Bigwig Jr.

Bigwig Jr.
No.	18005 (Std. later batches) 2905 (Std. initial production/Special) 2955 (Special Version II) 95308 (RS)
Series	Racing Mini 4WD
Chassis	Type-1 Chassis Super-II Chassis (RS)
Release Date	March 26, 1987 April 8, 2017 (RS)
In Fictional Media
First Appearance	Dash! Yonkuro
Owner	Mike

The Bigwig Junior (Japanese: ビッグウィッグJr., Biggu U~iggu Junia) is a Racing Mini 4WD car released by Tamiya on March 26, 1987.

It was based on the 1/10 scale Bigwig R/C buggy by the company, whose body was designed by the famous car designer Takuya Yura.

It was featured in the manga and anime Dash! Yonkuro as Mike's machine.

General info

The Bigwig featuring the aerodynamic, open-wheel buggy design, with a partially-exposed canopy with driver figurine, a rear spoiler on the rear and a roof air intake prop on the roof. There are the 'The Bigwig' decals, the '4WD' decals as well as the sponsor decals on the bodyshell. On the RS variant, the 'Jr.' mark has been replaced by the 'RS' mark and some sponsor decals were changed (Which was carried over from the 2017 re-release of the Bigwig R/C buggy.).

Bigwig and RS

Both the standard model and the RS variant features the two-tone color of deep blue and white, with 3-tone stripes red, orange and yellow.

The original Bigwig was equipped with the white middle diameter 4-spoke Hotshot-type wheels paired with the black high-profile spike tires, while the RS variant was equipped with the silver-plated, large diameter 6-spoke Manta Ray-type wheels paired with the black Avante-type slick tires. The standard model has its chassis molded in black, while the RS variant has its chassis frame and A parts molded in black and light gun metal respectively.

Special version

The special version, which was released in the same year as is the original model, has the clear chassis and yellow tires.

About The Bigwig 1/10 R/C buggy

Tamiya RC The Bigwig (2017) (filmed in 2017)

The Bigwig (2017) promotional video.

Released in 1986, The Bigwig is a 1/10 scale, four-wheel-drive R/C buggy released by Tamiya. The R/C buggy's polycarbonate body was designed by Takuya Yura, a famous racing car designer.

Unlike the other Tamiya R/C buggies, The Bigwig sports most of the specially designed parts which were never reused in the company's other R/C vehicles. It has the bathtub chassis, four-wheel-drive drivetrain and four-wheel independent double wishbone suspensions with independent, oil-filled dampers. It was powered by a Mabuchi-made RX-540VZ Technigold motor. Unlike other Tamiya R/C buggies, it has the rack and pinion steering. It was equipped with white dish wheels and block spike tires.

The Bigwig, despite having unique parts and superb aerodynamic, has its own weaknesses; the suspension travel is very poor and can bottom out on some cases, it is prones to understeers and finally, the heaviness of the chassis. Overall, it is suited for on-road racing rather than off-road racing.

In February 2017, the Bigwig was re-released worldwide, and was later released in Japan on March 11, 2017. Various improvements has been made to the 2017 re-release, such as the strengthen dog bone driveshafts, the Tamiya-sourced ESC and the special-labeled GT-Tuned brushed motor. As with other re-releases of older R/C buggies, several sponsor decals has been changed, many of which were carried over to the aforementioned Bigwig RS Mini 4WD car.

Technical info

Variant

Body

Chassis

Wheels

Tires

Motor

Dimensions

Gear

Standard (2905, 18005)

Color: Deep Blue Material: PS

Type: Type-1 Frame: Black, ABS A parts: Black, ABS

Size: Medium Type: Hotshot-Type Spoke: 4 Fitment: Staggered Color: White Material: Polypropylene

Size: Medium Type: Spiked Color: Black Material: Med. Elastomer

Standard

Length: 127 Width: 81 Height: 48

11.2:1 6.4:1

Special (2905, 2955)

Color: Deep Blue Material: PS

Type: Type-1 Frame: Clear A parts: Clear

Size: Medium Type: Hotshot-Type Spoke: 4 Fitment: Staggered Color: White Material: Polypropylene

Size: Medium Type: Spiked Color: Yellow Material: Med. Elastomer

Standard

Length: 127 Width: 81 Height: 48

11.2:1 6.4:1

RS (95308)

Color: Deep Blue Material: ABS

Type: Super-II Frame: Black, ABS A parts: Light Gun Metal, ABS

Size: Large Type: Manta Ray-Type Spoke: 6 Fitment: Staggered Color: Matte Silver Plated Material: Polypropylene

Size: Large Type: Avante-Type Slick Color: Black Material: Med. Elastomer

Standard

Length: 150 Width: 97 Height: 51

4.2:1

Gallery

Boxarts

Boxart of the Bigwig Jr.

Boxart of the RS variant.

Car views

Front view

Side view

Trivia

• The Bigwig RS, a more recent version of the Bigwig Jr., has its decal design changed due to trademark issues. This is also true for its RC buggy counterpart.
  • However, sponsor logos of Mooncraft Company Limited were remains, as it is a company owns by Takuya Yura (the designer of the Bigwig R/C buggy).

External link

Tamiya Japan

• Bigwig Jr. at Tamiya Japan
• Bigwig RS at Tamiya Japan

Tamiya America

• Bigwig RS at Tamiya Japan

The R/C buggy the Mini 4WD car is based on

• 1/10 scale The Bigwig R/C buggy (2017) at Tamiya Japan
• 1/10 scale The Bigwig R/C buggy (2017) at Tamiya America