Last on my special are Mini 4WD cars.

What on Earth are they?
Starting in 1980 in America Stomper 4x4, Mini 4WD cars were created as a response to the rising popularity of 4WD brought on by the introduction of the Dakar Rally but it wasn't until a couple of years later that hobby company Tamiya made the best versions seen today. In 1986 they made a motorized variant which are usually the ones shown in the Anime Dash Yonkuro.

How are they any Different to RC cars?
4WD cars work way differently than a typical RC car mostly because they can only move in one direction, forwards, so they have special rollers that allow them to turn on a walled track.

Why do the Cast of Dash Yonkuro need Hockey Sticks?
On non walled tracks, the sticks are used to turn, stop and guide the vehicle, it can be quite a workout as the cars can run from 9mph up to 40mph.

Is it Popular?
There's a following in America and certainly Japan but the closest to Dash Yonkuro are the Italians even using the Hockey Stick.

That's it for my toy special, we resume normal operations with the Dash Yonkuro review.