Yokomo Off-Road Car Timeline

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Re: Yokomo Off-Road Car Timeline

Post by scoobyrs25 »

We need those pics in the first post. Box art seems useless since they just kept slapping stickers on it for a while there.

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Re: Yokomo Off-Road Car Timeline

Post by stuey »

Hi guys. Can anyone please confirm the release date of the MR4 BC? I have the basic one that I may be racing in a vintage class soon, and the cutoff year is 2000. I think it was released in 1999. Thanks :D

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Re: Yokomo Off-Road Car Timeline

Post by Micholix »

Hi stuey,

You are correct!

If you have a look at the first page on the manual for the mr-4 bc in the link, there you can see the date 1999.07.30

http://www.competitionx.com/yokomo-manuals/


Hope that helps?

BR
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Re: Yokomo Off-Road Car Timeline

Post by TimboM »

Based on the timeline in Dual's original post in this thread, can anyone help me place which car from the thread this chassis belongs to please?

http://www.fibre-lyte.co.uk/fl/cars/yokomo/wcsmasamichassis.html

and what is the difference in models between that one and this one?

http://www.fibre-lyte.co.uk/fl/cars/yokomo/wcschassis.html

thanks

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Re: Yokomo Off-Road Car Timeline

Post by aip47-2008 »

Both are 1993 WCS models. Of course one is modified to match Masami original WCS chassis. both chassis had a very short existence as the 1994 YZ10 was released shortly after.

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Re: Yokomo Off-Road Car Timeline

Post by Corlin »

Does anyone know if the MR-4BX Worlds Spec Conversion Kit (Yokomo Item BX07CW) from 2007 would fit on a MR-4BC Special Edition Car (Yokomo Item MR-BC-1S) from 2003? Thanks

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Re: Yokomo Off-Road Car Timeline

Post by pedro »

Sorry I don't think there is a single part that those two models share the mr4bc is basically just a conversion kit for mr4 touring car and uses the mx4 suspension whereas the mr4bx was a totally new platform.

Peter

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Re: Yokomo Off-Road Car Timeline

Post by ChocoTaco73 »

variant45 wrote: Sun May 24, 2015 8:24 pm
One of the pieces of paper in the box was this that shows the pre-production model and on the back there is a price list. It's interesting that they call it the "RPS/Yokomo C-4" I assume that this was dropped in the box by RPS because it had the parts list on it that is nowhere else in the instructions.

I have to think that like the 834 which came out in '83, the "870" is in partial reference to its development in 87. Why they didn't call it the 874 is anyone's guess..


Scott

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Hi all, I know this is an old thread but I'm about to start a JRX2 resto project and got to thinking about racing back in the day. In the mid to late 80s I lived in Las Vegas (still do) and raced at Circus Hobbies. At the time so did Jack Johnson, a Losi team driver and I was lucky enough to see the prototype JRX2 run long before it was released. The Losi guys were running a 4wd I hadn’t seen before, turned out it was the Yokomo C4. For those who don’t know, RPS as mentioned above is the Ranch Pit Shop which was Team Losi headquarters. Losi started importing the C4 and I remember seeing at least one C4 kit on the shelf at Circus Hobbies, which they quickly sold. But then that was it, out of the blue the C4 was no longer available. A short time later Team Associated began importing a strikingly similar 4wd named the YZ-10 and the rest is history. Losi started running Kyosho for 4wd then. I’ve always wondered what went down between Yokomo, Losi and Associated but I’m sure whatever it is comes down to money. Funny story, Jack would only bring out his C4 to run mod 4wd, which didn’t happen all that often but was fun to watch. I picked up a Schumacher CAT XL when they came out and brought it out to practice one day for stock 4wd. Jack happened to be there with his JRX2 and was watching me run the CAT. It was fast, faster than most everything else that ran stock 4wd back then and I thought I would clean house at the next race. The next race I sign up for stock 4wd and wouldn’t you know it, so did Jack. He proceeded to whip up on everyone with his C4, including me. Good times.
James - Losi fanatic :lol:

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Re: Yokomo Off-Road Car Timeline

Post by duckhead »

ChocoTaco73 wrote: Thu Jan 27, 2022 12:04 pm Hi all, I know this is an old thread but I'm about to start a JRX2 resto project and got to thinking about racing back in the day. In the mid to late 80s I lived in Las Vegas (still do) and raced at Circus Hobbies. At the time so did Jack Johnson, a Losi team driver and I was lucky enough to see the prototype JRX2 run long before it was released. The Losi guys were running a 4wd I hadn’t seen before, turned out it was the Yokomo C4. For those who don’t know, RPS as mentioned above is the Ranch Pit Shop which was Team Losi headquarters. Losi started importing the C4 and I remember seeing at least one C4 kit on the shelf at Circus Hobbies, which they quickly sold. But then that was it, out of the blue the C4 was no longer available. A short time later Team Associated began importing a strikingly similar 4wd named the YZ-10 and the rest is history. Losi started running Kyosho for 4wd then. I’ve always wondered what went down between Yokomo, Losi and Associated but I’m sure whatever it is comes down to money. Funny story, Jack would only bring out his C4 to run mod 4wd, which didn’t happen all that often but was fun to watch. I picked up a Schumacher CAT XL when they came out and brought it out to practice one day for stock 4wd. Jack happened to be there with his JRX2 and was watching me run the CAT. It was fast, faster than most everything else that ran stock 4wd back then and I thought I would clean house at the next race. The next race I sign up for stock 4wd and wouldn’t you know it, so did Jack. He proceeded to whip up on everyone with his C4, including me. Good times.

I am not sure the specific circumstances of how Yokomo switched import distribution from RPS (Losi) to Team Associated in the US, but I suspect it was part of a larger falling out between Losi and Associated.

There is a great four part series of videos on YouTube that is worth everyone's time, but if you watch in the first one, timestamped here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BSHuumKOhQ&t=314s Gil Losi Sr. mentions the falling out and how it drove Losi to make the JRX2.

Team Associated likely pulled the Yokomo distribution from RPS/Losi which in turn likely forced RPS/Losi to return to Kyosho with whom they had a relationship with prior to Yokomo.

-Mark

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Re: Yokomo Off-Road Car Timeline

Post by ChocoTaco73 »

That's what I figured but would be great to hear straight from the horse's mouth :D I watched those vids last month, got me all nostalgic and bought a JRX2, JRX-Pro and JRX-Pro SE....expensive vids lol Next month J Concepts is having the first race of their indoor points series and I heard from a local TLR driver that Jr is supposed to be there. I'm hoping to have him sign my JRX2 chassis and at least ask about the C4 if possible.
James - Losi fanatic :lol:

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Re: Yokomo Off-Road Car Timeline

Post by ChocoTaco73 »

Not sure if this has been posted here but thought this was a cool video from the '87 IFMAR Worlds, skip to about 4:23 to see Pops Losi discussing the Yokomo C4: https://youtu.be/M57Jss11EPg

James - Losi fanatic :lol:

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Re: Yokomo Off-Road Car Timeline

Post by Frankentruck »

ChocoTaco73 wrote: Mon Aug 15, 2022 5:44 pm Not sure if this has been posted here but thought this was a cool video from the '87 IFMAR Worlds, skip to about 4:23 to see Pops Losi discussing the Yokomo C4: https://youtu.be/M57Jss11EPg
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Re: Yokomo Off-Road Car Timeline

Post by FC5687 »

Dual wrote: Mon Sep 17, 2007 6:03 am Hi,

Bellow is a Yokomo Timeline of all the Yokomo Off-Road cars that I am aware of. I have heard of other versions (not listed below) such as the 'Craig Drescher' Version but I cannot personally confirm the release of such models (http://www.rc10talk.com/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=33294). Maybe there is someone out there that can add to the list I have provided. Here is a link to a site providing photos and information about most of the cars listed bellow. http://free73.tistory.com/123

1983: Yokomo YZ-834B Dog Fighter

Late 1985: Yokomo Wonder Dog Fighter

1986: Yokomo/RPS Gil Losi Jr. Dog Fighter

Late 1987: Yokomo YZ870C Super Dog Fighter
For me the first true competition 4WD car released by Yokomo although I am sure there are others that would disagree (hint: YZ-834B). Set the standard (along with the Schumacher Cat) for the future development of 4WD Competition Racers in terms of belt drive drive train and chassis/battery layout set-up. Not widely released in the U.S.A but was imported in very small numbers as the Yokomo C4.

1988: Yokomo YZ10 (U.S. release version ofthe YZ870C)
Identical to the YZ870C but with some cosmetic changes such as white rims (as opposed to pink rims on the YZ-870C) and a more box-shaped Protech 4 Body to make the car more appealing to the U.S. market. Also minor running changes such as slightly (and I stress slightly) improved shock absorbers. Sold under the Team Associated banner.

198-: Yokomo YZ870C Custom
I am not sure about the specification of this car other than it was a YZ-870C kit with a Graphite Chassis, some upgrades and included a Yokomo Esprit motor.

Early 1991: Yokomo Works '91
This model incorporated many modifications that Masami Hirosaka used on his 1989 IFMAR World Championship Winning YZ-870C. Features included a new graphite chassis with different battery lay-out, an upper deck stiffener, the infamous 2mm fine pitch drive belts, center one-way layshaft with dual ball bearings (an expensive option part), aluminium front and rear bulkheads (replacing the fragile magnesium versions on the YZ870C), new design shock absorbers with matching shock towers, new longer front and rear A-arms, titanium turnbuckles, slotted bulkhead holes to allow adjustment of rear belt tension and the 'Squashed Bug' poly-carbonate body that let everyone know what car you were driving. The Works '91 was never released in the U.S.

Early to Mid 1992: Yokomo Works '92 Spec.
Identical in design to the Works '91 but included changes such a redesigned front and rear shock towers (offering improved shock geometry), redesigned front and rear hub carriers (offering improved strength over the originals) and softer 3mm pitch drive belts to replace the problematical 2mm fine pitch belts on the Works '91.

Early 1993: Yokomo Works '93
A personal favorite of mine and was released World-Wide. Designed to replicate to a certain extent the 1991 IFMAR World Championship winning car driven by Cliff Lett. Quite expensive (359.99 U.S.) for the time but did come with a lot of option parts such as titanium turnbuckles, Traction Control System (T.C.S.), softer kevlar 3mm pitch drive belts (Works '93 exclusive), lightened differentials and a new design upper deck. It was the first Yokomo to sport the coloured plastic wings and coloured wheel discs (2 very popular items for a few years).

November 1993: Yokomo World Championship Special (W.C.S.)
An EXACT replica (right down to the titanium and aluminium hardware) of the car Masami Hirosaka used to win the 1993 IFMAR World Championships. A real departure from the earlier Works '91/'93 models and famously sported the white G.R.P. shock towers and upper deck. First Yokomo to sport a true carbon fiber chassis (as opposed to graphite) and did not use the Magnesium/Aluminium front bulkhead as on previous models instead had a new design nylon front bulkhead. New design chunky front and rear arms and front upper link. Also included the troublesome 2mm fine pitch belts because that is what Masami had on his car. This model had to be reserved/special ordered (deposit put down in full) and it was only ever released in very small numbers. Definitely one of the rarest and most sought after Yokomo's ever produced.

Early 1994: Yokomo YZ10 Super Dog Fighter
For the majority of people that missed out or could not afford the World Championship Special, Yokomo released the YZ10. Quite similar in design to the W.C.S. but a lot of 'special' parts were omitted to save costs and make the YZ10 more user friendly compared to the one-off W.C.S. Like the W.C.S., the YZ10 was a completely different in design to the earlier Works models and this made it very popular in the mid 1990's as it was a very durable car. At one point the majority of racers (pro through to novice) used only this car.

1996: Yokomo YZ10 World Champion Special aka 'Mark Pavidis Edition'
A replica of the car that Mark Pavidis used to win the 1995 IFMAR World Championships. This model came with most of the options included in the box and with the purchase/addition of a few more option parts, the owner could indeed have a formidable replica of the same car Pavidis used. Based on the 1994 YZ10, the Worlds Edition came with a new lightweight milled chassis with improved battery location (cells could be shifted back and forth on the left hand side of the car), different upper deck mounting location, 15 Tooth Aluminium front one-way pulley (no slipper clutch though), lightweight milled front and rear A-arms, new carbon fiber upper deck and front and rear shock towers (same geometry as the YZ10 but different design), Team Associated hard anodised shocks and a new carbon fiber rear camber mount. Again a very popular car in the mid 1990's but the Team Losi XX4 wasn't to far away.

Mid 1996: Yokomo Hot Dog
I was not sure whether to include the Yokomo Hot Dog in this timeline as it utilized the chassis from the on-road YR-4 car but uses the suspension from the Works '93. I believe the Hot Dog was more of a fun car than anything else. It was pretty low specd. (bushings, stick pack configuration only) compared to the other off-road Yokomo (see above) that was released just before but it done the job it was intended to do which was to just play around. Included a body identical to the one used on the 1988 YZ10 but unfortunately for some collectors had 2 raised dimples on the front of the body which meant you could tell that it wasn't an original Protech 4 body.

Mid 1997: Upperdeck and Shock Tower conversion kit for the YZ10/Worlds Edition.
Not a complete kit but these 2 parts combined allowed Pavidis/Worlds Edition owners to convert their cars to a similar specification as the one Masami Hirosaka used to win the 1997 IFMAR Worlds Warm-Up at the Ranch Pit Stop. The 'Sky Scraper' Shock Towers and Spring Set-up Upperdeck were a stepping stone for the design of the 1997 Worlds Winning MX-4 and later became standard features on the production version of the MX-4.

1998: Yokomo MX-4
Yokomo promised that the production version of the MX-4 would be identical to the one that Masami Hirosaka used to win the 1997 IFMAR World Championships. Customers and fans were disappointed to find out that the production MX-4 although similar in appearance to the one Masami used, lacked most of the custom hand made parts that were on Masami's car. This was done to make the MX-4 more user friendly to the public but even so, the production MX-4 was still a difficult car to maintain properly.

2000: Yokomo Miracle Products MX-4 Millenium Conversion Kit
Designed by Masaki and Masami Hirosaka, this conversion kit allowed MX-4 owners to convert their cars to a mid motor set-up. Only 200 of these conversion kits were made and were very difficult to obtain outside of Japan.

If anyone has any queries about Yokomo cars, feel free to PM me or just reply to a current thread. I have left out the Yokomo MR4-BC,MR4-BCS and the MR4-BX as they are still easily found and a lot of information is available on these 3 cars on other sites.

Enjoy.
Sounds like the MX-4 transmission of the early (97) version is pretty much identical to the YZ10 (95), is

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