2016 is the 40th Anniversary of both the real 934 and its RC little brother; Tamiya’s long lived kit. Back in June of this year, to celebrate the model’s anniversary, Tamiya announced a completely up-to-the-minute version of the 934 based on their TA-02SW architecture. Where the original 934 produced 485 horsepower (or more) from its turbocharged flat six, this kit will produce a modest 350 gram-centimeters of torque (and unspecified horsepower) from its electric motor. The kit became available just last week.
While Jaegermeister may not be to everyone’s taste as a beverage, the company’s livery looks absolutely spectacular on race cars. Even scaled to 1/10th the vibrant orange and distinctive logos are just as eye catching as they are on a full sized racecar. The scheme is accurate to the original Max Moritz 934s, and looks aggressive over gold-centered BBS-style wheels.
The Original
The original Tamiya 934 came in 1/12th scale, somewhat smaller than the new kit’s 1/10th scale. As originally made the model was painted in a Valliant livery. This was Tamiya’s first foray into RC, and the original 934 kit had virtually no suspension front or rear, and the differential helped to put power down through a solid axle.
The Goods
The new kit benefits from 40-years of development in the RC car world, and is based on a shortened and widened variant of the Tamiya TSA-02 chassis. While fully independent suspension is fairly standard in the RC world today, this special kit includes a number of factory hop-up parts to give the 934 improved performance. Included with the kit are the following add-ons:
- Item 53142 Aluminum Motor Mount
- Item 53166 FRP Chassis Set
- Item 53194 FRP Rear Damper Stay
- Item 54608 CC-01 Assembly Universal Shafts
- Item 53152 Hard Propeller Shaft
- Item53193 FRP Front Damper Stay
- Item 53806 Ball Diff Cup Joint for Universal Shaft
Though the kit will require batteries and a radio, this 40th Anniversary kit does include a substantial number of extras to make up its $349 retail price (update, the kit is no longer available on the Tamiya site, but you can sign up to be notified when is back in stock. Alternatively, you can pay a premium on Amazon if you don’t want to wait). While the un-opened package would likely look good on a collector’s shelf, it might be worthwhile to build this one up and frame the box art. Like the real thing, this Porsche is meant to be driven.