Tamiya creates life-size Wild One Max buggy

Tamiya and The Little Car Company have launched an 8/10th version of the Wild One Max remote control buggy that can be driven and licenced for road use in some countries.

Following on from scale replicas of the Bugatti Type 35 and the Aston Martin DB5, it's the first time the British firm has tackled creating an upscale Tamiya, but the Wild One Max remains the Japanese model-maker's most iconic R/C car from the 1980s.

Originally released in 1985 as a kit, the upscale Wild One Max remains battery-powered but has grown considerably in dimensions, measuring in at more than 3.5m long and 1.8m wide.

That makes it fractionally shorter but wider than the latest Fiat 500. However, its skeletal space-frame chassis construction has kept weight down to a commendable 250kg.

The life-size Wild One Max features coil-over suspension, Brembo brakes all-round and 15-inch off-road tyres, but it only comes equipped with a meagre 2kWh battery that provides for just 40km of range.

Perhaps even worse than the fear of running out of juice is the chronic lack of power. Despite having the makings of a battery-powered Ariel Nomad-rival, the enlarged Wild One Max comes with a very modest 4kW rear motor that's only good for a disappointing 48km/h top speed.

Luckily, The Little Car Company is already working on a fix, with a battery and motor upgrade on the way.

As standard, the Wild One gets a full digital dash, racing steering wheel and three driving modes.

On the options list there's also a Road Legal Pack that adds brake lights, indicators and mirrors to help it comply with rules governing quadricycles, enabling it to be legally registered in some European markets.

Set to go on sale next year, the Wild One Max will be priced from £6000 ($A10,000) plus local taxes.