Released in November 1979
Original Manufacturer Retail Price: $43.00, Dump Trailer $12.00
Via BIGTRAK Homepage, In The 80s, Big Eyed Monster, and Skooldays
Wikipedia Entry
The Big Trak was apparently a feat of modern toy electronics. It was an advanced, programmable robot that happened to be a vehicle.
Wikipedia explains Big Trak as, "...a six-wheeled tank with a front-mounted blue photon beam headlamp, and a keypad on top. The toy could remember up to 16 commands which it then executed in sequence (such as "go forward 5 lengths", "pause", "turn 30 degrees right", "fire phaser" and so on. There was a "repeat" instruction allowing simple loops, but the language was not Turing complete, lacking branching instructions; the Big Trak also lacked any sort of sensor input other than the wheel sensors."
From the catalog: "Let Big Trak's electronic memory treat you to an absolutely spectacular performance. Just punch in your program of commands and watch Big Trak carry them out: moving forward, backward, left and right, up to 99 length units! Order Big Trak to picot into a sharp or wide-angled turn, full circle, or even beyond that. Big Trak can lurk silently before continuing on its course, and can fire either a single shot or a volley from its "photon" cannon. Send Big Trak out of the room, around furniture and other obstacles, and back again! Easy enough for kids to learn, but so much fun, even adults won't be able to resist. One 9 volt transistor and four 1.5 volt "D" size batteries."
Bug Eyed Monster says, "Big Trak's only accessory was the Big Trak Transport, a dump truck like attachment that could be dragged along behind it.
From the catalog: "Fascinating companion unit of Big Trak that automatically hooks up to Big Trak's electronic cicuitry. Watch Big Trak Transport haul loads and suddenly dump them on a pre programmed command. The Transport's sleek design offers great maneuverability and allows the unit to take turns and corners in stride. A great accessory to a great toy!"
Short Big Trak Demo Video
The Commercial can be seen here.
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