The Variatron (Japanese: バリアトロン, Bariatoron) is a Mighty Mini 4WD car released by Tamiya in July 1999. It is the first Mighty Mini 4WD car to be equipped with VS Chassis.
It was featured in the manga Future Racer V-Twin as Bui 'V' Tendou's machine, upgraded and repaired from the damaged V-tron in the series.
General info[]
The Variatron features a futuristic, mechanical body design. Compare to the Vtron, only the body color and the canopy design were changed. It retains most features of the Vtron, such as the pair of movable wings on the rear and the Brain Core on the front. There is a rear diffuser which was attached to the center rear hardpoint underneath its VS Chassis.
It was mainly in blue, with silver highlights and red and yellow trims on it.
It was equipped with the white, large diameter flat dish wheels paired with the black Avante-type slick tires. The chassis frame and A parts were molded in black. It doesn't comes with a standard motor.
In media[]
Spoiler alert!
This section of the article may contains details concerning the progression of the plot. If you do not want it to be spoiled for you, skip this section! |
Future Racer V-Twin[]
A moment after V's V-tron crossed the finish line in a race against the owner of the VT-5 by an big jump, the car was damaged, unable to withstand the landing impact. The VT-5 pulls the damaged car to Professor Kubota, who then repair the mini car. This lead to the birth of the Variatron.
Since it is a repaired and upgraded form of V-tron, the Brain Core from the original car was remain untouched. Similar to other VT machines, it has its own consciousness within its AI and is often interacts with its owner.
Technical info[]
| Variant | Body | Chassis | Wheels | Tires | Motor | Dimensions | Gear |
Standard |
Color: Blue and Clear |
Type: VS |
Size: Large |
Size: Large |
N/A |
Length: 145 |
5:1 |
Standard Re-Release |
Color: Blue and Clear |
Type: VS |
Size: Large |
Size: Large |
N/A |
Length: 145 |
4:1 |
Gallery[]
Boxarts[]
Trivia[]
- The Variatron, along with other cars from the manga, were designed by Zaurus Tokuda rather than the series creator Kouichi Mitaka.
External links[]
Tamiya Japan[]
- Variatron at Tamiya Japan
- Variatron (Re-release) at Tamiya Japan
Tamiya America[]
- Variatron (Re-release) at Tamiya America
| Mighty Mini 4WD series | ||
|---|---|---|
| Super X | Dyna-Hawk GX* · Cross-Tiger VR* · Laser-Gill* | |
| VS | Variatron · Synchro-Master Z9 | |
| * denotes Super XX Chassis version available | ||