Tamiya CW-01 Off-Road Vehicles…Fun Mode Engaged

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Tamiya CW-01 off-road vehicles…fun mode engaged. Each of the Tamiya trucks in this relatively small line-up of rear-wheel-drive off-road trucks will give hours of enjoyment when you are behind the wheel along with a chassis that is easy to build, easy to maintain and not to mention afford. At the time of this article, Tamiya offers six trucks based on the CW-01 chassis. Some of the names of these off-roaders have become iconic over the years and loved by many like the Lunch Box and Midnight Pumpkin. Below we will dig into this neat little chassis and list the available versions so you can get a taste of what they are all about.

ABOUT THE TAMIYA CW-01 CHASSIS

Tamiya created the CW-01 to be a fun all-around chassis that can be driven on many different types of terrains and have the ability to perform stunts thanks to a wheelie bar. The foundation of the chassis is a high-strength ABS resin plastic box frame. Its design makes these trucks very durable and helps to protect the electronics installed inside of it. In order to help handle rough terrain, there are plastic friction shocks at each corner with only the new Mitsubishi Pajero coming stock with oil-filled CVA II units. Instead of a separate shock tower at the front, the top shock mount is integrated into the chassis and at the rear the top of the shocks are attached to the rear deck.

Tucked on the underside of the chassis is a battery holder that screws into place. Keeping the weight of the battery low is welcome for an improved center of gravity. Just ahead of the battery is an opening for the steering servo to be mounted. Tamiya includes a servo saver that attaches directly to the servo so its internal gears stay protected from those inevitable hard hits. Metal steering links with adjustable ball ends connect the servo saver out to the uprights. Unique to today’s RC cars is the use of independent front swingarms which do not use an upper link. At the very front is a large roll bar-style plastic bumper to guard the front end from impacts.

Now moving to the rear of the Tamiya CW-01 chassis, you will find the business end of what propels all of these off-road vehicles. Tamiya gave these trucks a sealed 2WD gearbox that has the rear axle integrated into it and it houses a Tamiya 540-type Mabuchi brushed motor. Inside spins a differential spur gear with three tiny bevel gears that mate with the larger bevel gears for each axle shaft and the counter gear. Metal and plastic bushings are utilized to keep the gearbox spinning true and smoothly. Since it is a sealed gearbox, it will protect the gears from dirt and sand. These CW-01 gearboxes have a proven track record and can handle loads of abuse and a good amount of power if you decide to upgrade from the stock 540 brushed motor.

The entire gearbox mechanism is quite unorthodox in its suspension setup which Tamiya refers to it as a “rolling rigid suspension”. What this means is the entire gearbox is allowed to pivot side to side as well as up and down. So with quick power input or when traversing uneven terrain the entire gearbox will move. At the very rear is a metal wheelie bar that is installed onto the gearbox; only the new Mitsubishi Pajero does not come with the wheelie bar.

AVAILABLE TAMIYA CW-01 OFF-ROAD VEHICLES

Following are the six currently available vehicles that come on the CW-01 chassis. All of these trucks come in kit form so you will need to assemble the chassis and complete the body. Not too long ago, Tamiya offered a couple of these CW-01 trucks as ready-to-run called XB or Expert Built and you could possibly find them in a local hobby show or online.

Lunch Box (Re-Release)—item #58347

One of Tamiya’s classics is the Lunch Box and is a re-release where the first one came out in 1987. This assembly kit recreates the fun and old school styled van mated with over-sized monster truck tires. The van body is molded from ABS plastic and needs to be painted on the outside with plastic paint. Tamiya gives you separate ABS plastic parts including the front and rear bumper, headlight lens, running boards with exhaust pipes, roof scoop and transparent tinted plastic for the front and side windows.

SPECS

Item #58347
Scale: 1/12
Length: 15.16 in. (385mm)
Width: 11.42 in. (290mm)
Height: 8.86 in. (225mm)
Wheelbase: 8.15 in. (207mm)
Weight (not including RC mechanism & battery): 3.44 lb. (1,560g)
Chassis: Molded ABS box type frame
Drivetrain: 2WD enclosed gearbox
Differential: Bevel gear
Bearings: Metal and plastic bushings
Suspension (F/R): Swingarms / Rolling rigid
Shocks: Molded plastic, metal plated, friction type
Motor: 540-brushed type
Speed control: Electronic
Wheels: One-piece plastic, molded in yellow
Tires: Rubber Chevron tread style
Tire Width/Diameter: 71/115mm
Body material: ABS plastic

REQUIRED TO COMPLETE

• 2-channel radio system
• Steering servo
• Battery pack
• Battery charger
• ABS Plastic Paint

Lunch Box “Black Edition”—item #58546

The Black Edition of the Lunch Box is not unique to this truck with Tamiya releasing quite a few vehicles with the Black Edition variation. Here the yellow molded wheels are replaced with black versions, the body is molded in black and the included sticker sheet has been altered to work with the van painted in black. The rest is the same as the Lunch Box re-release shown above.

SPECS

Item #58546
Scale: 1/12
Length: 15.16 in. (385mm)
Width: 11.42 in. (290mm)
Height: 8.86 in. (225mm)
Wheelbase: 8.15 in. (207mm)
Weight (not including RC mechanism & battery): 3.44 lb. (1,560g)
Chassis: Molded ABS box type frame
Drivetrain: 2WD enclosed gearbox
Differential: Bevel gear
Bearings: Metal and plastic bushings
Suspension (F/R): Swingarms / Rolling rigid
Shocks: Molded plastic, metal plated, friction type
Motor: 540-brushed type
Speed control: Electronic
Wheels: One-piece plastic, molded in black
Tires: Rubber Chevron tread style
Tire Width/Diameter: 71/115mm
Body material: ABS plastic

REQUIRED TO COMPLETE

• 2-channel radio system
• Steering servo
• Battery pack
• Battery charger
• ABS Plastic Paint

Mercedes-Benz Unimog 406 Series U900 Wheelie Red—item #84322

Although the Mercedes-Benz Unimog 406 Series U900 Wheelie is based on the CW-01 chassis, it is unlike the rest with its polycarbonate body. This specific version comes with the body pre-painted in red with the corresponding black trim parts also painted. All that is left for you to complete the body is to apply the detail stickers and attach the side view mirrors.

SPECS

Item #84322
Scale: 1/10
Length: 15.75 in. (400mm)
Width: 11.42 in. (290mm)
Height: 10.75 in. (273mm)
Wheelbase: 8.15 in. (207mm)
Weight (not including RC mechanism & battery): 3.31 lb. (1,500g)
Chassis: Molded ABS box type frame
Drivetrain: 2WD enclosed gearbox
Differential: Bevel gear
Bearings: Metal and plastic bushings
Suspension (F/R): Swingarms / Rolling rigid
Shocks: Molded plastic, friction type
Motor: 540-brushed type
Speed control: Electronic
Wheels: One-piece plastic, chrome plated
Tires: Rubber Chevron tread style
Tire Width/Diameter: 71/115mm
Body material: Painted polycarbonate

REQUIRED TO COMPLETE

• 2-channel radio system
• Steering servo
• Battery pack
• Battery charger

Midnight Pumpkin “Black Edition”—item #58547

Another one of the iconic vehicles in the Tamiya stable is the Midnight Pumpkin and this exact one features the Black Edition treatment. It was first released back in 1987, the same year as the Lunch Box. The great looking and highly detailed body is molded out of ABS plastic and is clearly reminiscent of classis American pick-up trucks from the early 50’s. Open the box and you will find the Midnight Pumpkin body molded in black with separate accessories to accentuate its looks including a metal plated front grille, rear bumper and roll bar complete with three lights attached to it.

SPECS

Item #58547
Scale: 1/12
Length: 15.16 in. (385mm)
Width: 11.42 in. (290mm)
Height: 10.24 in. (260mm)
Wheelbase: 8.15 in. (207mm)
Weight (not including RC mechanism & battery): 3.44 lb. (1,560g)
Chassis: Molded ABS box type frame
Drivetrain: 2WD enclosed gearbox
Differential: Bevel gear
Bearings: Metal and plastic bushings
Suspension (F/R): Swingarms / Rolling rigid
Shocks: Molded plastic, metal plated, friction type
Motor: 540-brushed type
Speed control: Electronic
Wheels: One-piece plastic, molded in yellow
Tires: Rubber Chevron tread style
Tire Width/Diameter: 71/115mm
Body material: ABS plastic

REQUIRED TO COMPLETE

• 2-channel radio system
• Steering servo
• Battery pack
• Battery charger
• ABS Plastic Paint

Midnight Pumpkin Metallic—item #58365

Here is the Tamiya Midnight Pumpkin Metallic Special edition, perfect if you want your truck to be ultra eye-catching. Tamiya took the same exact body that comes on other Midnight Pumpkin trucks and gave it a killer-looking metallic finish that is incredibly shiny. The entire package has a great presence to it with the chrome plated wheels, shock bodies, bumpers and roll bars. Finishing the body is a cinch with applying the included stickers and bolting on the scale accessories.

SPECS

Item #58365
Scale: 1/12
Length: 15.16 in. (385mm)
Width: 11.42 in. (290mm)
Height: 10.24 in. (260mm)
Wheelbase: 8.15 in. (207mm)
Weight (not including RC mechanism & battery): 3.53 lb. (1,600g)
Chassis: Molded ABS box type frame
Drivetrain: 2WD enclosed gearbox
Differential: Bevel gear
Bearings: Metal and plastic bushings
Suspension (F/R): Swingarms / Rolling rigid
Shocks: Molded plastic, metal plated, friction type
Motor: 540-brushed type
Speed control: Electronic
Wheels: One-piece plastic, molded plated chrome
Tires: Rubber Chevron tread style
Tire Width/Diameter: 71/115mm
Body material: ABS plastic

REQUIRED TO COMPLETE

• 2-channel radio system
• Steering servo
• Battery pack
• Battery charger
• ABS Plastic Paint

Mitsubishi Pajero—item #58727

Out of all the Tamiya CW-01 trucks shown here, the Mitsubishi Pajero is the newest of the group. In fact, the Pajero was just getting into the hands of hobbyist when we put this article together. Tamiya based this release off of their Mitsubishi Montero Wheelie (#58499) that was released back in 2011. The body is molded out of ABS plastic like most of the other CW-01 trucks and will require the appropriate paint to complete it like Tamiya’s TS paints. A benefit to molded ABS plastic is the amount of detail that can be added to the body like the realistic front grille, bumper, body lines, sunroof and all the gear in the bed of the Pajero. Additional ABS parts help complete the look like the roll bar with lights and faux spare tire that bolts onto the rear. Underneath the body is a near identical chassis as the other trucks except it rolls on smaller rock block tires with 5-spoke white plastic wheels and the friction shocks were scrapped in favor of CVA II short oil-filled dampers which will give the Mitsubishi Pajero better off-road handling.

SPECS

Item #58727
Scale: 1/10
Length: 15.16 in. (385mm)
Width: 9.45 in. (240mm)
Height: 10.04 in. (255mm)
Wheelbase: 8.15 in. (207mm)
Chassis: Molded ABS box type frame
Drivetrain: 2WD enclosed gearbox
Differential: Bevel gear
Bearings: Metal and plastic bushings
Suspension (F/R): Swingarms / Rolling rigid
Shocks: Molded plastic, CVA II short oil-filled
Motor: 540-brushed type
Speed control: Electronic
Wheels: One-piece plastic 5-spoke, molded in white
Tires: Rubber rock block tread
Body material: ABS plastic

REQUIRED TO COMPLETE

• 2-channel radio system
• Steering servo
• Battery pack
• Battery charger
• ABS Plastic Paint

For more information about Tamiya products, visit: TAMIYA

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