RADIO CONTROLLED MOLE

Takara

A highly detailed radio controlled model of the Mole manufactured by Takara.
The model is about 11.5 inches long and has a 'weathered' paint finish for added realism.

This R/C Mole from Takara is probably one of the best (and most fun) Thunderbirds toys ever. This is the 'weathered' version. There is also a version available without this additional level of detail. As you can see from our photos, the weathering has been carefully applied (Product Enterprise take note!)
This weathering greatly enhances the realism of this model.
We had already purchased the earlier, non-weathered version, and felt that it looked a little too 'toyish'. We had planned on applying our own weathering, but Takara beat us to it by issuing the model with this alternative finish.

A 9 volt battery is required for the R/C controller, and 3 AA batteries power the vehicle. Controls are as follows:
Two pairs of buttons allow forward and reverse control of the two sets of tracks.
A third pair of buttons controls the position of the cradle, moving it up and down.
As the cradle moves the drill rotates. It's a shame that the drill only rotates while the cradle is moving and not when it's in position to drill.

	As you can see there is no external aerial on the model to mar the realism. The vehicle works well outdoors and copes with surprisingly rough terrain. The tracks stay in place, which is a distinct advantage for a model of this kind.
	The model looks very authentic and is well detailed. I am sure Derek Meddings would have loved to have had a model like this when he was working on Thunderbirds.
	The drill looks very business-like, just like in the TV series, and the weathering works well, giving it a metallic look. The red light towards the rear of the mole lights up when the cradle is being raised or lowered. The on/off switch is hidden on the rear underside of the mole.
	Here is the unweathered version next to the control unit. The R/C frequency for both toys is 27 Mhz. The R/C controller is designed to look like the front of one of Thunderbird 2's pods and has the number '3' embossed on it. The 'pod' door opens to allow access to the controls. There are six buttons and an on-off switch.
Even without the radio control features, this would be an excellent replica of the Mole. It looks like a studio prop used for close-up work. With the R/C features, this scale model is great fun. I hope that Takara will produce other large R/C Thunderbirds models like this in the near future, for example, the Firefly and Recovery Vehicle. This is a quality model.

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