Evolution of the Scorpion
and the complete Circuit 1000 buggy line
The Kyosho Scorpion is in my opinion one of the best 1/10 scale R/C buggies ever made. It had everything that should be in a scaled radio controlled buggy. It had looks, performance, detail, and excellent quality. It is a simple design but very efficient. It is a engineering masterpiece in metal. The Scorpion was a very popular racing buggy in the early eighties that created a legacy on the track. Even thought this buggy was very popular and very successful it is a very rare item to find today. It's legacy is what makes it such a sought after collector piece today. It's popularity with collectors today has also raised some un-clarity as to its evolution. There were actually many versions of the Scorpion. Many different optional parts were used over the evolution of the infamous buggy. Below is a layout of the evolution of this great and wonderful buggy. I would to thank Franco Gaeton, Oyvind Johansen and Brian Myers for there help in comprising this information.
The first Scorpion was so equipped: Twin aluminum chassis rails: Single speed 5 gear gearbox made of cast aluminum with solid diff: Aluminum motor mount attached to gearbox with stamped steel backing plate and plastic gear cover. Housed 3 gears: Mabuchi RS540S motor with full length rubber motor cover: Rear aluminum shock mount attached to front of gearbox via 2 screw: 2 rear aluminum oil filled coilover shocks with plastic lock collars, plastic bottom ball socket, and plastic lower spring perch: 2 Cast aluminum single swing arm rear suspension arms with solid bushings, through the housing drive axles, aluminum drive washers, and single pin double mount pivots: Split aluminum rear upper suspension arm mounts: Block pattern rear tires with Good Year markings and solid center white 1.75" rear drive rims: Single bottom rear frame support gearbox mount: 6mm round aluminum roll bar tall straight version: Plastic rear motor cage guard around rear of car: Wire wing mount and lexan wing: Single wire L bent receiver antenna support mounts to rear of plastic motor guard: Yellow plastic radio tub with bottom battery door housed 2 servos, mechanical speed control, receiver, receiver batteries, and 7.2v drive battery: Lexan body with molded driver figure, plastic outer roll cage with aluminum roof panel: Aluminum front cross brace steering mount with split direct and indirect wedge type servo saver: Single bar steel front suspension pivot bar with cast aluminum hold down braces: 2 Cast aluminum single swing arm front suspension arms with upper link cast bars, aluminum steering knuckles, steel upright pivots, and aluminum caster adjuster/arm locks: 2 Front aluminum coilover shocks with plastic lock collars, plastic bottom ball socket, and lower spring perch: 2 Aluminum front shock mount towers: Large plastic flat front bumper:
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Gen 1
This is a picture of the first Generation Scorpion. To my knowledge this was what the very first ones looked like.
Note:
Yellow Radio Tub: Straight Insanely Tall Roll Bar: Good Year Block and 5 Ribbed Tires: White Solid Center Rims: Bare Aluminum Shocks:
Photo Courtesy of Kyosho Inc.
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Gen 2
This is a picture of a Second Generation Scorpion. To my Knowledge this is how a second version looked.
Note changes:
Gen 2 and Gen 3 were really one in the same. They both carried some of the same features. Short Straight Roll Bar: Chrome Solid Wheels: Some were seen with the taller bent roll bar on yellow chassis tubs
Photo Courtesy of Tamiyaclub.com
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Gen 3
This is a picture of a Third Generation Scorpion. To my Knowledge this is how a third version looked.
Note changes:
Gen 2 and Gen 3 were really one in the same. They both carried some of the same features. Radio tub was now being seen in black as well as yellow: Roll bar is taller again with forward bend in it toward top: Some were seen with the shorter straight roll bar on the black chassis tub
Shown is a the Cox version
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Gen 4
This is a picture of a Fourth Generation Scorpion. To my Knowledge this is how a fourth version looked.
Note changes:
Started seeing the Tomahawk chrome wheels on this version . Also note that the front tires on the fourth Gen version were now the same 4 rib pattern found on the Tomahawk. Both yellow and black tubs were still being seen.
Photo Courtesy of Tamiyaclub.com
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Gen 5
This is a picture of a Fifth Generation Scorpion. To my Knowledge this is how a fifth version looked.
Note changes:
Gone from the tire sidewalls was the name Good Year. The tires now said Sand Super on them. The rears were still a block pattern but the fronts were now a 4 narrow but taller rib design. Also gracing the buggy were the now famous red anodized shocks.
Special Note: The Scorpion pictured has a special roll cage roof panel made for it that were not on the original 5th gen version.
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Gen 6
First Turbo Version
This is a picture of a sixth Generation Scorpion. To my Knowledge this is how a sixth version looked.
Note changes:
New Body: White Five Hole Tomahawk style wheels: Sand Super Spike Rear tires, and Sand Super Ribbed front tires: Some early ones had Black Radio Tubs to begin with but most of the later had White ones: A new wing mount and wing were also added to this version, it shared these with Kyosho Assault: The Tomahawk's short front bumper now graced the front of the new Turbo Scorpion: The most noticeable change was the addition of a modified Kyosho Le Mans 360E motor:
Note: The 360E Lemans motor was only found on the Kyosho version of the Turbo Scorpion. A Mabuchi RS540S motors were included on the Cox and Graupner versions
Photo Courtesy of Kyosho Inc.
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Gen 7
Final Turbo Version
This is a picture of a seventh Generation Scorpion. To my Knowledge this is how a seventh version looked.
Note changes:
This was the last and final Scorpion version made. It has mostly the same parts as the 6th version but now has an exclusive set of wheels that were only available on this version. They were a 5 spoke star pattern in molded white. Also only available on the seventh Gen version was a new roll cage over the driver that now sported two more off road foe lights. These were the last and final upgrades to the Scorpion line.
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Where did the Scorpion come from?
The Scorpion was conceived from the legendary RC designer Akira Kogawa in the late seventies and early eighties. It's design was based loosely on Bob Rodines 1:1 desert racer named the Rodine Runner. Below is an article on Rodines buggy, as some concept sketches by Mr. Tanaka from the well know Time Tunnel website, of the early Scorpion. The original body designs were done by Mr Kogawa. Click on the photos to open the PDF files.
Article about Bob Rodine's Buggy From Hot VW magazine 1979
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Thanks to Torbjörn Andersson for making this information available. Article is from Hot VW Magazine and found on www. race-dezert.com
Concept art byMr. Tanaka ( aka Tanatwo )
More on Mr Tanaka to come.
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The Circuit 1000 Story
The Kyosho Scorpion was a very successful buggy, but it was part of an even more successful platform. The Scorpion line was part of Kyosho Circuit 1000 line up of buggies. These buggies were all based on the same chassis and suspension set up and included several aesthetic differences. They were sold under the Kyosho and Cox name in the United States and the Kyosho and Graupner name in Europe. The first in the line up was the very popular and successful Scorpion . Followed by the Beetle. Both of these were sold under all three name plates. Cox would have one exclusive vehicle from the Circuit 1000 buggy platform that crazy as it may sound was not a buggy. It was a pickup truck. It was aimed at going head to head with Tamiya's Ford F150 pick up that was based on the SRB platform that the Sand Scorcher, Rough Rider, and Super Champ used. The Cox truck was called the Sidewinder. Though it did not share as successful of a sales run as Scorpion, it was still a very well performing vehicle considering it's set up. The Sidewinder is the rarest of the Circuit 1000 platform. The Circuit 1000 buggies also spawned another very successful race buggy known as the Tomahawk. This was a lighter higher end version of the platform with some very unique features and upgrades. It was also a terror on the track! The second rarest of the Circuit 1000 buggies was the beetle. Rare today because of low sales figures, it was one of those buggies that you either loved or hated ! Aesthetically speaking. The Beetle was based entirely on the Scorpion chassis with only a few additions separating it from it's more popular siblings. The Circuit 1000 platform adorned two Nitro powered buggies. They were the Assault and the Advance. Both were unique in there own way, and though they were based on the same platform, they looked very different from one another. The Turbo Scorpion was the last of these famous buggies. It was a very successful version of the platform, and sold well under all three name plates. The Turbo Scorpion spawned a whole slew of upgrades over its earlier siblings, and was truly a terror on the track, second only to its brother the Tomahawk. The Circuit 1000 series buggy endured a very successful 6 year production run. They were the last of the full metal racing buggy kits from Kyosho, and they were the end of an era in RC history. An era that spawned the evolution of radio control off road racing would give way to the beginning of a new a revolution. A revolution in alternative materials and incredible engineering, that would set the pace for the explosion of radio control racing to come.
Below is a pictorial reference catalog of the Circuit 1000 buggies.
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The Kyosho / Cox Scorpion
Shown is the Cox Scorpion
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The Kyosho / Cox Beetle
Shown is the Cox Beetle
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The Cox Sidewinder
Shown is the Cox Sidewinder
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The Kyosho / Cox Tomahawk
Shown is the Kyosho Tomahawk
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The Kyosho / Cox Turbo Scorpion
Shown is the Kyosho
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The Kyosho Assault
Shown is the Kyosho Assault
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The Kyosho Advance
Shown is the Kyosho Advance
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