Fully Cowled Premium Mini 4WD Kits
"Premium" on a Fully Cowled Mini 4WD box means Tamiya has reissued a classic Let's & Go!! car on a newer chassis, with reworked stickers and often a different gear ratio than the original 1990s release. It does not mean the cars share one chassis or spec sheet. Magnum Saber Premium, Cyclone Magnum Premium and Brocken Gigant Premium are three separate kits on three separate chassis generations, and treating them as interchangeable is the most common mistake when comparing premium Magnum-family releases. For the broader history and visual identity of the Fully Cowled body style, see the Fully Cowled series guide — this article stays on these three kits and their chassis.
Three kits, three chassis generations
Each is catalogued as a Fully Cowled Mini 4WD Series release with its own series number, separate from the item number. The chassis is the real dividing line: each generation changed motor position, roller count and weight before the body comes into it.
| Kit | Item No. | Series No. | Chassis | Length | Motor position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magnum Saber Premium | 19431 | Fully Cowled No.31 | Super-II | 150 mm | Rear |
| Cyclone Magnum Premium | 19440 | Fully Cowled No.40 | AR | 155 mm | Rear |
| Brocken Gigant Premium | 19452 | Fully Cowled No.52 | FM-A | 156 mm | Front |
| Great Magnum R | 19453 | Fully Cowled No.53 | FM-A | 156 mm | Front |
Great Magnum R is included here because it shares the FM-A chassis with Brocken Gigant, not because it is the same body — buyers wanting "the Magnum on FM-A" sometimes pick the wrong one of these two. Always cross-check the item number against the official product page; body name alone does not identify the chassis.
Magnum Saber Premium: the Super-II original
Magnum Saber Premium (19431) puts the car driven by series hero Go Seiba onto the Super-II chassis — a rear-motor layout published at 150 mm length, 97 mm width, 80 mm wheelbase, 64 mm tread and roughly 115 g with batteries fitted (about 57 g bare), with a 4.2:1 stock gear reduction. Super-II adds a reinforced front bumper and a rear stay held by two rotating switches plus a screw-secured cover, rather than the friction-fit stays of older chassis. This kit ships with a black chassis, red battery holder and rear stay for contrast, and a newly designed metallic sticker sheet rather than the original 1990s decals. Because Super-II predates AR and FM-A, check roller and stay compatibility against a current chassis compatibility list before assuming a part from a newer kit bolts straight on.
Cyclone Magnum Premium: the AR-chassis successor
Cyclone Magnum Premium (19440) is billed on its own product page as the third car driven by Go Seiba — the in-universe successor to Magnum Saber — on the AR chassis instead of Super-II. AR is published at 155 mm length, 97 mm width, 82 mm wheelbase, 67 mm tread and about 123.5 g with batteries fitted (roughly 71 g bare), with a 4.2:1 chassis reduction, though this kit's included gearbox is listed at 3.5:1 on its own product page — the gear set in the box and the chassis's general spec are not always the same number, so check the kit's instructions rather than the chassis page alone. Tamiya lists AR with six rollers as standard and a lowered battery position for a lower centre of gravity. The body is molded in white plastic with minimal wheel cowling and a large rear wing, paired with a metallic-grey ABS chassis, fluorescent green 5-spoke wheels, 26 mm low-profile tyres, a removable underpanel and diffuser, and a low-friction rear skid bar built in.
Brocken Gigant and Great Magnum R: the FM-A pair
Brocken Gigant Premium (19452) moves to FM-A, a front-motor chassis — a real layout change, not just a newer part number. FM-A is published at 150 mm length, 97 mm width, 83 mm wheelbase, 60 mm tread and only around 71 g bare weight, with a low-friction front skid bar, four rollers including 8 mm-thick rear rollers, and "aircraft-inspired" aero side stays. This body belongs to rival character Kondo Gen rather than Go Seiba, finished in metallic grey ABS with red A-parts; its fenders sandwich the wheels rather than fully covering them, with pipe-frame sideguards instead of a full lower cowl. Great Magnum R (19453) shares the same FM-A chassis and length but is a separate body and item number — buy by item number if you want one specifically. FM-A's front-motor layout also changes handling character versus the rear-motor Super-II and AR kits; see the motors guide before fitting a faster motor.
What to check before you build or race one
- Confirm the item number, not just the body name. Magnum, Cyclone Magnum and Great Magnum R are three different kits; the item number confirms which chassis and parts you actually have.
- Dry-fit before trimming the body. Check roller, stay and wing clearance before cutting a Fully Cowled shell with display value.
- Match the gear set to the box, not the chassis spec sheet. As with Cyclone Magnum Premium above, a kit's included gears can differ from the chassis's general published ratio.
- Weigh the finished car. Official regulations require at least 90 g including motor and batteries — worth checking on the FM-A kits given their lighter ~71 g bare chassis.
Race legality: what the official rules actually cover
None of these chassis are restricted by generation alone — Super-II, AR and FM-A all remain usable under Tamiya's official regulations, which instead govern overall dimensions (under 165 mm length, 105 mm width, 70 mm height), minimum weight, permitted motors and tyre size, plus a rule that bodies must be properly attached, stickered or painted rather than home-made. The rules do not pre-approve every part combination on every reissue — that is decided at technical inspection on the day. Read the full official rules and technical inspection checklist; organiser rules and on-day inspection always take precedence over anything summarised here.
Frequently asked questions
Are Magnum Saber Premium and Cyclone Magnum Premium the same car?
No. They are different vehicles in the same in-story lineage — Magnum Saber came first, Cyclone Magnum is the character's third car — on two different chassis (Super-II and AR) with different published dimensions, weight and roller counts.
Can I swap the Brocken Gigant body onto a Super-II or AR chassis?
Not directly. FM-A is a front-motor chassis with a different wheelbase, tread and mounting layout than the rear-motor Super-II and AR chassis, so body posts, stay mounts and roller positions will not simply line up. Check a current chassis compatibility reference first.
Does "Premium" mean these kits are race-faster than the original 1990s releases?
Not automatically. Premium reissues update the chassis generation, stickers and sometimes the included gear ratio, but stock speed still depends on the motor, gearing and tyres fitted at build time — treat the label as a chassis and presentation update, not a guaranteed performance upgrade.