TOPIC:

I have been hunting and gathering NIB Tamiya kits for a while now and I ran across a kit I didn't recognize. I bought it so its mine but I am curious if I got a deal or got swindled. I bought a NIB Grasshopper II Super G version. The kit number on the box was 92018**8800 which I thought was weird since the original is 58074 and I didn't find a II rerelease kit.

I spent some time online and to my surprise I couldn't find much of any information on it. Even the Tamiya site didn't recognize the model number which I thought was very strange. I figured I would reach out to see if anyone else had more information than me. The box has a copyright of 1989 but honestly I am not sure if the copyright year on the box is the manufacture year or not.

Is this truly an enhanced 58074 that is unique or am I missing something here?

Model number is 92018 and it's original. The other digits (8800) are the price in yen.

HI!... Looks just like a regular G2 to me. Maybe it came with ball bearings, or a battery for some kind of package deal?

Here's my Grasshopper II (1988)if you want to compare.

Welcome on board

There's no definitive reference on Grasshopper II/Super Gs, but from a quick look into them there appear to be six versions, all with the same box art picture:

58074 Grasshopper II (1988), black friction shocks, 380 motor

49501 Grasshopper II Super G, multiple versions:
- pink rectangular flash (US only?): dayglo yellow wheels, 540 motor, oil shocks
- pink diagonal flash: possibly 540 motor, yellow friction shocks, dayglo green or yellow wheels?
- green diagonal flash: yellow oil CVA shocks, possibly 540 motor & dayglo green wheels?

93007 Grasshopper II - spec as 58074 Grasshopper II?

92018 Grasshopper II Super G - pink diagonal flash, spec = as 49501 pink diagonal?


From that I'd expect yours to have yellow shocks (which may or may not be oil filled), dayglo wheels (which could be yellow or green) and a 540 motor - so it is different from the original - and legitimately so. Whether or not you got swindled would be down to how much you paid for it/condition etc - I wouldn't say they're particularly rare or interesting.

Thanks for the information. For future reference is there a good definitive source for all of Tamiya kit series? Tamiya's US website lists out some groups but the kit numbers seem to bounce around.

The kit is still on its way so I will get back to this thread after I receive it and can really inventory the contents. I only paid $235 for it so i figured even if it was some kind of re-release it would still be worth ~$150 so I wouldn't be out that much (wouldn't be the first mistake I've made).

I have been watching all the 58xxx kits on eBay for a while. I have started to accumulate a pretty nice collection. I was looking into the 58074 when I ran into this. I haven't ventured out of the 58xxx area so was curious about this one since it looked like the GH II but had a different kit series. Sounds like I will still leave the 58074 on the list of needs.

I have been poking around the site for a while but never posted. Its an excellent resource. I have been mainly using it for the manuals and the parts database but the articles need a read too. Good stuff!

Thanks! Didn't know about the yen part.

Something I picked up here as well.

I wrote:

it's original.

Going on the box alone of course.
Apparently the 92xxx series are Japanese limited editions...
Tamiya wasn't all that organised from the start (more whistling).

To add a little more:
The Grasshopper II models mentioned by Jonny Retro had these release dates:

• 58074 9 August 1988
• 49501 10 July 1990
• 93007 unknown release date
• 92018 10 Aug 1989

So the kit finally came in the mail and I had a chance to sit down and open it up. First impression out of the packaging was that it reeked of cigarette smoke. One of my major pet peeves. I really need to get into the habit of asking that question on items.

Once I opened it up it looks like Jonny Retro was spot on. It has yellow shocks (not oiled filled) with the 540 motor and yellow day glow rims. All the parts are in good condition in original packaging. The box has a bit of discoloration and some slight evidence of shelf ware.

Seems Edou was right about 92xxx being are Japanese editions. The box is in Japanese and so are the marketing inserts. The manual is multilingual.

Definitely not supreme collector quality. Not a huge deal because my collection is not made up of perfect boxes. I still think I want a line up of built items. Something close to the Tamiya top 100 marketing poster

Thanks everyone for the input.

For me, the SuperG version was a promotional version to sell easier the GH2
Since some years ago, Mr TAMIYA works in "flux tendu" in french. Every evening, no more stock.
Maybe was it to evacuate lots of kits...
The Super G is not a regular type of Tam kit but it is a good collectible version because a special edition.