VehiclesKyosho

Kyosho

Kyosho is a Japanese maker of radio control models, established in Tokyo in 1963, that began selling RC cars in Japan in 1970.1,2,3

VehiclesHistory and background

Founded
1963, in Tokyo1,2
Headquarters
Atsugi, Kanagawa1
Company
Kyosho Corporation1

Key models

Kyosho vehicles

Truggies

Buggy chassis with wider arms and truck tires

Stadium trucks

Short course

Desert trucks

Pre-runners, trophy trucks and desert racers

Crawlers

Trail trucks, scalers and rock racers

Drift

Rally

About Kyosho

What it stands for

Kyosho's corporate philosophy is "to show society the value of enjoying life through the model hobby."8 Its management philosophy is to "make products that inspire people through surprise and discovery," in an organization that turns ideas into products through imagination and technological capability.8

Known for

Kyosho made the DASH 1, the first RC car made in Japan.3 Its Mini-Z Racer was the RC industry's first palm-top size RC car, and Mini-Z sales reached 1.5 million units by the series' 15th anniversary.2

Product portfolio

Buggies make up the largest share, from the 1/10 Lazer, Ultima RB and Optima electric kits to the 1/8 Inferno MP10 and MP11 nitro race kits and their electric e versions. On-road kits run from the 1/12 Plazma and Fantom to 1/10 TF7 electric and V-One R4 and FW-06 nitro touring cars. Many ready-to-run models carry the Readyset name, among them Fazer Mk2 touring, drift and rally cars, EZ Series buggies, Inferno NEO buggies, the KC10 crawler, and USA-1, Mad Crusher and KB10 monster trucks. The Kyosho Vintage Series brings back its 1980s buggies.5

Racing record

The Inferno has won the IFMAR 1/8 nitro off-road world title eight times, a record, from Kunihiro Toge in 1992 to Cody King in 2010.6,9,10 In 1/10 electric off-road, Joel Johnson won the 2WD world title with an Ultima in 1987 and Jared Tebo won 2WD with a Kyosho in 2013.11 The V-One RRR won the 2004 IFMAR 1/10 nitro touring car title.2

Timeline

  1. 1963Kyosho Corporation is established in Tokyo to market models, toys and sundry goods.1,2
  2. 1970Demonstrates its first RC car prototypes; the DASH 1 becomes the first RC car made in Japan.3
  3. 1985The Optima electric buggy.4
  4. 1987The Ultima takes TQ and a 1-2-3 finish in 2WD at the 2nd Electric Off Road World Championship, in England.5
  5. 1991The Inferno 1/8 nitro buggy debuts, and wins the IFMAR world title the following year.6
  6. 2004The V-One RRR wins the IFMAR 1/10 nitro touring car world championship.2
  7. 2019The Ultima returns as the 8th model in the Kyosho Vintage Series.5
  8. 2025The Inferno MP11, a full model change for the 1/8 race buggy.7

Sources

  1. Kyosho, Company Profile.
  2. Kyosho, Kyosho Milestones.
  3. Kyosho, Kyosho R/C Car History, Step 1.
  4. Kyosho, Optima (30617).
  5. Kyosho, Ultima (30625), October 2019.
  6. Kyosho, Inferno MP10 30th Anniversary Limited Edition (33024).
  7. Kyosho, Inferno MP11e.
  8. Kyosho, Company (corporate and management philosophy).
  9. Kyosho, Inferno MP10 SPEC A (33020), January 2020.
  10. LiveRC, WORLDS: A list of every former 1/8-scale nitro off-road world champion, 2 October 2016.
  11. LiveRC, FLASHBACK FRIDAY: Former IFMAR Electric Off-Road Worlds winners, 16 October 2015.