggy "Dizzy" because it is very hard to keep in a straight line and spins at the slightest provocation.

My wife named her Rising Fighter "Gonzo" after the Muppet daredevil, due to its bonkers handling and propensity for unplanned stunts.

Most of my cars have nicknames in addition to those given to them by Tamiya. For example there is Spike the Baja King, Dotty the Jun Watanabe Hornet, and the Black Knight - a black-and-chrome Sand Viper.

However in terms of odd names from the manufacturer, there are those with (possibly unintended) innuendo such as the Wild Willy and Rough Rider, and then there are those that seem to have been generated by taking a random noun and prefacing it with a random adjective or verb such as Rising Fighter or Tumbling Bull. But of all of them, to me the oddest is the Midnight Pumpkin.

We are all so familiar with it due to its popularity, so it may not sound odd at first, but think about it. Midnight. Pumpkin. What have either of those words got to do with monster trucks, or cars of any sort? The only transport-related link I can think of is the story of Cinderella, who was warned that her coach would turn into a pumpkin at midnight, and that hardly seems like a tale likely to appeal to petrolheads...

[Theibault 1535]

I think Vajra takes the cake.

[Pintopower 1456]

My mate named his Ansmann buggy "Dizzy" because it is very hard to keep in a straight line and spins at the slightest provocation.

My wife named her Rising Fighter "Gonzo" after the Muppet daredevil, due to its bonkers handling and propensity for unplanned stunts.

Most of my cars have nicknames in addition to those given to them by Tamiya. For example there is Spike the Baja King, Dotty the Jun Watanabe Hornet, and the Black Knight - a black-and-chrome Sand Viper.

However in terms of odd names from the manufacturer, there are those with (possibly unintended) innuendo such as the Wild Willy and Rough Rider, and then there are those that seem to have been generated by taking a random noun and prefacing it with a random adjective or verb. But of all of them, to me the oddest is the Midnight Pumpkin.

We are all so familiar with it due to its popularity, so it may not sound odd at first, but think about it. Midnight. Pumpkin. What have either of those words got to do with monster trucks, or cars of any sort? The only transport-related link I can think of is the story of Cinderella, who was warned that her coach would turn into a pumpkin at midnight, and that hardly seems like a tale likely to appeal to petrolheads...

The reason for the "Pumpkin" moniker was that the full size ones were lovingly referred to as Pumpkins due to their very rounded shape. Many times here at car shows I have people talking about their "Pumpkins" when referring to their 53 - 56 (I think 56 was the last year but I could be wrong) f-series trucks. The midnight part is, as you stated, a reference to Cinderella. In fact, as we recall the option door decal had Cinderella sitting on the front drivers bench of a cartoon Pumpkin.

[XV Pilot 1936]

The reason for the "Pumpkin" moniker was that the full size ones were lovingly referred to as Pumpkins due to their very rounded shape. Many times here at car shows I have people talking about their "Pumpkins" when referring to their 53 - 56 (I think 56 was the last year but I could be wrong) f-series trucks. The midnight part is, as you stated, a reference to Cinderella. In fact, as we recall the option door decal had Cinderella sitting on the front drivers bench of a cartoon Pumpkin.

Ah, I was wondering where the Pumpkin link came from. Thanks for enlightening me.

[Grastens 2795]

Egress - seems odd that it is also a verb for vomiting... But of course the product is more memorable than that!

[Thommo 1219]

I've posted this before but "Baldre" and "Durga"........what's all that about ?

[mr crispy 2293]

So nobody thinks Venessa's Lunchbox is a bit odd then?

[WelshHornet 2]

So nobody thinks Venessa's Lunchbox is a bit odd then?

Always assumed it was a trucker tranny joke that my young mind wouldn't get. Now i'm older I still don't.

Vajra just makes me snigger and I always hated Clod buster for some reason.

[XV Pilot 1936]

So nobody thinks Venessa's Lunchbox is a bit odd then?

Around here at any rate, a name like that wouldn't look out of place on a burger van. For example, doing the rounds in Lincolnshire we have Sarah's Snacks, Terry's Tuckshop, and several others named after their owners.

As a result, I always thought of the lunchbox as a burger van themed monster truck - not an unexpected theme given the popularity of burger vans!

[mr crispy 2293]

That's what I always thought XV Pilot, but there's nothing in the decals to suggest any food connection other than the name... and I still thinks that's quite odd for an RC car.

[redzone 212]

You thought Mooneyes was weird? Didnt even think about that as i've been into hotrods all my life, I thought everyone knew about Moon discs etc. It was an American company in the beginning..

[neverfollow 599]

In my opinion, worst by far is the Land Freeder.

[mr crispy 2293]

In my opinion, worst by far is the Land Freeder.

I thought that was just Tamiya getting around the Freelander copywrite... but then it looked nothing like a Land Rover anyway

[OCD 514]

However in terms of odd names from the manufacturer, there are those with (possibly unintended) innuendo such as the Wild Willy and Rough Rider, and then there are those that seem to have been generated by taking a random noun and prefacing it with a random adjective or verb such as Rising Fighter or Tumbling Bull. But of all of them, to me the oddest is the Midnight Pumpkin.

Many of Tamiya's names from this era were directly inspired by old military insignia -- Rough Riders, Astute Forces, Wild Willys, The Frog, The Hornet, and on and on... Tamiya started out as a military miniatures producer, so it makes good sense that they carried this into their RC naming convention. Tamiya's very first RC model was a tank after all!

My wife named her Rising Fighter "Gonzo" after the Muppet daredevil, due to its bonkers handling and propensity for unplanned stunts.

That "Muppet daredevil" name has a direct connection to the quote in my signature Gonzo indeed

[Mokei Kagaku 2706]

...., but there's nothing in the decals to suggest any food connection other than the name...

And it could easily have ended up being named "Bentō Box" ;-)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bento

[steelo 93]

Lobo 2?

[Wez-li 1790]

I've posted this before but "Baldre" and "Durga"........what's all that about ?

And Leonis, it looks as bad as it sounds!

[mr crispy 2293]

And it could easily have ended up being named "Bentō Box" ;-)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bento

I thought I'd seen something about burgers and hotdogs but I went all over my daughters LB earlier and completely missed this decal on the roof! Wouldn't be so bad but I put the flippin thing there!

[Pintopower 1456]

In my opinion, worst by far is the Land Freeder.

I was just about to say that. Exactly what is a "Freeder?"

[speedy_w_beans 4272]

Some notes about Durga, Baldre, Vajra, Leonis, and Asterion:

Durga (Hindustani pronunciation: [ˈd̪ʊrɡaː]; Sanskrit: दुर्गा), meaning "the inaccessible" or "the invincible", is the most popular incarnation of Devi and one of the main forms of the Goddess Shakti in the Hindu pantheon.

Baldre (pronounced as "Baldr" or "Baldur" as in the diety in Norse mythology) -- from the Tamiya USA description of the kit.

Vajra (in Buddhism and Hinduism) a thunderbolt or mystical weapon, especially one wielded by the god Indra.

Leonis is a binary star system in the constellation Leo. It has the traditional name Algieba or Al Gieba.

Asterion ("starry", "ruler of the stars") denotes two sacred kings of Crete.

There's a common theme of popular mythology with these names; they're all powerful names that appeal to other (non-English) cultures...