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mantanz

My "new" Nikko Venus!

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So stoked to find this on eBay. The Venus was my very first RC car as a kid. This one is in pretty good condition, too! Certainly much better than my original one was by the time I'd finished with it!

post-43806-0-16927400-1421277377_thumb.j

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Can't see the picture :( might just be me though...

Funnily enough my first RC car was a Nikko Turbo Aero which I believe is a Venus just with a different name and graphics? I

recently got two new sets if body work for one. Just need the car now :)

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Mk1 Venus, aka Aero Tuned in Italy.

Beautiful model, I like it.

Max

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This one is actually the Turbo Aero but it's exactly the same as the Venus I had, stickers and all.

It runs, too! Unfortunately the wheels spin inside the tires, but nothing a bit of glue won't fix ;)

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This is the body set I got before Christmas (well I got two as I said before :lol::lol::lol: ) exactly the same as my first one I had when I was 11 ;)

postman_73.jpg

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This is the body set I got before Christmas (well I got two as I said before :lol::lol::lol: ) exactly the same as my first one I had when I was 11 ;)

postman_73.jpg

Where did you source d that body? Looks new!

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That Venus is 4x4 right? I saw one similar pop up on eBay today, really liked it.

No, it's 2WD. Looks 4WD with those big knobbly front tires, though! Haha.

This is the body set I got before Christmas (well I got two as I said before :lol::lol::lol: ) exactly the same as my first one I had when I was 11 ;)

postman_73.jpg

Nice! I saw one like that too but I wanted to wait until I found the exact car I had... which I did :D

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Where did you source d that body? Looks new!

Spotted them on eBay in France, so snapped up two sets ;)

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Spotted them on eBay in France, so snapped up two sets ;)

Sometimes I am jealous of the French. lol

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The original model that Nikko produced of this car, was actually called the Turbo Queen.

^_^

Yes, the Turbo Queen. That is the original model, and release, of this car in Japan.

I actually have a NIB original Turbo Queen.

Outside of Japan, it was known as...

- Venus

- Turbo Aero

- Frescia Rossa

and possibly one or two others. These names were designed to appeal in particular markets.

The chassis of the car was the same as the earlier Nikko Panther "Bison Jr", which was a mid-1980s model that people will remember as Nikko's alternative to the Taiyo Jet Hopper.

The Turbo Queen represented an updated body style on the same chassis, toward the late 1980s, when all R/C models were going more "space age" in looks.

Thankfully Nikko kept this futuristic style restrained, and it's quite a clean and good looking little guy, particular in the white body style.

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Looks like it was (named) meant to compete with Tyco's Aero Hopper. (Which was my first rc that wasn't rubbish)

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Yes, that's pretty much right. In the late 80s, Taiyo replaced the more frame-buggy styled "Jet Hopper" (or "Turbo Hopper" in the USA) with the Aero Hopper (basically the same chassis, with a more "aero" body).

And Nikko replaced the Turbo Panther, with the more "aero"-styled Turbo Queen (again same chassis, different body).

These companies were of course, mirroring the activity of the hobby-grade companies. Hirobo moved from things like the Zerda, to the Alien Mid. Tamiya moved toward things like the Avante, Vanquish and Thundershot. Marui had the Ninja.

Basically, everybody went from "frame" to "aero".

Then the market became increasingly flooded at the end of the 1980s.

Then there was a big implosion in the early 1990s from simply too many cars. Some brands disappeared entirely. Some brands ditched their R/C car product lines just to survive. And the remaining brands continued with an R/C car range.

And thus ended (what I would consider) the "vintage" era.

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I remember noticing this trend as a kid. Tamiya went "aero" with many buggies, especially the "dragon" coro coro series, and it seemed to me that Tyco and Nikko appeared to follow suit.

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One of my friend had a venus, while i owned the Dictator ('87). Glad to see again this model !

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Venus/Turbo Aero was also my first RC!  I've managed to collect several of them, in both the red and white paint schemes.  I have a couple that do not have transmitters, so I'll be upgrading these to modern rx/esc/steering servo.  I'm currently searching for rear tires, as I have several missing one or both rear tires.  Does anyone have a source for an OEM-looking replacement?

Also, what other models were built on this frame/chassis?  The Turbo Panther is one, and I understand the Turbo Queen was the original.  I've been scouring eBay looking for other vintage Nikko models utilizing this setup.

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