Big Trak was a programmable electric toy tank first released by Milton Bradley (later more commonly known as the abbreviated MB) in 1979.
Big Trak was a six-wheeler toy tank that could be programmed to drive forward, backward, turn and fire a 'photon canon' in the sequence you entered. To program the tank you needed to type the commands into the brightly coloured keyboard at the top of the vehicle. Big Trak could remember up to sixteen commands at any one time, but you needed to program in the movements in sequence.
Getting used to programming Big Trak took quite a lot of skill, patience and determination. Even the manual that came with it made it seem far more complicated than it really was.
Unfortunately, there was no way to review the programming you had already entered, as there was no screen. The only way to see if you had inputted the actions in correctly was to set Big Trak off on its mission by pressing the green ‘GO’ button or by clearing the movement with the ‘CLR’ button. Once you had completed the programming you could sit back and watch the tank carry out its manoeuvres around the home, dodging furniture and anything else in its way. Stairs were always a dodgy pitfall to avoid so it required extra attention when programming if you were playing with Big Trak on a landing. It also didn’t perform very well if you set it out on a mission near water, dust or sand.
The keypad on Big Trak took quite a bit of getting used to as all of the actions were abbreviated. When you first got Big Trak out of its box the labels needed fixing first of all. The keys consisted of:
Green Directional Arrows: Forward, Back, Left, Right
HOLD: To pause the vehicle
CLR: To clear all the programming
FIRE: To set off the LED “laser”
CLS: Clear Last Step (Undo)
RPT: Repeat steps
TEST: Run a test program
CK: Check last instruction (this was a tick symbol on the British version)
OUT: Detach the trailer accessory
IN: A spare button
0-7 keypad: To allow you to define a time for each action
Two different Big Traks were available, depending on whether you were based in the US or Europe. The American Big Trak was grey with a large Big Trak label whilst the GB version was white with a slightly different keypad. You could also purchase an optional trailer to make Bigtrak deliver objects.
The toy was powered up with one 9 volt transistor and four 1.5 volt “D” size batteries. An On/Off switch to the right of the keyboard powered up the tank. Every thirty seconds a “beep” noise would emit from the speaker to remind you that it was on and that it was waiting to be programmed. If it got stuck then it would blare out a different noise until you freed it. To avoid constantly bumping into furniture the manual that came with Big Trak recommended that you plot out a design of rooms in the blank pages. Unfortunately Big Trak didn’t have any obstacle detection so it would follow your commands with regimental precision, not really caring if it was two seconds away from certain doom.
Sadly Big Trak wasn’t the most hardy of toys, with a few common mishaps spoiling the fun of many children. If you managed to avoid a nasty broken axle, then no doubt there would be some unsightly battery leakage, body damage or corroding battery contacts. Big Trak was notoriously difficult to fix if it suffered any of these dire mishaps.
Big Trak was quite advanced for its time being one of the first programmable robotic toys and it became extremely popular among children and adults alike.
Big Trak trivia
The Soviet Union had its own version of Big Trak – the Elektronika IM-11 Lunokhod
Big Trak featured in the 80’s movie E.T
Sites have sprung up all over the net (including www.robotroom.com) discussing the “reverse engineering” of Big Trak with details descriptions and diagrams of its electrical workings.
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Ian said:
I used to love tormenting my neighbours mum with my big trak by sending it into the kitchen. Once it came back with a can of pepsi balanced on top.
Thursday November 6, 2008, 12:52 PM
Callen said:
This was my favorite Christmas toy as a kid. My Parents looked all over town for it, and as I understand it, they found one of the last ones available. I had hours of fun with it. I don't remember it breaking, but I do remember that the trailer that I got to go with it later never seemed to work right. I loved that Big Track. Wish they still made them so I could buy one for my kids.
Tuesday December 23, 2008, 10:47 PM
Stuart "Sslaxx" Moore said:
Ah, memories! My cousin had one of these as a kid, it was great fun to program it!
Friday December 26, 2008, 10:52 PM
Mike said:
It was Xmas morning, 1980-something, and I found a Big Trak under the tree. I've been thinking of buying one on Ebay for a long time.
Wednesday January 7, 2009, 04:27 PM
Rich said:
By far, the greatest Christmas present I had, or will ever, receive. The countless number of hours of fun. I am planning on getting one from Ebay for my own son and I to play with.
Tuesday April 21, 2009, 10:10 PM
bare@new.rr.com said:
I still have my big trak. It still works!!! Anyone that would like to purchase it just send be an email bare@new.rr.com
Barry
Sunday June 20, 2010, 11:57 PM
Jack said:
Looking to purchase a working big trak. Please email: jackstranton@yahoo.com
If the box and manuals are also included, I will certainly be willing to pay for those as well. Not really interested in the transport; but, if it is a term or purchase, I will consider it. Thanks!
Sunday July 25, 2010, 04:50 AM
Alex said:
I've noticed that the big trak has made a come back this christmas, it's advertised everywhere. I really want one but know that I would get bored with it after boxing day being nearly 40 years old, I think I'll let the little one's relive my joy.
Wednesday December 15, 2010, 09:04 AM
Withnail said:
I recently got myself a Big Trak Jr. (even tho I am in my 40s) to make up for the fact I wasn't allowed one as a child. It is still great fun to program routes for it and a delight when it returns to it's start position. It also fascinates friends children when they visit. The smaller version needs a hard surface to run on (wood floor or table top) as the wheels tend to slip a little on carpeted floors.
For those considering re-living their childhood or introducing a new generation to the art of Big Trak control, I would recommend looking at the new version. It is also much cheaper (in comparison) than the original.
Wednesday September 14, 2011, 11:55 AM
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