Tamiya 6×6 truck lineup, a closer look

Paul Onorato April 29, 2020 Stories

ABOUT THE G6-01 CHASSIS

Tamiya 6x6 truck lineup — Tamiya G6-01 chassis.

A truck fitted with six tires that are all driven by one motor in a relatively compact package requires some ingenuity to make it happen. Tamiya did not go with a shaft- or belt- or chain-drive mechanism and rather developed a clever fully gear driven drivetrain for the G6-01 chassis. In fact the chassis doubles as a big gearbox to make it a full-time 6WD machine. Just check out the image below which beautifully illustrates how Tamiya made the G6-01 chassis function. It is quite impressive looking.

Located between each of the metal outdrives are robust gear differentials. Tamiya did not skimp and made sure there was a diff for the front, center and rear wheels. This will help the big 6×6 to corner more smoothly. Once the gearbox is screwed together, it is fully enclosed and protected from dirt and debris. Mounted on the right side of the chassis behind the front wheel is a Tamiya 540 brushed motor that drives all six wheels.

An independent double-wishbone suspension setup is utilized for each of the six wheels and tires. The lower H-arms are solid and built to handle off-road terrain while stout fixed links are used for the uppers. Providing the damping are six friction shocks attached to each H-arm.

Steering is done by a servo mounted on the upper left side of the chassis between the front and middle tires. It is an unconventional setup. However it makes perfect sense since the center section of the chassis is jam-packed with gears, front to back, thus limiting where the servo could be located. A 2-piece steering link setup is used and is adjustable.

A cool added feature that Tamiya incorporated into the design of the G6-01 is the option of being able to setup the chassis with front and rear steering. Tamiya includes the parts and pieces you need to get it setup, minus the electronics. So, you will need to get a second steering servo and have a transmitter with four-wheel-steer (4WS) functionality.

Overall, the design of the G6-01 chassis makes for a very tough vehicle that will be right at home on all types of terrain. The chassis/gearbox creates a very solid structure that protects the vital inner workings of the drivetrain. A small bumper helps to protect the rear of the G6-01 while a giant spring supported bumper is utilized up front and can easily absorb impacts.

THE G6-01TR CHASSIS VARIATION

Three of the four 6×6 trucks are built on the standard G6-01 chassis. The Dynahead is the only one that comes with the G6-01TR chassis variation. The key difference is that it comes with hub reduction axles or also known as portal axles. These axles raise the ground clearance by 15mm, but the key benefit is that they also generate some major crawling traction with a 37.35:1 gear ratio. With this low gear ratio, the G6-01TR chassis has gobs of torque for some serious climbing action. Another tweak that Tamiya made is actually a simple one and something you can do to nearly any vehicle with a gear diff. The G6-01TR kit comes with some putty to lock the diffs. All you do is take a small section of the putty, roll it into a ball and then place it inside the differential. The putty will essentially ‘lock’ the diff so that the truck has full-time traction when traversing steep or tough climbs. Lastly, the TR version is equipped with nice looking 5-spoke wheels that are wrapped with V-tread block tires. This tire package makes the Dynahead a more capable off-road vehicle because of the added bite that the tires create.

Along with a lower gear ratio. the hub reduction axles also raises ground clearance.

Konghead 6×6 (G6-01), #58646

The Konghead was the very first of the Tamiya off-road 6×6 vehicles released and came out back in 2017. If you are a Tamiya fan, you will surely see the resemblance to an old Tamiya monster truck…the Bullhead. Unlike the ABS plastic body of the Bullhead, the Konghead body is molded out of durable polycarbonate that will stand up to abuse better than the hard plastic body of its forefather. To help complete the look of the Konghead, Tamiya included metal plated chrome parts like air cleaners and exhaust stacks. Continuing the chrome accent theme, chrome-plated deep dish wheels are spec’d for this 6×6.

King Yellow 6×6 (G6-01), #58653

Following the release of the Konghead was the King Yellow. The school bus body is molded out of polycarbonate like the Konghead. It is a lightweight and durable option over ABS plastic. For greater realism, there are separate parts included like roof lights and stop sign not to mention plenty of detail stickers. Differing from the Konghead, the King Yellow has its 4.4-inch diameter chevron-style tires wrapped around matte silver color plated deep dish wheels.

King Yellow 6×6 (#47376) version comes prepainted.

Tamiya also released a limited edition of the King Yellow. The King Yellow 6×6 (#47376) version which came with a pre-painted yellow polycarbonate body to make completing the kit even faster and easier.

Dynahead 6×6 (G6-01TR), #58653

Here is the Dynahead that was inspired by the big trucks used in the grueling off-road world truck trials. The full size trucks have to navigate some extreme terrain so Tamiya did not just release another G6-01 with a trial truck-styled body. Instead they gave the G6-01 hub reduction axles thus earning itself the G6-01TR designation. (See the “THE G6-01TR CHASSIS VARIATION” section above.) The big cab-over truck body is made of lightweight polycarbonate and includes overspray film, window masks and a slew of detail stickers so that you can replicate the truck shown on the box.

Volvo A60A Hauler 6×6 (G6-01), #58676

The most recent release in the Tamiya 6×6 truck lineup is the awesome looking Volvo A60A Hauler 6×6. It is a terrific representation of a full-size rock truck that you would find working in quarries and mines hauling massive loads in its dump bed. Tamiya took a bit of a different approach with the Volvo A60H’s body and utilized polycarbonate for the cab and molded ABS plastic for the bed components. Tamiya even hooks you up and includes the cab already painted for you in the proper colors to replicate the full size A60H 6×6. At the rear, the dump bed is designed so that it can be raised and lowered which also allows access to the battery compartment.

G6-01 & GR-01TR SPECIFICATIONS

Chassis: ABS plastic
Drivetrain: 6WD, gear driven sealed gearbox
Differential: Front, center and rear gear diffs
Bearings: Plastic bushings
Suspension: 6-wheel fully independent double wishbone
Shocks: Friction type
Motor: 540-brushed type
Speed control: Not included

Konghead

Scale: 1/18
Length: 16.5 in., 420mm
Width: 10.6 in., 270mm
Height: 11.0 in., 280mm

King Yellow

Scale: 1/18
Length: 18.8 in., 478mm
Width: 10.6 in., 270mm
Height: 9.4 in., 239mm

Dynahead

Scale: 1/18
Length: 174.8 in., 453mm
Width: 9.6 in., 244mm
Height: 9.1 in., 232mm

Volvo A60A Hauler

Scale: 1/24
Length: 19.1 in., 486mm
Width: 10.6 in., 270mm
Height: 8.4 in., 213mm

REQUIRED TO COMPLETE

2-channel radio system
Steering servo (second servo needed for 4WS)
Speed control
7.2volt battery pack
Charger
Paint

TAMIYA HOP-UP OPTION PARTS FOR THE G6-01/G6-01TR

The Tamiya GF-01 chassis uses a similar design concept and that allows the G6-01/G6-01TR chassis to be able to share numerous Tamiya hop-up option parts. Here are just some of the available option parts: