Tamiya Midnight Pumpkin Metallic Special review

What earns the 7.3.

Five equally weighted categories assess documented equipment and buyer fit. No measured speed, handling, durability, runtime or reliability scores are assigned.

Scored for: Scale-truck builder who wants wheelie fun.

The buying case: Midnight Pumpkin Metallic Special

The Midnight Pumpkin Metallic Special is for the modeler who wants a conspicuous little pickup with a chrome-like finish, enormous tires and a deliberately playful shape. Its attraction is visible before you fit the radio. The truck looks like a custom street pickup that has wandered into a monster-truck paddock, and that visual joke is the product. My reservation is that the high body and simple suspension should not be bought with the expectations you would bring to a modern low-slung high-speed basher.

This is the 58365 body-inclusive assembly kit, verified under Amazon’s TAM58365 identifier. The metallic body, CW-01 chassis, wheels, tires and brushed motor identify a complete vehicle project. It is neither a replacement pickup shell nor a factory-assembled RTR. The black plated body is part of this exact variant; the standard painted Pumpkin is a different cosmetic purchase even though the broad mechanism is familiar.

I would shortlist it for someone who enjoys building a distinctive truck and then running it in an open, relatively gentle area. A beginner can work through the kit, but needs help choosing completion electronics and enough patience to read its older-style instructions. That buyer fit drives the editorial rating. We have not tested rollover resistance, wheelie consistency, top speed or the long-term condition of the plated finish.

Sources: Manufacturer ↗ · Manufacturer manual / specification ↗

The complete package: Midnight Pumpkin Metallic Special

The actual shopping list begins with the assembly kit and continues through a two-channel radio system, receiver, steering servo, drive battery and charger. The verified Amazon features name an older 101BK controller, but the listing should not be read as a promise about every current box in every region. Confirm the controller supplied with the offered kit and the battery connector before purchasing another one. If an ESC is absent, you need a suitable brushed controller as well.

The metallic shell reduces the need to paint the main body compared with a clear touring shell, but decoration, stickers and molded-detail work remain. Do not assume that the word metallic means a metal body. Manufacturer descriptions distinguish molded plastic construction and a plated finish. Likewise, the wheels and damper cylinders are plated visual features rather than proof of a metal chassis or oil dampers.

For assembly, keep the body safely away from the screws and tools on the bench until the chassis is ready to receive it. Build and check the gearbox first, then the suspension and steering, then install the chosen radio equipment. It is easier to spot a tight axle or incorrect spring installation before the handsome body covers the work. The instructions and required equipment deserve an evening of planning; the model is rewarding precisely because you participate in bringing it to life.

Sources: Manufacturer ↗ · Manufacturer manual / specification ↗

Drivetrain and power: Midnight Pumpkin Metallic Special

The rear-mounted 540 brushed motor drives the back wheels through an enclosed gearbox with a gear differential. The fixed 14.7:1 gear ratio belongs to this package. A differential permits the wheels to turn at different rates in a corner; this is not a locked-axle crawling truck, regardless of the large tire diameter. The wheelie bar is a further clue about the intended personality: playful acceleration with room behind the vehicle, rather than precision technical climbing.

A first drive should use the specified standard setup. Check motor mounting, gear assembly and wheel security before trying to lift the front end. The wheelie bar does not make an uncontrolled launch safe, and a tire catching abruptly can still change the truck’s direction. Use a wide area with a predictable surface and reduce throttle if the car becomes difficult to place.

More power is not my first recommendation. A stronger motor or a higher-voltage pack changes the forces on a tall, relatively short chassis and its old-style running hardware. We have no comparative test supporting a particular conversion. If brushless speed is already the requirement, compare a truck designed and sold with that equipment. For a Pumpkin buyer, a correctly installed standard motor and controller, properly charged compatible pack and cleanly turning gearbox are a more useful starting point than trying to buy a dramatic power-system identity.

Sources: Manufacturer ↗ · Manufacturer manual / specification ↗

Radio and setup: Midnight Pumpkin Metallic Special

You choose and install the radio and servo. That leaves the transmitter’s functions dependent on your own purchase, so this review does not claim an included training mode, steering gyro or app interface. Select a radio with a compatible receiver and practical steering and throttle adjustment. If you have an existing transmitter, verify that the receiver you intend to reuse actually works with its protocol and fits the truck’s radio space.

Center the servo before installing the horn and connect the appropriate servo-saver pieces. Calibrate the speed controller using its supplied instructions, with the truck supported so that an unexpected motor start cannot drive it off the bench. Set neutral steering and throttle trims deliberately, then confirm that left means left and brake means brake. A wheelie truck is especially poor equipment for discovering an incorrectly reversed throttle channel while standing behind it.

Chris’s House hosts a named customer observation about mounting a replacement Hobbywing controller and its switch in a Pumpkin build. That is attributable owner experience, not evidence that all offered 58365 boxes contain that controller or require the same modification. It is useful because it points to a real practical check: compare mounting holes, switch cable length and connector routing before taping the electronics in place. A new controller may work electrically while requiring a more careful installation than a photograph of the older unit suggests.

Sources: Manufacturer ↗ · Manufacturer manual / specification ↗ · Independent owner coverage ↗

Steering and suspension: Midnight Pumpkin Metallic Special

The front has independent swing-arm suspension; the rear is a rolling rigid axle supported by coil springs. The distinction matters because the back wheels and gearbox move as an assembly rather than as two fully independent trailing arms. Do not buy the plated damper cylinders under the assumption that you are receiving contemporary oil-filled shocks at all four corners. The documented suspension is simple and the body gives it a considerable visual height.

Check the front steering rod adjustment and compare left and right wheel angles after centering the servo. Turn slowly through the available travel, watch the linkage and make sure it does not meet a stop while the servo keeps pushing. Your radio’s steering limit is a useful way to avoid that, but set the linkage correctly first. Electronic trim should correct the final neutral position rather than conceal a badly installed servo horn.

For the first sessions, make broad, deliberate turns and reduce speed before turning sharply. The tall silhouette gives a sensible reason for caution about direction changes, but we have not measured its rollover threshold. That editorial inference is different from a tested handling verdict. If the truck leans or bounces in a way that surprises you, inspect the spring placement, free suspension movement and surface before purchasing parts. A stock mechanism working evenly is the right baseline for deciding whether a modification would solve a particular problem.

Sources: Manufacturer ↗ · Manufacturer manual / specification ↗

Where to drive: Midnight Pumpkin Metallic Special

Tamiya lists 115 mm rubber tires and off-road use. Those tires help explain why the Pumpkin can be enjoyed away from perfectly smooth tarmac, but they do not turn it into a crawler or guarantee progress through every lawn. Choose compact dirt, short unobstructed patches and pavement where there is space to turn and recover. Check the ground from the truck’s perspective: large-looking pebbles, roots and raised edges can still grab a wheel or overturn the body.

I would use the first battery for progressively longer runs at restrained speed. Learn where the front starts to rise and where the truck is happiest taking a turn. You do not need to force a wheelie every time you touch the trigger to appreciate a wheelie-oriented truck. A predictable acceleration-and-braking exercise is more useful than repeatedly launching at a curb or trying to jump the model before the build has been checked.

After a dusty outing, look around the gearbox housing, steering joints, wheel shafts and spring seats. The enclosed transmission is a documented feature; the whole vehicle is not dustproof. Remove loose material without dragging a dirty cloth over the plated body. Keep the finish separate from solvent cleaning decisions around the running gear. The chosen electronics establish their own water-use limits, so check those manuals before exposing the truck to puddles. A pleasant scale-truck outing should not become a connector-corrosion experiment by accident.

Sources: Manufacturer ↗ · Manufacturer manual / specification ↗

Body and service: Midnight Pumpkin Metallic Special

The body is the decisive feature of the Metallic Special. The grille, flared fenders and pickup shape use detailed molded construction, and the dark plated surface pairs with plated wheels and cylinders. That presentation is easier to buy than to recreate from an ordinary clear body, so a buyer who wants this appearance can assign it real value. It should not be misread as a tougher structural specification.

The manufacturer’s information itself mixes ABS and polystyrene language in some regional material, and the US specification table contains a stray 1/10 scale entry despite the product being identified as a 1/12 truck. We retain 1/12 from the model identity and flag the inconsistent table instead of smoothing it away. The practical dimensions—385 mm long, 290 mm wide and 260 mm high—are more useful for deciding shelf space and a transport box than an isolated scale label.

Protect the finish when carrying and servicing the car. Support the chassis rather than lifting it by decorative body details, and put the shell on a clean cloth when it comes off. A photograph of the truck sitting on the workbench can help you keep the body mount arrangement straight after maintenance. For buyers who enjoy display as much as driving, it is sensible to preserve the original finish and learn in an area that does not constantly scrape the pickup against walls.

Sources: Manufacturer ↗ · Manufacturer manual / specification ↗

Startup basket: Midnight Pumpkin Metallic Special

The dated Tamiya USA manufacturer MSRP reference is $232 for this metallic-body kit. It covers the vehicle project rather than the separate radio, servo and power equipment. Amazon’s exact TAM58365 link is independently verified and can show a temporary live offer in the product box; the article does not preserve that amount as a permanent price. Confirm the current seller’s box and controller details before comparing the full basket. The plated finish has value to this buyer, but neither the reference nor a lower seller offer eliminates the remaining completion work.

The minimum basket is the kit, radio with receiver, steering servo, compatible drive battery and charger, transmitter cells, assembly tools and any required detail paint. Add a brushed ESC only if the current offered box lacks one, and verify its connector and mounting requirements. None of the checked evidence supplies current prices for all those items together, so an all-in total would be invented. Keep an honest unpriced checklist and obtain a real quote for the components you plan to buy.

Existing electronics can make this a manageable additional project, particularly if you own appropriate brushed power equipment. Reuse is worthwhile only after checking voltage, connector condition and physical fit. Bearings, oil-shock conversions and cosmetic accessories are separate decisions; they do not belong in the essential basket simply because a community owner enjoyed installing them. I would buy the standard truck first if its stock personality appeals. If it takes a large immediate conversion program to satisfy you, compare that full program with a different complete truck.

Sources: Manufacturer ↗ · Manufacturer manual / specification ↗ · Manufacturer price reference ↗

Real alternatives: Midnight Pumpkin Metallic Special

The Tamiya Lunch Box body-inclusive kit is the natural alternative for a buyer who likes this family of tall, playful trucks but prefers a van body to a pickup. Check its exact regional box and completion equipment; similarity does not make an old Amazon search result a verified equivalent offer. Your body preference is a legitimate deciding factor between two models bought substantially for their appearance and build character.

The Frog is the alternative when you want an old Tamiya project with more visible mechanical variety and a lower buggy silhouette. It is a complete-car kit with a body and motor, but demands a different finish and has independent rear trailing arms instead of this rolling rear axle. A buggy is the more useful category to consider if you want a conventional off-road practice line rather than wheelie-oriented truck fun. That is a usage comparison, not a measured head-to-head result.

For an assembled contemporary monster truck, the Traxxas Stampede 2WD is a complete RTR route worth pricing with its exact current power package. It reduces the kit-building stage and asks you to choose a different ownership experience. I would compare the finished purchase baskets and available parts locally, then decide whether building and displaying the Pumpkin are the activities I want. A higher-feature RTR may be a better driver purchase while still failing to replace the particular custom-pickup model that made you want 58365.

Sources: Manufacturer ↗ · Manufacturer manual / specification ↗

Buying verdict: Midnight Pumpkin Metallic Special

The Metallic Special earns its place as a distinctive complete-car build with a memorable finish and uncomplicated rear-drive mechanism. Its best buyer wants the truck’s appearance, accepts its playful tall stance and considers the assembly part of the enjoyment. The strongest reservations are the extra equipment, regional controller uncertainty and the temptation to expect modern basher behavior simply because the tires look enormous.

Our rating assesses the documented appearance package, build accessibility, equipment completeness, service planning and purchase value for that specific modeler. It does not score wheelie height, impact survival, steering precision or runtime. The customer material is a small collection of individual build comments, with no controlled reliability sample. Treat it as a reason to check installation details, not as a guarantee about your own kit or a mandate to copy another owner’s electronics.

I would choose this Pumpkin when the plated pickup is the thing you want to see on the shelf and on gentle running ground. Plan the radio installation, preserve the body while you work, and get the basic truck functioning before deciding what to alter. I would pass for frequent high-speed direction changes, ambitious jumping or a first purchase that must be running immediately. Those conditions remove much of the value this model offers. Bought for its actual role, it is a satisfying little truck with a clear identity and an honest workshop commitment.

Know exactly what you’re ordering.

Published manufacturer specifications for model 58365. Conflicting figures are flagged rather than silently corrected.

Sources: Manufacturer ↗