I didn’t play with toys a lot as a kid. I preferred sports, BB guns, riding my bike and trekking  through the woods near my house. But, there was one toy I did truly love and it was my Tyco 9.6V Bandit. It was black and chrome and had a radical early 90s paint scheme.  It was gorgeous.  It reminded me of the 4x4 Marty McFly got at the end of “Back to the Future”.  I was fortunate enough to get the truck plus the separately sold 9.6 volt battery pack and 4-hour “quick” charger for my birthday.  Not knowing it could actually take over night to fully charge that thing.  But, also unknown to me at the time this was the beginning of a lifelong love of RC cars and trucks.

The Tyco Bandit was part of a family of Tyco RC vehicles that shared a rechargeable 9.6 volt battery pack that was more powerful than the RCs of the time using AA alkaline batteries.  When you pulled the trigger all the way down a green light illuminated on the transmitter letting you know you were now using “turbo” power.  Perhaps the greatest thing about the Bandit was its spot in the RC hobby. The 9.6V NiCd rechargeable pack, 4-wheel independent suspension and turbo speed gave it the feeling of an entry level hobby-grade kit plus it had a pistol grip transmitter.  Make no mistake though, it was a toy.  It was powered by a small Mabuchi 280 motor. The integrated speed controller/radio circuitry were not serviceable and the body and chassis were not designed to be easily disassembled.  However, Tyco did sell replacement components. Good thing because it was easy to strip the transmission due to the lack of a brake and the tendency was to slam it in reverse to stop or slow down.

The Bandit was released in the late 1980s originally called the “Baja Bandit”. The first iteration in my opinion lacked the allure of the later liveries because it didn’t have the super cool fluorescent decals. The Mk1 had yellow and red graphics on a black molded ABS body resembling a Nissan pickup truck. It had a locked rear (no diff) and a 2-speed gearbox that allowed you to select Fast or Slow speeds via a lever switch on the back of the transmission.  The Mk2 had a traditional differential, new totally rad fluorescent graphics that said “Turbo” instead of “Baja”, chrome windows and now you had the option of a black or red body. The Mk3 returned to a locked rear and the gearbox speed selector switch was now accessed through a cut-out in the bed of the truck. The versions with the differential turned a little better while the locked rear version would get you through taller grass.

The Bandit was legitimately fast and earned its “Turbo” moniker. The added power from the 9.6v pack was significant. The Bandit would throw roost and drift around turns on loose gravel and dirt. I’m thinking this is what hooked me as a kid.  Seeing that trail of debris being thrown out of the driveway and into the grass by those extra wide knobby tires. I don’t remember going easy on this thing and it was surprisingly resilient. It had no problems dealing with the rough terrain and jumps my brother and I put it up against. It was a true off-roader but also looked mean on the streets.

Resident Sample Car

Photographed is my Mk 3 Turbo Bandit from 1992. It’s in incredible condition and is fully functional. The chrome comes off these things if you look at them wrong so I’m grateful to have such a nice example. I still spend time looking at this truck with the same amazement I had as a kid. I can’t help picturing myself climbing into this thing, putting on my shades and driving the coolest looking truck ever over the sand dunes and into the California sunset.

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Specs

Motor: Mabuchi 280 motor
ESC: Integrated
Servo: Integrated
RX: Integrated
TX: Tyco Pistol Style w/ “Turbo”
Battery: 9.6v Tyco 8-cell “AA” type NiCad