Front suspension strut tops & pipe clamps: the SWB has 2mm clearance holes + M2 screws fitted from underneath into the plastic tops. On the LWB the screws are fitted through the tops in M2 pressings in the clamps. Wild Willy 2's designers have been up until the wee hours of the morning putting the final touches on this exciting stunt vehicle. Finally, body clips: on the SWB these should be the type with the "waggly" bit on the inside (compared to the large loop)- the LWB and most other cars have the "normal" arrangement with it on the outside. Shudder! 😩 😲 😮 I can’t leave it like that. I marked out some tape. Popped it on some plasticard and made a filler. LWB tub has slots for the antenna wire, resistor & battery leads (these correspond to slots in the Mechanism Box Lid);

Then starts the body work - like Theo said, I never use primer for Olive drap color (see his explaination why) - I rather sand the body a bit to get better "grip" for the later to come paint The Wild Willy 2 is a reproduction of the popular original Wild Willy from the mid 80s. The new Wild Willy has an all new chassis and larger tires allowing it to tread over rough terrain. Of course, the Wild Willys trade mark is the animated wheelie capability thanks to an all new wheelie bar. Specifications I had to chop the driver's feet just like BMT said. But it's worth noting that we both removed the 'lump' that protrudes on the underside of the body (the bit that fits around the switch on a Wild Willy M38). The driver's feet would be unscathed if the body was left standard, but the body would have to sit noticeably higher.A Wild Willy II was up for dicussion among Tamiya and the distributors already in 1996 during the European Finals of the Tamiya Cup in Switzerland, but it took until 1999 before it was realized. No doubt it was worth waiting! What a great model! The original 58035 Wild Willy came out in 1982 and was really unlike anything that had come before it. It had the large tires of the 58029 Blazing Blazer but with a short wheelbase and a high center of gravity mated to a new wheelie chassis. The name "Willy" comes from the fact that this is a model of the M38 made by Willys as the second generation of the original military "Jeep". The body is scale accurate but placed on a crazy high 2WD stunt chassis. May as well name the driver "Wild Willy" and give him a giant head and a lot of detail. Willy would go on to pilot other vehicles over the years including the 58039 Willy's Wheeler only a year later. The 58242 Wild Willy 2 came out in 1999 as a tribute more than a re-release. Although the newer model bears a superficial resemblance to the original, virtually everything has been changed. The original chassis is gone and replaced by a more modern WR-02 wheelie chassis with balloon tires and chrome wheels. At first glance the lovely hard shell body might appear original, but for reasons that are not exactly clear subtle details (including the grille) have been changed which make this now resemble the M151 made by Ford as a successor to the M38. Maybe it was a licensing thing, or maybe Wild Willy 2 is the successor to the original just like the M151. Willy is still there driving. Although this model is still for sale (as of 2019), it is now marketed as Wild Willy 2000. As a footnote, a prototype version of the Wild Willy, which can be seen in an "action" pic on the Body Set box and in a least one Tamiya Catalogue, didn't have any sort of perforation. Take a close look at the Wild Willy 2 chassis and you will find an all new design featuring a gear box neatly secured in a monocoque frame. Side support bars have been added to the frame to heighten the overall rigidity and enhance Willy's "stunt vehicle" realism. The gearbox comes pre-assembled, allowing the user to easily remove it for maintenance, without taking apart the frame. The running battery is positioned lengthwise toward the rear of the chassis, providing the ideal balance for outstanding wheelie action. The steering servo is mounted centrally on the chassis and holds two steering tie rods of equal length, which control the left/right steering, ensuring reliable handling. Four wheel independent suspension and oversize tires enable high traction and stability. The Wild Willy II is great fun to build, but for those of us who can't let be (why should we?) replacing the bushings with ball bearings the preassembled gearbox is slightly irritating. Apart from ball bearings the Wild Willy 2 doesn't really need any hop-ups, but many of the TL01 hop-ups fit the model, and it's a lot of fun hopping it up as so much is visible even with the body in place.

This is a remote control kit that requires assembly. The Styrene body of the kit comes as a Military Green Colour, so it does not necessarily require painting. If you do decide to repaint the body, Hard Plastic Spray Paint (TS) is appropriate. The driver figure comes blank so requires painting, either by using the suggested paint schemes or however else you would like! IBIFTKH pretty much sumed it up already, but now I know first hand from actually having built the chassis... The body is quite similar the original Wild Willy body, but to avoid problems related to licensing, Tamiya changed the vertical slots in the grill for horizontal slots, and added ribs on the bonnet. Now the model partly resembles the Ford Mutt rather than the Willys Jeep, but it still looks great. Tamiya deleted the hinges for the windscreen too, so it can't any longer be folded, but that's OK with me. Well it starts looking like a regular model kit. I guess the only difference is nuts and bolts and wires rather than glue and paint. Well for the first part anyway. The original Wild Willy released in 1982 was purposely designed with its weight center in the rear. The motor was positioned behind the rear axle and the battery placed toward the rear of the chassis, giving rise to dynamic wheelie potential. The original Willy was equipped with an independent spring axle suspension on the front and a sturdy trailing link, coil spring on the rear. These mechanics allowed for highly effective off-road performance.The "Differential Gear Case" of the LWB Willy has a small aluminium skid plate. The plastic mouldings have rebates to suit. I tried fitting one to a GF01 and there are a few fit issues that can be overcome by modellers but would not really be acceptable to be sold as such. The front arches do not line up with the body-posts well enough, the chassis bars need cutting up and shortening and the batter means that you have to fit the body higher than I wanted. the slats run horizontal rather than vertically. That grill looks like it’ll be a pain to paint so because you get the original grille.

Having built models on the CW-01 wheelie chassis before and being unimpressed with the ability to hold a wheelie, my expectations of the WR-02 were not high. I was pleasantly surprised. This model holds a wheelie much longer than something like the Midnight Pumpkin. My addition of heavier wheels moderated that a bit, but I still love the way it drives. It is even reasonably capable in the grass. Next up, the "Mechanism Box Lid". The SWB has holes on the top for (from left to right) the antenna wire, speed control resistor wiring, and battery cables.

Item Details

The new Wild Willy has an all new chassis and larger tires allowing it to tread over rough terrain. Of course, the Wild Willys trade mark is the animated wheelie capability thanks to an all new wheelie bar. This got dismantled and some sealed running bearings replaced the plastic bushes that came with the kit. I then added the rear wheel arms. It’s pretty straight forward to set up but it’s best to get everything lined up at this stage other wise you’ll have a lot of unscrewing to do. 😌 It’s been 36 years since The 10 year old me drooled over the Tamiya catalogue dreaming about owning a Wild Willy, the most fun RC car ever. Over the past few years I have indulged myself in our beautiful hobby trying to recreate images I saw as a kid in those oh so wonderful catalogues. Building mostly aircraft but some cars and tanks, sometimes even a robotic suit thing has given me great pleasure and sharing on BM has re kindled a long lost hobby. Conclusion: Like the original Wild Willy a very "unserious" model, but with the masses of fun that made the original a legend. A must for any collector.

Overall, the Willy is a better build (even though the gearbox comes assembled) and a more interesting chassis to tinker with, but the Lunchbox/Pumpkin is less frustrating to drive. Rear Spring Stays have a larger hole on the LWB and the brass fitting has a corresponding extra step. An even more visible hop-up is an insider tip from the time of the old monster QD's; the hop-up # 43009 QD Monster Spiked Tires fit! Spikes? Yes, "normal" rib tires with spikes between the ribs! They look great on the Wild Willy II. Enjoy some thrilling wheelies with this assembly kit R/C model! The chassis is constructed around a lightweight and durable monocoque frame, with 4-wheel double wishbone suspension and sealed differential gears. A roller on the rear support bar ensures longer, more stable wheelies. The model features a detailed ABS plastic boy with driver figure included. Wheels already have tires pre-attached, and the motor comes attached to the gearbox to ease the assembly process.I've done similar projects for several platforms over the years, to later see the model I wanted/built was eventually released by Tamiya - like with the various Land Cruisers. It's been a while since I penned part one (detailing the differences between the Wild Willy M38 and Wild Willy 2 body and fittings), this time I'll be covering the differences in chassis parts on the earlier "Short" wheelbase (SWB) and the later "Long" wheelbase (LWB) versions. BTW, the rubber plug for the SWB resistor wiring is a 3-speed gearbox bung, now easily available with the Bruiser and Mountaineer re-releases. Sorry if this is out of place but I love to share my builds and I hope you’ll indulge me as I’m planning on doing some sweet paint action on this beautiful beast. I can’t imagine it’ll take long to build and I hope if you do follow along you’ll find it interesting. With the exception of a few screw and bearing dimensions, the chassis of the "M38" and "2" generations of the Wild Willy have no parts in common.