Avante 4Wd
History & Significance
Released 31 March 1988 as Tamiya’s 72nd RC kit, designed by veteran engineer Fumito Taki and unveiled at the Nuremberg International Toy Fair that year. It was a deliberately deluxe, complex flagship intended to give Tamiya a proper competition-oriented 4WD buggy; despite the ambition and hype, it reportedly did not sell as well as hoped at its high price point and was superseded within about a year by the simpler, more durable Egress.
Chassis Engineering
The “Avante” chassis uses two-piece FRP composite “sandwich” construction combining aluminium and FRP elements for a strength-to-weight balance, with 4WD and full independent double-wishbone suspension front and rear. Nearly all suspension geometry was adjustable, and it used new aluminium dampers — advanced features for a 1988 buggy. Powered by a Tamiya RX540VZ Technigold brushed motor.
Variants & Re-releases
Reissued as kit 58489 “Avante (2011)” on 27 January 2011 — a separate kit number from this original 58072. Further related releases include the 84270 “Avante (2011) Black Special” (January 2012) and 47390 “Avante (2011) Black Special” (December 2018), all built on the same Avante chassis platform.
Manuals
Restoration Guide
On a genuine 1988 original, documented and typical concerns include aging foam tyres and degraded gearbox bearings/bushings, alongside general FRP-composite chassis wear. Tamiya’s parts catalogue for this model lists damper oil and bearing sets as commonly needed service items, consistent with routine maintenance for a kit of this age.