1992 Top Force Evolution #58107
In the summer of 1992, Tamiya would release what many believe to be their most impressive 4wd off-road buggy - the Top Force Evolution. Released as kit 58107, the Evolution was certainly that, an evolution of the Top Force (58100) that was released less than one year prior. The Evolution was the third car to ride on the DF-01 chassis, starting with the Manta Ray (58058) in 1990. The DF-01 had already proven to be a great racing platform in the Top Force configuration, using a double-decker FRP chassis, ball diffs, an efficient shaft-drive drivetrain, and impressive suspension geometry.
The original Top Force was sure-footed and competitive on the track against it’s rivals of the day. Tamiya quickly realized that they could revise the 58100 Top Force and give it the TRF (Tamiya Racing Factory) touch, offering a track ready car out of the box. This endeavor would be known as the Top Force Evolution. Its list of upgrades was impressive, including carbon fiber chassis plates, lightened ball-diffs front and rear, aluminum hi-capacity dampers, one-way bearing, universal joint driveshafts, and most impressively, titanium hardware. These upgrades greatly improved handling and responsiveness by reducing weight and improving drivetrain efficiency.
The Evolution variant would become one of the most sought after of the Tamiya off-road buggies and one of the most frequently “cloned” platforms. The DF-01 design was extremely versatile and saw lasting success as a narrow armed on-road variation known as the TA-01. The abundance of TA-01 drivetrain and chassis components allowed many to maintain older DF-01 cars and even replicate the rare Top Force Evolution - except for one key aspect, it’s iconic orange wheels that were only used on the Evolution and the equally elusive Terra Conquerer (58115). Another contributor to the scarcity of the 58107 Evolution was that many were raced and driven hard, which created a black-hole for things like the universal driveshafts and the unique lightened ball differential pressure plates.
In many people’s opinion, the Top Force Evolution was Tamiya’s last great attempt to finish what the Avante started, a ground breaking offering that pushed the limits of design, engineering, and materials to put Tamiya on the podium. While it did not have a memorable IFMAR history (much like most of Tamiya’s off-road vehicles) it did win the hearts and minds of many at the local club level. It was a versatile, light-weight, and great handling off-load buggy that still turns heads today.
Re-Release Top Force EVO 2021 #47470
Tamiya announced in early 2021 their plans to release the Evolution as the limited edition Top Force EVO under part number 47470 (this is a 47XXX number, this means it is a limited release). Due to supply issues as a result of the COVID virus, many would not see their kits until late 2021 and early 2022. The “EVO” by all measures is a great re-release; however, it does not quite fill the 58107’s shoes. It is uses CV axels rather than the universal driveshafts (we also saw this on the Terra Scorcher 2020 re-re), the new kit has square pin tires over the long out of production “spire” round pin tires, the shock towers are carbon fiber on the EVO rather than FRP on the original Evolution, and it lacks the essential titanium hardware kit. The EVO is certainly a great example of DF-01 chassis and a great build for anyone looking to relive the excitement of the original. If you are wanting to take your build one step closer to a real Evolution, you will need to track down a titanium hardware kit as it is one of the most over-the-top features on the original that really showed Tamiya’s dedication to going to extremes. To my surprise, the EVO actually appears to have the identical lightened ball differentials from the original, a touch that many were not expecting.
I have found a lot of joy in racing the 47470 EVO competitively against modern 4wd Buggies. I have a fully built spec racer that you can learn more about here - 13.5T spec Top Force EVO.
Resident Sample Car
The photos are my 47470 EVO and not an original 58107 (I have to balance my child’s college fund and my RC collection). The only notable visual differences in the pics are the “EVO Racing” decal instead of “Evolution”, the square spike tires over the round pins, and the shock towers are carbon instead of FRP.
Build Specs
Motor: Trinity Speed Gems 11 Triple (50k RPM!!!!!!)
ESC: Novak Rooster Reversable
Servo: Protek S130 (need to find a race level period correct model)
RX: Airtronics/Sanwa Micro AM “Z” Receiver
TX: Airtronics/Sanwa MX-A 27mhz)
