Review: Tamiya Toyota FJ Cruiser CC01

Scale trucks (aka trail trucks) have risen in popularity in the past year. The idea was to combine your basic crawler with something that resembles a real, 1:1 vehicle. One of the leaders in scale realism is Tamiya, so it’s no big shocker that they would start pumping out some sick trail-ready trucks. A case in point is Toyota’s FJ Cruiser. Tamiya has released this faithfully replicated masterpiece with all the trimmings, right down to the mirrors and light buckets. The big question is, can the new CC-01 chassis provide performance to equal Tamiya’s masterful bodywork? Read on to find out.

AT A GLANCE
WHO MAKES IT: Tamiya
WHO IT’S FOR: Everyone
PART NO.: 58588
HOW MUCH: $209.99
BUILD TYPE: Kit

FEATURE BREAKDOWN
• The tub-style CC-01 chassis is relatively new to Tamiya’s lineup. It features a mid-motor setup with the transmission mounted to the front that can be accessed from the inside for maintenance. Another cool feature is the addition of internal fenders to help keep the FJ from kicking debris up and into the chassis. The electronics mount to a shelf that straddles the battery tray which, unfortunately, is molded to only accept shotgun-style NiMH battery packs. This is a major bummer in my book, but with some creative Dremeling, it looks like you might be able to modify it to get a hard case LiPo in there.

• The front suspension utilizes Tamiya’s standard lower arm with a fixed upper link; however, the rear suspension is quite unique. A pair of trailing arms reach out to a pivoting solid rear axle. In stock form, there is a decent amount of travel, but if you want to really put the FJ on point, get the optional Stroke Extension kit. This kit allows extended rear down-travel for improved suspension on rough terrain. I installed this setup right away so I don’t really have anything to compare it to, but I can definitely say that it does help the FJ traverse some pretty tricky terrain. The only downside to it is that the trailing arms are “C-channeled” on the leading edge and easily get caught on most rocks. A little Dremel work here could help with this but because they stick down so much, I’m not one hundred percent sure there’s a permanent fix.

• The Futaba S3001 servo is mounted next to the mid-mounted motor and twists the bellcranks via a short threaded rod. Threaded rods also extend from the bellcranks to the steering knuckles to turn the front tires. While these are adjustable, it’s not that easy a feat since there is no adjustment “location” to grab hold. Basically, you’ll need to pop the link off, adjust, and snap it back into place.

• The entire drivetrain is encapsulated in a plastic cocoon to keep any debris out. All the gears in the transmission are installed from the top (or inside the chassis tub) and four screws are all it takes to remove a cover to get inside for maintenance. This is very well thought out and after a full battery of run-time I took the cover off to give a peek inside. All the gears were in excellent condition with absolutely no foreign objects inside. Underneath, the front-mounted transmission feeds power to the front wheels via dogbones and a single, steel universal shaft transfers power to the solid rear axle. Inside the rear axle case rests a gear diff that can be filled with fluid or locked (with included parts) for some serious crawler action. I’m not a fan of rocks and open diffs, so I opted to install the locker equipment.

• Tamiya not only provided a few items for performance, they also threw in their TLU-01 LED Light kit. This little control box mounts to the underside of the body and can power up to 16 lights. I wasn’t quite that ambitious and decided to just go with headlights and taillights. After getting the body back from Bradley over at Bradley Fine Line Design (who masterfully treated the FJ with some liquid love), I installed the lights, buckets, stickers and all the additional exterior goodies Tamiya included with the kit. It does appear to be a lot of work, but the finished product is just downright awesome!

PROS
+ Typical stunning detail in the bodywork
+ Cool 4WD system that works quite well
+ Completely sealed drivetrain keeps the gears safe and sound
+ Includes brushed motor and sensored brushed/brushless ESC
+ Fantastic build quality
+ Very capable trail truck mannerisms

CONS
– Suspension works well but can get caught up on rocks
– Chassis only accepts shotgun-style NiMH packs
– Bushings…blah

ON THE TRAILS
One thing I love about the location of our office is that right outside the front door is a candy-land of off-road adventure. We have grass, dirt, rocks, BIG rocks, mulch and, at times, mud and snow. When it comes time to test non-race machines, it’s rare that we need to leave our parking lot. Today was one of those days. Walter, our resident photo stud, and I took a quick stroll out to the far end of the lot and found the perfect playground for the FJ: dirt and rocks that formed a little FJ adventure trail. I plugged everything in, did a quick test on the asphalt and headed for the dirt. The curbing protecting the elevated dirt area was my first obstacle; head on, the front bumper basically plowed into the curb and wouldn’t let the FJ up. Hit that same curb at an angle and, thanks to the rear articulation and torquey Mabuchi power, the curb became a speed bump. I trekked around the rocks, slowly forming a little path that would allow Walter to get some killer shots of the rig. It did a great job of motoring around but when attacking larger rocky areas, I found that once the front tires cleared the obstacle, the rear would get stuck pretty easily and high-center the truck. This happened a few times so I decided to find out what the actual problem was. As I mentioned earlier, the trailing arms have a C-channel design on the leading edge so not only do they stick down a bit, the C-channel design interferes with the FJ’s ability to climb over. I soon found that I really had to pick my line through rocky sections. This did make my forward progression a slower process, but that’s what makes trail trucking so realistic; it’s all about picking the right line.

After a good run on the rocks, Walter and I headed over to some grassy areas. The FJ looked so scale as it powered through the “tall” grass that it made me envision an African safari or a drive through the Outback. The grass didn’t seem to slow the truck down much either, and after a few more minutes of driving we headed to location number three; the hilly mulch area. This area was actually the flowerbeds right out the front door of the office; a nicely groomed, bark-covered area littered with rocks, trees and some very tall reeds. This was definitely no match for the FJ’s abilities, leaving tiny tire treads weaving in and out of the obstacles. After a solid 18 minutes of off-track cruising, it was time to pull the FJ in, put it up on the rack and start my post-crawling inspection.

SPECS & TUNING OPTIONS
DIMENSIONS
LENGTH: 16.8 in. (426mm)
HEIGHT: 8.5 in. (215mm)
WIDTH: 7.7 in. (195mm)
WHEELBASE: 9.9 in. (252mm)
WEIGHT: 53.3oz (1510g)

BODY, WHEELS AND TIRES
BODY: Clear molded polycarbonate
WHEELS: Plastic 6-spoke
WHEEL ADAPTER TYPE: 12mm hex
TIRES: All terrain semi-pneumatic

SUSPENSION
TYPE: 4-wheel independent
SHOCK POSITIONS: (F) 1-tower, 1-arm, (R) 1-tower, 1-arm
CAMBER: Fixed
ROLL: Fixed
WHEELBASE: Fixed
RIDE HEIGHT: Threaded shocks
MISC: NA

STEERING
TYPE: Dual bellcrank
TOE: Threaded rod

CHASSIS
TYPE: Tub
MATERIAL: Plastic
THICKNESS: N/A

DRIVETRAIN
TYPE: 4WD
TRANSMISSION: Single speed
DIFFERENTIAL: Gear, rear can be locked
CLUTCH TYPE: N/A
GEAR RATIO: Optional pinion gears
BEARINGS: Plastic bushings

WRAP UP
Trail trucks are certainly not a new segment in our hobby, but if you’re craving a simply stunning replica of a real truck with great off-road traits, then Tamiya’s FJ Cruiser is one to check out. It’s a great build and fun to detail, with the resulting body, wheel and tire package being beautiful! You’ll need to purchase some additional items to get it going, but thankfully trail trucks don’t require an additional $1000 investment to put a grin on your face. I’m impressed with the FJ and have made it my pick for future “office” trail truck adventures. Time to go get yours…

LINKS
Futaba futaba-rc.com>, 217-398-8970
MaxAmps maxamps.com, 888-654-4450
Tactic tacticrc.com, 217-398-8970
Tamiya tamiyausa.com, 800-826-4922