is a powered toy car generally 1:32 in scale equipped with

4WD Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case ...

. The cars can be used for miniature

auto racing Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primaril ...

, being built to race around a U-shaped track.

History

The Mini 4WD originated in Japan in 1982, when toy manufacturer Tamiya introduced Mini 4WD race cars. A Mini 4WD race car is a 1:32 scale kit featuring four-wheel drive powered by an electric motor using a pair of

AA batteries AA, Aa, Double A, or Double-A may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * '' America's Army'', a 2002 computer game published by the U.S. Army * '' Ancient Anguish'', a computer game in existence since 1992 * Aa!, a J-Pop musical group * Do ...

. A single electric motor turns both axles. These kits snap and screw together without the need for glue. By the late 1980s, the Mini 4WD hobby was well-established in Japan, and it began taking off in the United States as well. In February 1989, several American and Japanese companies unveiled their versions at the annual toy fair in New York. In late 1989, an average Japanese boy owned eight to 11 Mini 4WD cars. By November 1989,

Hasbro Hasbro, Inc. (; a syllabic abbreviation of its original name, Hassenfeld Brothers) is an American multinational conglomerate holding company incorporated and headquartered in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Hasbro owns the trademarks and products of K ...

introduced their Record Breakers: World of Speed series of cars, imported from Japan.

Mattel Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company founded in January 1945 and headquartered in El Segundo, California. The company has presence in 35 countries and territories and sells products in more ...

Matchbox Phillumeny (also known as phillumenism) is the hobby of collecting different match-related items: matchboxes, matchbox labels, matchbooks, matchcovers, matchsafes, etc. Matchbox A matchbox is a box made of cardboard or thin wood and designe ...

, and others were also expected to release their own versions. By the 2000s, many other companies had ventured into the Mini 4WD market, including

Tokyo Marui is a Japanese manufacturer of airsoft guns and toy cars located in Adachi, Tokyo, and are famous for pioneering the design of battery-powered airsoft guns. Their products are principally sold in Japan, but are also exported worldwide. The c ...

Kyosho is a Japanese company based in Tokyo, which operates internationally under the name KYOSHO. The company's main office is located in Chiyoda, and the production headquarters are located in Atsugi, Kanagawa. Established in October 1963, Kyosho c ...

Academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosop ...

Aoshima Bunka Kyozai , commonly truncated to Aoshima, is a Japanese model manufacturer based in Shizuoka Prefecture. It produces plastic model kits of a variety of vehicles, including model car, model aircraft, model ship and model Sci-fi mecha under Aoshima brand, al ...

Revell Revell GmbH is an American-origin manufacturer of plastic scale models, currently based in Bünde. The original Revell company merged with Monogram in 1986, becoming "Revell-Monogram". The business operated until 2007, when American Revell was ...

Hot Wheels Hot Wheels is an American brand of scale model cars introduced by American toymaker Mattel in 1968. It was the primary competitor of Matchbox until 1997, when Mattel bought Tyco Toys, then owner of Matchbox. Many automobile manufacturers ha ...

Tonka Tonka is an American producer of toy trucks. The company is known for making steel toy models of construction type trucks and machinery. Maisto International, which makes diecast vehicles, acquired the rights to use the Tonka name in a line of ...

, Auldey and

Bandai is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturer and distributor headquartered in Taitō, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Toys & Collectables America and Bandai UK, are respectively headquartered in Irvine ...

. On June 23, 2019, the Tamiya Mini 4WD Asia Challenge was held at the

Glorietta Glorietta is a shopping mall complex in the Ayala Center, Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines. The mall is owned by Ayala Land and operated through its subsidiary, the Ayala Malls. The mall is divided into five sections (named Glorietta 1–5) and ...

shopping mall in

Makati Makati ( ), officially the City of Makati ( fil, Lungsod ng Makati), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. Makati is the financial center of the Philippines; it has the highest concentratio ...

, Philippines. Over 200 participants (including 87 foreigners) attended the event. To commemorate the event, Tamiya released a 1:32 scale mini 4WD car of the distinctive

Jeepney Jeepneys (), sometimes called jeeps (), are minibus-like public utility vehicles, serving as the most popular means of public transportation in the Philippines. They are known for their crowded seating and kitsch decorations, which have beco ...

named "Dyipne".

World records

According to the

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

, the world record for Longest Mini 4WD Track was created on November 3, 2019 at 3,191.58 meters at Amagi Dome in

Izu, Shizuoka is a city located in central Izu Peninsula in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 30,678 in 13,390 households, and a population density of 84 persons per km2. The total area of the city was . Geography Izu i ...

, Japan. It took a Mini 4WD car 12 minutes to circle the entire track.

Design

A standard Mini 4WD vehicle is a made of plastic using a

Body-on-frame Body-on-frame, also known as ladder frame construction, is a common motor vehicle construction method, whereby a separate body or coach is mounted on a strong and relatively rigid vehicle frame or chassis that carries the powertrain (the eng ...

design. The

chassis A chassis (, ; plural ''chassis'' from French châssis ) is the load-bearing framework of an artificial object, which structurally supports the object in its construction and function. An example of a chassis is a vehicle frame, the underpa ...

contains the primary components including the AA batteries, motor, gearing, propeller shaft, drive axles, and wheels. The body is purely decorative although some newer designs incorporate ducting to cool the motor. The body and chassis are made from hard plastics like ABS. Side rollers along the front, center, or rear of the vehicle are used to guide the vehicle around a U-shaped track.

Upgrading

Because of the modular design, nearly all the components can be the can be swapped and changed the performance of the vehicle. This allows the owner to customize the performance of the vehicle to the particular track. Higher specification motors can be used to replace the standard FA-130 type motor. There are three specifications that characterize all motors:

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimension ...

torque In physics and mechanics, torque is the rotational equivalent of linear force. It is also referred to as the moment of force (also abbreviated to moment). It represents the capability of a force to produce change in the rotational motion of t ...

, and power-consumption. RPM is the speed the motor provides, and the torque its strength. A higher RPM means higher maximum speed, higher torque gives more acceleration and allows the car to better withstand the difficulties of climbing slopes or running through turns. Gears can also be replaced with sets with different ratios. Common ratios include (3.5:1), (3.7:1), (4:1), (4.2:1), (5:1), and "Special" (ratio varies but are usually 6.4:1). The higher the ratio, the better the acceleration rate and torque; the lower the ratio, the better the maximum speed. In a standard car, the left and right wheels are on a fixed axle. Special one-way wheels can be added to allowed the left and right wheels to rotate at different speeds acting as a differential, to allow for improved cornering performance. In addition, upgrade parts such as bumper width extensions, stabilizers, and brakes can be added that aid in the car's performance through corners, banked turns, elevation changes, and jumps.

References

External links