Vintage RC Blog: AYK

The stunning AYK Super Trail - Baja Bison body
source: rc_vanessa @ iconicrc.com

I do not own any of these models, please refer to image sources for further viewing.

AYK was a Japanese brand that, as well as road cars, made some great looking buggies in the 1980s. While "borrowing" some design ideas from popular buggies of the times - you'll notice striking similarities to Tamiya's SRB and the Kyosho Scorpion on their 2WD's for a start, they have plenty of their own character. They made some nicely engineered kits, the earlier ones having lovely detailing and a lot of metal parts which is a feature I particularly like.

A BIG thanks to http://www.inetrc.com/AYK/ for the information and pictures, go and have a read there, it's a veritable mine of AYK information and expert photos!

"The AYK Aoyagi Metals Co. LTD was an innovative RC manufacturer between 1979 and the mid 1980's. AYK on-road cars dominated the Japanese race circuit and captured consecutive world championships in their peak from 1980 to 1982. Even though many of the on-road RC cars of this era looked the same, subtle differences in design specifications set each other apart. AYK, for example, had a creative differential design. Most manufacturers of this era placed their differential gears between the right rear wheel and the motor compartment. AYK's unique design placed the differential within the axle itself. This not only centered the weight more proportionately, but also kept the differential gears well protected.

Towards their peak, AYK began manufacturing off-road buggies, both 2WD and 4WD. During their last years AYK began distributing their off-road vehicles in the United States through a California based company called Race Prep (well known for their electric motors). AYK came out with one of their most popular and competitive buggies under Race prep - the Radiant and Radiant Pro. AYK's demise came with the death of the president of their company which ultimately led to loss of direction and eventually faded into obscurity." - Alex at www.InetRC.com

This is not a definitive list of AYK models, but the buggies that I find most appealing or significant. If you see any factual inaccuracies let me know and i'll fix'em asap.

566B Super Trail (1982) - Baja Bison body