Top 10 RC Monster Trucks of the 80’s & 90’s

Monster Trucks came to prominence in the 1980’s as a new category of motorsports meets entertainment.  Much like professional wrestling of the same era, these car-crushing trucks often had their own character names and matching colorful personas.  Although it would be decades before promotions like Monster Jam and Grave Digger learned how to get diecast versions to market, radio-control (“RC”) car manufacturers jumped on the chance to bring these behemoths to market.  Here now, is Mechalawyer’s Top Ten RC Monster Trucks of the 80's and 90's:

10. Tamiya 1/10 Bullhead (1990) Peterbilt-type tractor truck and Tamiya 1/10 Clod Buster (1987) Chevrolet pick-up

As will be seen in the rest of this list, Tamiya was the market-leader and most prolific manufacturer of a sheer variety of monster trucks. Their iconically rugged Clod Buster was one of their largest offerings that they later rebooted as the imposing Bullhead. 

9. Tamiya 1/10 Wild Willy (1982) Willy’s M38

More of a wheelie-machine, the Wild Willy jeep was set on monster tires for a creative take on a military-themed monster truck.

8. Kyosho 1/10 Hi-Rider Corvette (1992) Chevrolet Corvette 

Unlike Tamiya who did not seem to care if their monster trucks had any equivalents in the real world, Kyosho based their monsters heavily on what was hitting the stadium scene. Inspired heavily by the real-life Monster Vette, Kyosho gave us the Corvette-bodied Hi Rider.  Instead of Tamiya’s artist-rendered box art, Kyosho preferred to present its monsters with a photograph of the fully-built model. 

7. Kyosho 1/12 Heavy Metal (1992) 1991 Ford Van

Continuing with their real-world models, Kyosho also put out the tank-treaded Heavy Metal. This weird part monster truck / part tank / part van abomination brought a new gimmick to monster truck events.  Kyosho would go on to sponsor the real-life Heavy Metal which changed its body to match the RC van body. 

6. Marui 1/12 Big Bear (1984) Datsun

The Marui Big Bear is widely recognized as one of the first, if not the first, RC monster truck. While not sophisticated mechanically, it’s model-accurate Datsun body set the standard that many Tamiya monster trucks would follow. 

5. Kyosho 1/10 USA-1 (1992) Chevrolet C-10 pick-up

One of Kyosho’s longest running and most well-known monster trucks was the real-life based USA-1. This Bigfoot rival was heavily featured in monster truck events and Kyosho’s USA-1 came in both electric and gas (“Nitro”) versions. 

4. Tamiya 1/12 Lunchbox (1987) Dodge Van and Tamiya 1/12 Midnight Pumpkin (1987) 1953 Ford F-100 pick-up

Tamiya put out a duo of bodies for its smaller 1/12 scale monster trucks in the form of the Lunchbox and Midnight Pumpkin. These were often featured in Tower Hobbies in their RC Car Action Magazine ad and were some of the most popular monster trucks of the era. 

3. Tamiya 1/10 Mud Blaster(1989) Subaru Brat

The Tamiya Mud Blaster was a repurposed Blackfoot chassis with a Subaru Brat body. As one of Tamiya’s few monster trucks with a JDM body, the Mud Blaster is a fascinating take on what an import monster truck would look like. 

2. Tamiya 1/10 Monster Beetle (1986) Volkswagen Beetle

Not wanting to leave Euro fans out, Tamiya also produced the Volkswagen-clad Monster Beetle.  Another Blackfoot chassis variant, this monster baja bug was a popular offering for many years. 

1. Tamiya 1/10 Blackfoot (1986) Ford F150 Ranger

The chassis that really started it all for Tamiya, the legendary Blackfoot. Not wanting to be beholden to the famous Ford Bigfoot, Tamiya created its own version and thus, its own legacy with the Blackfoot. Through constant production and reissues, the Blackfoot continues to be popular some 35 years later.