“Tamiya,” Recalling Nostalgia With These Plastic Toy Cars

When you hear the word “Tamiya”, you probably think of a toy battery car the size of your palm. During the 90s, these cars became popular in Indonesia complete with an anime or cartoon titled Let’s and Go! and its sequel Let’s and Go! WGP aired on RCTI.

The Mini 4WD is one of those precious childhood memories you might have, along with Beyblade and Tazos.

 

This toy is called Mini 4WD because of its wheel drive that uses all 4 wheels, just like a real car. But not many know that “Tamiya” is a 4WD, because the parts needed to make a 4WD are assumed to be spare parts or not in the package, resulting in most of the cars becoming RWD (Rear wheel drive).

 

There are some interesting facts about “Tamiya” where the more commonly known term for this toy is actually the brand name of the original maker. Tamiya also makes several other toys besides Mini 4WD, such as radio-controlled cars and model kits.

 

In Indonesia, original kits from Tamiya are rarely seen, because most of them are fake or knock-off brands. The name “Auldey” may also feel familiar because the brand is also one of the makers of Mini 4WD replica types. The most well-known series in Indonesia is the “Fully Cowled Mini 4WD” series.

 

This series was made especially for the models in Let’s and Go! and also its sequels. The car designer in this series is the same as the comic maker, Tetsuhiro Koshida.