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Kyosho Ford Ranger - Never Seen One Before! Cool!

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It was also available as a Chevy Pick-Up, Datsun Pick-Up (fuel version) and the Don Adams Jeep CJ-7 (dubbed Indiana by Kyosho). There also exist pics of a Mercedes Unimog 411 (or 401?) that as far as I know didn't make it into production.

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Is that a mistake there? I've never seen a Kyosho Ford Ranger, Ben. The chassis that's up for auction on eBay belongs to the legendary Chevy Step side that Kyosho made in 1986 (yes, it looks much older) as a reply to the Toyota Bruiser that Tamiya released a year before.

It is a pretty exotic 4x4 RC vehicle, not only it is chain-driven but that gearbox is an automatic two-speed gearcase. It's a wild noisy machine that I know I'd be happy to add to my collection... someday.

By the way, Kyosho also made a nitro version of that chassis, but the kit came with a Datsun pick-up body instead.

I think you can check some videos of the chevy stepside on youtube. :)

off-roader-kyosho-chevy-4x4-stepside-gra

off-roader-kyosho-chevy-4x4-stepside-gra

off-roader-kyosho-chevy-4x4-stepside-gra

off-roader-kyosho-chevy-4x4-stepside-gra

off-roader-kyosho-chevy-4x4-stepside-gra

off-roader-kyosho-chevy-4x4-stepside-gra

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It was also available as a Chevy Pick-Up, Datsun Pick-Up (fuel version) and the Don Adams Jeep CJ-7 (dubbed Indiana by Kyosho). There also exist pics of a Mercedes Unimog 411 (or 401?) that as far as I know didn't make it into production.

Is that a mistake there? I've never seen a Kyosho Ford Ranger, Ben. The chassis that's up for auction on eBay belongs to the legendary Chevy Step side that Kyosho made in 1986 (yes, it looks much older) as a reply to the Toyota Bruiser that Tamiya released a year before.

It is a pretty exotic 4x4 RC vehicle, not only it is chain-driven but that gearbox is an automatic two-speed gearcase. It's a wild noisy machine that I know I'd be happy to add to my collection... someday.

By the way, Kyosho also made a nitro version of that chassis, but the kit came with a Datsun pick-up body instead.

I think you can check some videos of the chevy stepside on youtube. :)

Haha you guys are awesome! What don't you know?

Definitely going to check out some videos of this thing... :lol:

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Is that a mistake there? I've never seen a Kyosho Ford Ranger, Ben.

No, it's correct, but if I remember correctly, the Ranger only came as a fuel version. It appears that the body of the Chevy and the Ford are identical though. As the bodies of the series were interchangeable anyway, it's of course possible to put the Ranger body on the EP-version too.

Kyosho-Robbe_Ford_4x4_028-670x370.jpg

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It was also available as a Chevy Pick-Up, Datsun Pick-Up (fuel version) and the Don Adams Jeep CJ-7 (dubbed Indiana by Kyosho). There also exist pics of a Mercedes Unimog 411 (or 401?) that as far as I know didn't make it into production.

Beat me on this one, my friend. By the way, have you got any pictures of the Unimog prototype? It's the 1st time I ever heard about such thing! :)

No, it's correct, but if I remember correctly, the Ranger only came as a fuel version. As the bodies were interchangeable, it's of course possible to put the Ranger body on the EP-version too.

Kyosho-Robbe_Ford_4x4_028-670x370.jpg

Oh! So it's a different decal set for the same body. Should not be surprised. :lol:

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The chassis that's up for auction on eBay belongs to the legendary Chevy Step side that Kyosho made in 1986 (yes, it looks much older) as a reply to the Toyota Bruiser that Tamiya released a year before.

I'm not so deeply into Kyosho, so I don't know exactly when the Chevy version was released, but I believe the Indiana was released first (as also indicated by the wheels, which look almost exactly like the wheels on the 1:1 Don Adams CJ-7), and was released in the early '80's (around 1981-1983). I'd say the series is Kyosho's reaction on Tamiya's Hilux/Blazing Blazer, rather than the Bruiser.

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By the way, have you got any pictures of the Unimog prototype?

Yes, I do and I just tried to find them, but like probably all of you, I simply have too many pics to be able to find the right ones quickly. I'll add them here when I eventually find them.

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I'm not so deeply into Kyosho, so I don't know exactly when the Chevy version was released, but I believe the Indiana was released first (as also indicated by the wheels, which look almost exactly like the wheels on the 1:1 Don Adams CJ-7), and was released in the early '80's (around 1981-1983). I'd say the series is Kyosho's reaction on Tamiya's Hilux/Blazing Blazer, rather than the Bruiser.

Well, I had the Chevy stepside 4x4 on a catalog from December 1987. Now, one might think because of the material, looks, and even the depicted model, that this chassis came out that early, but it's definitely from the 2nd half of the 80's. Being released at least one year after the Tamiya Bruiser.

Now, with the shtty historical information available from Kyosho, the only Documental proof I could come across is the serial number of the releases. First of all, there is not a long time distance between the releases of the Chevy stepside and the Indiana Jeep (being kit #3008 and 3001 respectively), and then the other cars release numbers help indicating the time-frame when they were released. If you remember the Scorpion's kit #2136, and it was released in 1982, while others like the Stinger (kit #3041), Optima (kit #3032), and Big Brute (kit #3105) were released after 1985. If I'm not mistaken the Big Brute was released in 1987 as it also was highlighted in the dec 1987 catalog. Well, that pretty much gives you an idea on when these 4x4 off road vehicles were released. 2nd half of the 80's, and definitely after Tamiya came out with the incredible Toyota Bruiser.

By the way, the source I used to make the comparison is the excellent open online archive from retromodelisme.com. A fantastic --and highly recommended- website for the hardcore vintage RC enthusiast. :)

Yes, I do and I just tried to find them, but like probably all of you, I simply have too many pics to be able to find the right ones quickly. I'll add them here when I eventually find them.

:D I know how that is.

You all have a great weekend! :)

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Well, I had the Chevy stepside 4x4 on a catalog from December 1987. Now, one might think because of the material, looks, and even the depicted model, that this chassis came out that early, but it's definitely from the 2nd half of the 80's. Being released at least one year after the Tamiya Bruiser.

I'm sorry, but the Indiana was definitely released in the early '80's. I bought the Indiana well before the Progress, which I got as quickly as possible when it was released (in 1984). I don't remember when the Chevy or Ford were released, but I'm pretty sure that at least the Chevy was released well before the Bruiser too. The Datsun was released in the late '80's, I believe.

A bit more about release years here:

http://www.classic.rc-junkies.net/?p=3110#more-3110

http://www.rcscrapyard.net/kyosho-indiana-jeep.htm

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I'm sorry, but the Indiana was definitely released in the early '80's. I bought the Indiana well before the Progress, which I got as quickly as possible when it was released (in 1984). I don't remember when the Chevy or Ford were released, but I'm pretty sure that at least the Chevy was released well before the Bruiser too. The Datsun was released in the late '80's, I believe.

A bit more about release years here:

http://www.classic.rc-junkies.net/?p=3110#more-3110

http://www.rcscrapyard.net/kyosho-indiana-jeep.htm

If I'm mistaken it's completely alright, my friend. I just want to know, are you sure you bought the Indiana in the first half of the 80's? The websites you mention have no certain information and still that has no relation with the kit numbers. :(

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......, are you sure you bought the Indiana in the first half of the 80's? The websites you mention have no certain information and still that has no relation with the kit numbers. :(

I'm absolutely sure. Also, I don't think the item numbers are so strong indications of the chronological order, rather than to some extent which chassis series the model belongs, although it's not consistent on that point either.

Just a small excerpt by number order to show that the correlation with release year is pretty poor, to say the least:

3029 Optima Pro 1987

3032 Optima 1986

3034 Salute 1986

3041 Stinger 1987

3042 Stinger Mk. II 1988

3065 Tomahawk 1983

3067 Progress 1984

3068 Gallop 1985

3069 Gallop Mk. II 1986

3072 Rampage 1989

3082 Pegasus 1985

3084 Cosmo 1987

3088 Advance 1983

3091 Turbo Scorpion 1985

3095 Assault 1983

3101 Rocky 1986

3108 Turbo Rocky 1988

3115 Ultima 1987

3116 Turbo Ultima 1988

3130 Turbo Optima 1986

3135 Optima Mid 1987

3136 Turbo Optima Mid 1988

3138 Turbo Optima Mid Special 1989

3139 Optima Mid Custom 1989

3140 Optima Mid Custom Special 1989

I'm a bit deeper into Tamiya history than I am into Kyosho history, but I'm sure there are some Kyosho nuts here that can confirm that the release of the Indiana (and thus this series of models) was in the early eighties and not after the release of the Bruiser in 1985. Maybe someone can explain the full logic of Kyosho's numbering too!

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That's great Mokei. :) And yes, we definitely need some Kyosho expert here to come around and shed some light on issues like this one. Not to say who's right or wrong, but to learn a bit more about the history of Kyosho RC vehicles.

By the way, I don't know the reason, but big Japanese brands like Kyosho or Futaba doesn't have any information available about their product releases. A real shame :(

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Kyosho history does seem murkier than Tamiya, and it's made worse by the apparent fact that no one country got all the models they made. Add in the Cox, Graupner, and Robbe badge-engineered models, and it's a real mess.

I remember seeing those Chevy Stepsides in Tower Hobbies sale flyers for as low as $119 when they were trying to clear them out, around 1988-89. If I had a time machine and a credit card...

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Kyosho history does seem murkier than Tamiya, and it's made worse by the apparent fact that no one country got all the models they made.

Except Japan I guess ^_^ (not the Cox/Graupner/Robbe ones of course)

But totally agree. Kyosho are very proud of their history. But they were a lot more casual about what they were doing, in certain ways.

One of the frustrating things about collecting Kyosho models is that all the old kits had great box photos, yet the decals used for them were not fully included in the kits. You can achieve perfect box art, but it requires research - ultimately you need to obtain decals from several other Kyosho kits, as those box art prototypes seem to have been finished with a variety of decals from past kits. e.g. this is my effort to locate the decals on the original Tomahawk, for example (not quite finished).

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Except Japan I guess ^_^ (not the Cox/Graupner/Robbe ones of course)

But totally agree. Kyosho are very proud of their history. But they were a lot more casual about what they were doing, in certain ways.

One of the frustrating things about collecting Kyosho models is that all the old kits had great box photos, yet the decals used for them were not fully included in the kits. You can achieve perfect box art, but it requires research - ultimately you need to obtain decals from several other Kyosho kits, as those box art prototypes seem to have been finished with a variety of decals from past kits. e.g. this is my effort to locate the decals on the original Tomahawk, for example (not quite finished).

I completely agree.

I have just finished a Mk1 Stinger and there are no decal positioning guides in the manual. So off to the net, but I could not find any decent pics of the right side or rear of the boxart body. Not only is the body a bit different to boxart (has a big lump on the left side of the cockpit) but some of the decals that are on the decal sheet are a completely different size (the big stinger and the 1/10 racing buggy) or colour to the boxart, or they simply don't fit the body - I used Marwans painted body as a guide, which turned out really well - his is probably the best Mk1 body I have seen.

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I completely agree.

I have just finished a Mk1 Stinger and there are no decal positioning guides in the manual. So off to the net, but I could not find any decent pics of the right side or rear of the boxart body. Not only is the body a bit different to boxart (has a big lump on the left side of the cockpit) but some of the decals that are on the decal sheet are a completely different size (the big stinger and the 1/10 racing buggy) or colour to the boxart, or they simply don't fit the body - I used Marwans painted body as a guide, which turned out really well - his is probably the best Mk1 body I have seen.

LOL - I had the same issue finishing a Pegasus body recently. The box art pic is different than the one on the instructions, and practically every new built example differs! That's a bit frustrating. Someone should really compile a list of the official versions and how to achieve them. ** GRUMBLE GRUMBLE ** :lol:

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I completely agree.

I have just finished a Mk1 Stinger and there are no decal positioning guides in the manual. So off to the net, but I could not find any decent pics of the right side or rear of the boxart body. Not only is the body a bit different to boxart (has a big lump on the left side of the cockpit) but some of the decals that are on the decal sheet are a completely different size (the big stinger and the 1/10 racing buggy) or colour to the boxart, or they simply don't fit the body - I used Marwans painted body as a guide, which turned out really well - his is probably the best Mk1 body I have seen.

LOL - I had the same issue finishing a Pegasus body recently. The box art pic is different than the one on the instructions, and practically every new built example differs! That's a bit frustrating. Someone should really compile a list of the official versions and how to achieve them. ** GRUMBLE GRUMBLE ** :lol:

Yep - it's crazy. I think the Kyosho designers, working at the factory, would have had access to any decals they liked from past cars, and were able to create beautiful combinations that really worked. But whoever was responsible for the new decal sheet in each kit seems to have gone... "This will do"...and just put a vague selection of roughly the same logos together (although this tendency does get less over time and is most acute with the earlier kits)

In some cases, I believe it is impossible to achieve certain Kyosho box art, because the decals were never made available. This may only apply to a few cars (not all).

So far, I am assuming a take no prisoners approach, and trying to assemble every exact original decal, for those Kyosho buggies I am into.

And what you were saying about the Stinger body shape, Scorpn... a similar problem exists on the original Tomahawk. The box art model shows two rear vision mirrors. But the kits only ever included one. :lol: I have managed to get a second original one, but it only suits one side of the vehicle. So, keeping it original, I will try modifying it a bit to fit the alternate side (when I get to that stage) I think it will work ok. I come from Tamiya, so I refuse to compromise :P

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If I'm mistaken it's completely alright, my friend. I just want to know, are you sure you bought the Indiana in the first half of the 80's? The websites you mention have no certain information and still that has no relation with the kit numbers. :(

I just stumbled over this proof that the Indiana was released in the first half of the '80's. I have asked the owner about the exact year of the catalog, but if you have a look at the other models, it's clearly from the early eighties.

Also, except for an early '80's Kyosho Mini Catalog, I don't own any Kyosho catalog older than 1985, but I have all between 1985 and 2015, and none of them have this front page or content. So it's clearly older than 1985.

Furthermore, in the Scorpion series optional parts pic, the optional diff is shown, but there are no hints about the Tomahawk, but considering that the Scorpion Beetle is shown, I reckon the catalog is from 1982 or 1983, more likely 1983, but before the Tomahawk's release that year.

The GP cars surely also are some indications, but I know Kyosho's GP history too little to be able to pinpoint exact years of release and replacement. Like, when was the Landjump 4D replaced by the Landjump Integra?

Front page: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=939045396172433&set=pcb.1517727015221713&type=3&theater

Indiana: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=939045402839099&set=pcb.1517727015221713&type=3&theater

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Just to narrow in the the time window for the release and availability of the Kyosho Indiana, here's a scan from a Kyosho catalog dated Oct. 1982 that I have. Also, the catalog is "new" enough to include the Scorpion Beetle, but too old for the Tomahawk, indicating that the date printed on the back (Oct. 1982) is plausible.

12615692_10153262438732407_6685347926490

12640343_10153262438742407_8861830594293

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