The 58063
Lunchbox from 1987 was not the first ever Tamiya wheelie model (that
honor goes to the Wild Willy), but it was the first to use the CW-01
chassis, though it would not be called that until later. This is a
big wheel chassis similar in appearance to the Blackfoot or Monster
Beetle, but modified with balance for popping wheelies. This is
still a solid axle, 2WD model though. The front suspension is a
simple swing arm type with camber that changes as a function of
suspension travel. The advantage is a huge amount of travel that
allows it to soak up the impact of the front end coming down.
The combination of this simple suspension, simple long travel undamped
shocks, and huge tires with no foams makes the model bounce like a
rabbit. It is remarkably capable off road in spite of its
simplicity.The Lunchbox uses what appears to be an 80's Dodge van hard body in 1/12 scale. The same chassis was used later for the 58070 Midnight Pumpkin with a Ford F-100 body. These were the only models released on this chassis in the 80's, and both came back as re-releases in the 00's along with various color variations, Expert Built versions, and a couple of Unimog bodies. The chassis is still in production and essentially unchanged after 30+ years. My version of the Lunchbox is the 58347 re-release from 2005.
Something must surely be said about the design and its back story. While a monster truck van may seem like an odd choice, the 80's were an odd time. If you could jack up a chassis and put big tires on it, somebody probably tried it. There was a monster truck called "Rollin' Thunder" on which the Lunchbox was surely based. Even the diagonal lightning bolt graphic matches. Tamiya must not have had a license for it though, so they changed the name. Who is "Vanessa" and why would this van be her lunch box? Why not?
This is my third model using the CW-01 chassis so I've already said pretty much everything I'm going to say about it elsewhere. It is fun. Get one.
Update: This model was destroyed in the 2022 fire. It has not been replaced.
 Page 1: Assembly |
 Page 2: Upgrades! |
 Page 3: Final Photos |