The very first radio control car ever released by Tamiya was the 58001
Porsche 934 Turbo RSR in 1976. They never forgot this heritage
and released several different versions of this icon over the
years. In 1977 they came out with a special edition black version which was nearly
identical apart from the color. For the 30th anniversary in 2006
they released the 49400
kit as a tribute to the original with box art in the same green and
with similar markings but a TA-05 chassis. For the 40th
anniversary they released it again, this time as 84431
with a TA-02 chassis and Jägermeister livery. This is the version
I have. Under the hood it bears no resemblance to the original
since chassis and electronics design have advanced so far in those 40
years.Although I appreciate the nostalgic value, I would have bought this kit anyway because it is just a great looking model. This is technically a TA-02SW which stands for "short - wide". It has a shorter wheelbase and a wider rear stance than a regular TA-02. The chassis is a flat plate style with upper and lower FRP decks. It has four wheel double wishbone suspension and all wheel drive with a rear ball differential and a front gear differential. Shocks are plastic CVA type and outdrives are CVD. This model also has a unique stance with wider back tires which produce a wider track width than the front. The model uses a standard silver can 540 motor. The kit did not come with a speed controller, but it did include a lighting controller with front and rear 5mm LEDs for the body.
Speaking of the body, it is really the star of the show. Since this is a model of a specific racing car, I had to paint it like the box art in orange and use the plethora of stickers to make it perfect. The result is amazing. This model also features 2 piece wheels. The outer rim is plated chrome, and the inner spoked hub is pearl gold. I painted the hubs in metallic gold to make them even better.
On the road, the car is not spectacular. This is not particularly surprising. I'm actually glad the car is not very fast because that prevents me from damaging it. I don't like to build cars just to sit on the shelf, but I admit this one is too pretty to destroy. The low speed allows me to have fun with it without worrying about it. My copy remains completely stock apart from a steel pinion gear.
Update: This model was destroyed in the 2022 fire. It has not been replaced.
 Page 1: Assembly |
 Page 2: Final Photos |