[1] Although Kyosho was already popular in the 1/8-scale off-road market with cars such as the Vanning, Landjump and Presto (from the Integra line-up), they were relatively complex vehicles made largely from metal, with limited upgrade and customization options.
[3] These original buggies took their design cues from real life vehicles which had a traditional ladder frame or cage construction and often had rear-mounted engines.
With the exception of the large variety of standard models and the single radio tray, these designs can still be seen in the current Kyosho 1/8 scale buggies.
For both the Burns and classic Inferno series a more affordable "DX" version would be released only a year after the intermediate level vehicle.
The cars popularity also spawned a larger number of third-party suppliers which provided additional performance accessories such as gears, brake discs, aluminum mounts and wishbones, stiffer chassis plates, etc.
Unlike Tamiya and many other manufacturers[6] which had drawn box art allowing for some artistic interpretation, Kyosho used studio pictures of the completed models.
The sides of the box featured a top down and close-up shots without the lexan body, and a picture of the car being driven.
Restorers typically try to emulate these to a certain extent[11] which has also become easier in recent years due to third-party suppliers providing good quality reproduction bodies and decal sheets.
[12] The angular patterns and bold colors chosen for the box art matched the boxy lines of the car.
[citation needed] There is a large community with several forums providing detailed information and restoration threads (see external reference list below).
In lieu of noise restrictions and the advances of battery and brushless technology, some cars are also being converted to an electric powertrain.
[14] The Turbo Burns saw the first involvement of Yuichi Kanai who would later go on to develop the Inferno series of cars which won eight world championships from 1991 until 2010.
It implemented small changes based on the lessons learned from the two years of competing with the original Burns, as well as introducing a large number of optional parts to fine-tune the performance of the vehicle.
It had the same model number as the regular Turbo Burns and did not have any additional markings on the box or in the instructions to indicate that special optional parts were included.
[23] The long, thin metal rod which connected the servo to the front bake had a tendency to flex, reducing the precision of the brakes and making adjustments more difficult.
[22] The braking system was redesigned for the Inferno so that both discs were attached to either end of center differential, thereby eliminating these issues.
Kyosho recognized this weakness and redesigned the plastic mounts, and reinforced them with an aluminum brace plate from the classic Inferno onwards.
In Germany this included Jamara, and Hötschick Tuning (later is no longer in business), which were both typically anodized in a purple color, and Crono Racing in France.
[29][30] The German hobby store Conzelmann Tuning made blue anodized parts including a one piece aluminum radio plate which held both the steering and throttle servos.
A Turbo Burns with OS EX-B engine could cost nearly US$900 at the time[5] which put it out of reach of most RC enthusiasts and has added to the desirability of the car today.
[citation needed] The most valuable are typically mint condition Turbo Burns with the paint job and OS EX-B engine which were shown on the box art.
The value of the Turbo Burns in relation to the original can often be seen in the level of dedication invested by their owners, with some cars being restored to what can be described as "concourse condition".