RC10Talk - The Net's Largest Vintage R/C Community

Kyosho advertising their Ultima range of models in 1991:

Ultima II: Entry Level 1/10 2wd off-road buggy released in 1989. A base model version of the top-of-the-line Ultima Pro XL racing buggy. Injection molded Kelron chassis and components, four-wheel independent lower a-arm adjustable camber link suspension system, aluminum shock towers and aluminum capped, plastic bodied, oil-filled coilover shocks. A revised upper deck plate sandwiched the twin bellcrank steering system with built-in servo saver adjustable tie rods that led to adjustable hubs and knuckles. The chassis accommodated both transverse stick and saddle style battery mounting and included a 48-pitch transmission with aluminum motor plate and rear guard fit with a bevel gear differential and steel dogbones. Two-piece front and single piece rear "Aero Disk" style wheels, fine tread 185/70/20 M Bridgestone front tires and 340/30/20 M Bridgestone knobbies in the rear, clear lexan body, wing, and mini front bumper. The unassembled Ultima came with bushings a heavy duty rotary mechanical speed controller and LeMans Stock 05 motor, less radio.

Turbo Ultima II: Upgraded version of the Ultima II released in 1990. One step closer to the Pro XL and Included the same Injection molded Kelron chassis, suspension, steering, transmission, wheels, tires and body but added full ball bearings, hung Kyosho's Gold shocks off new fiberglass shock towers, replaced the bevel gear differential with a ball diff, and swapped in a MEGA Outlaw Stock Motor while remaining an unassembled kit less radio.

Ultima Pro XL: 1/10 2wd off-road racing buggy released in 1989. An evolution of the Ultima Pro the XL featured an extended length black fiberglass plate style chassis that allowed for transverse and saddle battery mounting, turnbuckle adjustable camber links over longer lower a-arms, adjustable front hubs and knuckles, and a twin bellcrank steering system with built-in spring-loaded servo saver leading to turnbuckle adjustable tie rods. Fiberglass shock towers held Kyosho Gold shocks while the 48-pitch transmission was equipped with a ball diff and output to steel dogbones. Included front and rear sway bars, full bearings, quick adjust toe and camber, knobby 185/70/20 M Bridgestone front tires and 340/30/20 M Bridgestone knobbies in the rear, clear lexan body, wing, and mini front bumper. The unassembled kit sold less motor, speed controller, and radio.

Outlaw Ultima Racing Truck: 1/10 2wd electric truck released in 1990. Based on the Ultima II and its Kelron chassis/lower a-arm adjustable camber link suspension, servo saver equipped twin bellcrank steering, turnbuckle tie rods and adjustable front hubs and knuckles. Aluminum shock towers held long aluminum capped, plastic bodied, oil-filled coilover shocks while a 48-pitch transmission was fit with a bevel gear differential and steel dogbones. 505/55/22 Bridgestone Sand Super pin style tires were wrapped around deeply offset single piece nylon wheels which spun on plastic bushings. A clear lexan Ford Ranger body topped the unassembled kit off which included a mechanical speed controller and LeMans Super Stock 34 Motor but sold less radio.

I don't remember the Turbo Ultima 2... and the platinum shocks got dropped. That's an interesting lineup.

The major difference between the Ultima II and the Turbo variant is the addition of the gold shocks. They did the same thing with the Turbo Raider.

Yeah, the Platinum's didn't last long before being supplanted by plastic shocks.

Kyosho Golds are a mint now, but with regards to the Turbo Ultima II... given the prices back in the day you'd have thought the bearings were made of gold and not the shocks.

The Outlaw is such a nice looking truck. Something about the very truck looking body and stance.

TRX-1-3 wrote: ↑Sat Dec 28, 2024 7:26 am The Outlaw is such a nice looking truck. Something about the very truck looking body and stance.

It was just a shame they did nothing to make it a little wider. Basically it was a buggy with long front dampers, fitted with truck wheels and a body. As such it belonged more with the old truck conversions from crp, jg and a&l for example than with the new wave of racing trucks started by the rc10t.

Mr. ED wrote: ↑Sat Dec 28, 2024 7:34 am

TRX-1-3 wrote: ↑Sat Dec 28, 2024 7:26 am The Outlaw is such a nice looking truck. Something about the very truck looking body and stance.

It was just a shame they did nothing to make it a little wider. Basically it was a buggy with long front dampers, fitted with truck wheels and a body. As such it belonged more with the old truck conversions from crp, jg and a&l for example than with the new wave of racing trucks started by the rc10t.

Right. Blessing for looks, curse for "performance". But it doesn't look like a caricature of a truck like the other "true" racing trucks. I completely agree with your truck conversion assessment. Handsome nonetheless.

Yeah it's too bad they couldn't have predicted the future lol, the outlaw was competing with the jrxt and shotgun as were the conversions until the 10t came out a year later.

GoMachV wrote: ↑Sat Dec 28, 2024 8:30 am Yeah it's too bad they couldn't have predicted the future lol, the outlaw was competing with the jrxt and shotgun as were the conversions until the 10t came out a year later.

oops, my brain must be messing with me. When my local club added a truck class I converted my ultima pro into a truck using the tamiya stadium truck wheels and a reworked monster beetle front wheel axle. Later I added rc10t arms and axles. In my memory this was before the outlaw was released. Silly old man me

A later rebuild of my ultima-T was displayed in this early post of mine here: https://rc10talk.com/viewtopic.php?t=663

As with everything after the rc10, ae was late to the party- but if you watch the first major race (check the genehusting videos on the website of the same name) it absolutely blew away the conversion style trucks. Kind of a sad race to watch as it was the death of everything that looked like a real truck.