Tamiya Mitsubishi Pajero Project

The Tamiya CC-1 (Cross Country) chassis was originally released in December of 1993.  Most chassis configurations evolve over the years and are incremented with new numbers, but the CC-01 has stayed the same for 25 years and is still for sale.  I count at least 12 different bodies which have been used on this chassis in that time, and that does not count another 10 color or trim variations.  The hard shell Pajero body was the first and was sold as 58132.  The same model was released again in 2008 as 49490 and then again with the same number in 2013.   The 4th and most recent release in 2017 was 47331.  I only have the most recent version, but I can't spot any obvious changes in all that time.  Between all those releases and lack of changes, it is safe to say that several generations of fans have enjoyed this great little model.

This is a 4WD shaft driven chassis with independent front suspension and a solid axle on trailing arms in the rear.  It is a pretty small model so the 540 silver can motor is plenty to move it along as fast as you would reasonably want a vehicle like this to go.  It is one of my favorite to drive in that I can pretty much stay at full throttle all the time without worrying about anything.  With relatively little ground clearance and open differentials, it isn't excellent off road.  On gravel or low cut grass it is really at home.  Trying to crawl over anything it will get stuck pretty quickly.  The rear differential can be locked, but only by opening it up and replacing the spider gears with a plug.  The model has proven exceptionally durable without any needed repairs so far.  Like all hard bodies, it looks best with some lights!  I am still using the stock motor and ESC along with a cheap analog Futaba servo which seems to be just fine.  Battery space is limited so a 7.2V NiMH works best.

After a few months of driving I went in and added a bunch of aluminum suspension parts and some upgraded shocks.  Later I added a full lighting system, roof rack and bumper, and other scale accessories.  This has ended up being a pretty deluxe CC-01.  Finally, I switched over to a low turn brushless motor and better tires to improve crawling performance.

Update:  This model was destroyed in the 2022 fire.  It has not been replaced.