How many radio-controlled model bakkies does it take to tow a full-size Toyota Hilux? Well, the Japanese automaker has teamed with Tamiya in a bid to find out.
The RC bakkies in question? None other than the Tamiya Hilux Bruiser 4×4, a 1:10 scale kit that itself is based on an earlier Hilux design. And how many were needed? Well, 15 of the little tykes appear in the video.
The two firms say the short film embedded below was inspired by “a famous 1980s stunt” in which a fleet of radio-controlled Bruisers successfully hauled a Hilux at Tamiya’s headquarters in Japan.
Of course, these days the Hilux is much larger and heavier. In fact, the Toyota Hilux double-cab that was used in this test has a gross weight of 3,21 tonnes. But, with each radio-controlled Tamiya Bruiser able to generate 2 kg of pulling force, there was theoretically enough to set the Toyota rolling on a flat surface.
The test took place inside a giant hangar at Bicester Heritage in Oxfordshire. To help the little bakkies gain traction, two 500 g diving weights were placed behind the cab section of each model.
Then there was the method for connecting the models to the Hilux. Toyota says “this called for the design of a dedicated towing arm, made from steel and featuring 15 separate eyelets, one for each towing cable, set level with the Bruisers’ towing points”. The 10 kg unit was then bolted to the Hilux’s front tow points.
The driving duties fell to a team of radio-control model experts “with the skills to ensure the models moved off in perfect synchronisation and with the optimum power delivery”. A driver also sat at the wheel of the Hilux (complete with health-and-safety helmet, in an apparent nod to the original film), with the engine turned off, the brakes released and the gearbox in neutral.
Watch the video below…
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