The 58058 Blackfoot from 1986 was the first of what I'd call the "Big Wheel" or monster trucks from Tamiya. Sure, the 58049 Bruiser had big wheels but that was a scale truck in a totally different class. The scale monster truck, the 58065
Clod Buster, wouldn't come until later. The 2WD Blackfoot didn't
have much in common with a real monster truck. It didn't have a
solid front axle, it didn't have 4WD, it didn't have 4 wheel
steering. It was designed for pure fun, and fun it was. So
fun, in fact, that Tamiya has had some version or another of the
Blackfoot in pretty much continuous production ever since. My copy
is the 58633
re-release from 2016. It has much in common with the original but
has obviously lost the mechanical speed controller and resistor and is
intended to be used with an ESC. Some changes have also been
made to the rear axles to make them more robust, but the weak rear
gearbox housing remains. The step sided F-150 hard body shell has
lost any reference to Ford, presumably due to a lapse of the licensing
agreement. In fact, a close look will reveal that this is not the
original Ford Blackfoot grille but is actually from the much later 58110
Super Blackfoot which also lacked the Ford license. All of the
sponsored logos from the stickers have also been replaced with generic
companies.In truth, the Blackfoot doesn't need 4WD. With those big tires, it cruises over grass and gravel with ease. With the long travel CVA oil shocks (the original used friction dampers) and fat balloon tires, it has no trouble soaking up big bumps and jumps. It will even occasionally pull the front wheels off the ground while accelerating off-road. As the oldest monster truck I didn't expect much from this in terms of performance, but I needn't have worried. It is actually incredibly fun to drive and I haven't had any significant problems with it despite bashing it pretty hard.
I've left this model completely stock apart from the addition of a set of ball bearings.
Update: This model was destroyed in the 2022 fire. It has not been replaced.
 Page 1: Assembly |
 Page 2: Final Photos |