I’ve been into radio-control cars for over 30 years, and have built countless kits from nearly every RC car manufacturer on the planet, thanks in large part to a steady stream of review cars when I was helming RC Car Action magazine. One brand I’ve returned to over and over again as a favorite is Tamiya – you may recall I wrote about the passing of founder Shunsaku Tamiya, and most recently I built a (very loose) replica of David’s Ebay Jeep using a Tamiya Wild Willy 2 kit. As a top manufacturer of both static and RC models, the brand has a highly devoted following. Any new model from Tamiya is big hobby news, but especially so on the radio-control side.
Tamiya’s latest release has got me super-double-extra excited, because it combines all the things Tamiya does best: scale realism, clever engineering, premium quality, and fun performance. I say “fun” instead of “high” because there are plenty of competition brands that go all out for track performance at the expense of even remote scale realism, whereas Tamiya’s replica designs aim for high performance within the constraints of a realistic model. And, importantly, it’s a Beetle.
Tamiya is no stranger to Beetle models and currently offers the rally Beetle, Monster Beetle, and Blitzer Beetle (in that order clockwise below), and there’s another ’68 Beetle on the M-06 chassis that goes in and out of production that is also on my wish list.
These are all wonderful models and clearly lean more heavily between realism and fun, depending on the model you’re looking at. But even the most realistic of the three, the rally car, isn’t exactly realistic beneath its polycarbonate shell:
The MF-01X chassis is pretty neat, and Tamiya configures it as rear-motor befitting a Beetle, but the monocoque design with integrated gearboxes and full-time four-wheel drive (note the driveshaft running along the top edge of the chassis) is far from what underpins an actual Beetle. And that’s OK! This model is a ton of fun, just not realistic technology-wise.
So you can imagine why I’m so stoked on the Dune Beetle Cross and its BB-02 chassis. Look at this beauty!
Now, true, no Beetle had massive trailing arms like that, and though you can’t see them from this angle, there aren’t swing axles back there, either. Instead, it’s got the same rear end as the BBX buggy, which gives us a closer look:
The Dune Beetle will arrive with plastic-body shocks instead of aluminum as the BBX wears, but Tamiya’s oil-filled dampers are exceptionally smooth regardless of what they’re made from. The front of the trailing arm is ball-mounted, allowing for camber to be adjusted by altering the length of the upper threaded link.
They’ll be covered by rubber boots for the Dune Cross, but universal joints as configured above are standard equipment.
Also standard: a ball differential, which is my favorite bit of RC car tech that doesn’t exist in full-size cars – or has it been done? I’d love to be proven wrong and see what that looks like in a “real” car!
Back to the suspension. The Dune Cross will also get a double A-arm front suspension like the BBX buggy, but that won’t be the only front suspension in the box …
In addition to the A-arms, a much more Beetle-like trailing arm front end setup will be included with the kit. I’ll likely go with the A-arms, as they also widen the front track width and I intend to hit the local dirt track with my Dune Beetle (you can see the trailing-arm car get a little roly-poly in the GIF below), but the trailing arm option is a great touch. Note the waffle pattern that emulates the texture of an actual Beetle floorpan, though the chassis itself is not constructed like a real Beetle’s.
More details abound in the rear of the car, with a nicely detailed flat-four left exposed by the bodywork. Driver and navigator figures are tucked beneath the roll cage, and there are dash details as well. Gotta go into Zen mode to paint those guys. 
It’s just a beautiful model that should be a blast to drive, and I can’t wait to get my hands on one – hopefully as soon as they drop for the holiday season. As a full assembly kit, it’ll need a few items to complete it. If it’s like the BBX buggy, I’ll need to supply a radio system, steering servo, motor, speed control, battery, and paint. Good news, I already have all this stuff. 
The Dune Beetle Cross is sure to be a fun build that I can stretch out over a week to deliver a very satisfying model both to display and drive. As a fully-licensed, great-looking, realistic, and technically-exciting model at a not-extravangant price (by RC standards at least: MSRP is $488, expect to find it at around $350 in hobby stores and online), this is definitely the kit I’m looking forward to most in 2026.
Where my fellow RC fans at? Does the Dune Beetle Cross have a spot on your wish list? Would you like to see a build story here at The Autopian? See you in the comments.
All images: Tamiya
No love for the OG Baja Bug; the Sand Scorcher?
That Rally Beetle looks awesome.
I had a Radio Shack golden arrow buggy. That was the closest thing that Radio Shack made to a real RC car. It was pretty quick for a radio shack car. When the motor finally went out I put a trinity midnight motor in it. I ran that thing for YEARS and it always worked.
Ages ago, I found the Monster Beetle in the original GTA, in the San Andreas part IIRC. We didn’t get Tamiya in Brazil, so I had to build one with assorted toy parts.
Around 2020 I found one for sale at eBay, got it shipped to my new country, and thought to myself I would get it ready to play with my future kid. It was an original 80’s model as well, so it had some pedigree.
Fast forward to 2026, my son is now 3 years old, I put the Beetle together with an Aliexpress battery and a new edition shell. He was used to chase the Beetle on the park, and learned to drive cheaper RC cars, so I let him drive the Monster Beetle for a few minutes. He then proceeds to crash the car in a park slider, cracking the shell. While I recover the car, he instantly breaks the antenna.
I spent years in adulthood buying those cars thinking in sharing them with my kid. I will fiz the damage, but won’t erase the scars – they are proof of the memories we built together.
(No, he isn’t driving the Beetle again anytime soon. One memory scar is good enough)
BTW, we need one of those old school PHP forums here at the Autopian, I need to learn how to fix control drift and unintended acceleration (no relation with the crash) 🙂
The near total death of php forums is one of the great tragedies of the social media era.
I know we have Discord and whatnot now, but I miss those forums. The only one I know is still active is the Samba forum for old VWs, but I’m not active there because of my inexcusable lack of an old VW.
Was thinking this myself the other day.