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| 66% Duncan - Barracuda 66 (mini) |
| Exhibit #2502 |
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| Type | Production |
| Shape | Concave )-( |
| Axle | Bearing |
| Color | Silver |
| Packaging | Display Boxed |
| Construction | Multi-piece metal |
| Diameter | 37 mm |
| Width | 29 mm |
| Gap | Fixed |
| Weight | 56 gm |
| Condition | Mint in Package |
| Date | 2016 |
| Owner | Rick Brough |
| Compare |  |
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BARRACUDA66, released November 28, 2016 (November 27, 2016 @ 08:00 MST in the USA), is the freshman model by the new (started late 2016) mini yo-yo company based out of Tokyo Japan called 66%.
The Barracuda66 is the popular full-size Duncan Barracuda reduced to 66% diameter. The entire body is a mono-metal yo-yo made of stainless steel. Uses a size A flat bearing with 66% branded response pads. This first release had a total run of 66 pieces. It should be noted, however, that only about 20 were initially available. Unlike the original, this version has no laser-engraved logo which is very disappointing.
The Barracude66 is an officially licensed product by Duncan Toys and made in Tokyo.
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66% was started by Takahiko Hasegawa (aka "Taka") of Tokyo Japan.
In his own words:
"To start a new yo-yo brand, there is usually a long history and story associated with it. Normally, we just care about performance and quality for products. It should be a first priority for any yo-yo brand. But 66% is not your typical yo-yo brand. Instead, I want to tell you something about 66%.
First of all, when I started this new yo-yo brand, you all know that Spingear.jp is a yo-yo store, not a yo-yo brand. So, I did not want to start a new yo-yo “brand” by myself. What this means is that Spingear would become a competing yo-yo brand. But, that would mean that my best friends would now be part of that yo-yo brand. Instead, I want to be a customer/seller of Spingear store, not have Spingear become a competitor in the yo-yo market.
So I decided to start the 66% yo-yo brand as a “collaboration” brand. Our priority is not to make original designed yo-yos, but work with other yo-yo brands to create master pieces of existing yo-yos, in a smaller size.
Spingear suggested that we create new category and create a new market that was more than just the design and creation of competitive high performance yo-yos.
The concept of 66% is similar to miniature model cars. If you have a real car, sometimes you also want to have the same model in miniature form. Likewise, if you have a full-size yo-yo that you really enjoy, you may also want to have a tiny version, as well.
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Why 66%?
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To be a scaled down yo-yo that still played great, we needed to find a good size rule formula.
In 1998, I found a formula for the minimum diameter of a yo-yo that still provided acceptable performance. Working with Tomy Toy company of Japan, I designed the Screwball Mini yo-yo (the ""Black Mamba"" in Japanese name.)
I tested 34mm, 36mm, 38mm, 40mm, and 42mm diameter.
As a result of my testing, I discovered that 38mm +/-1mm was the minimum acceptable diameter that you could make a yo-yo and still deliver great play and performance.
Even for a full sized yo-yo, a 1mm difference in diameter is noticable. But on a yo-yo with a small diameter to begin with, 1mm difference is substantial and critical. I found that 34mm was too small; 36mm was ok, but not the best performance. Over 40mm, again, performance was ok, but at that diameter, it no longer feels like a "mini" yo-yo.
Ultimately, I felt that a 38mm diameter gave the best for performance while still maintaining that unique feeling of playing with a "tiny" yo-yo. My goal was to make the yo-yo as small as possible, without sacrificing performance.
It's interesting to note that the Tomy Screwball Mini yo-yo can do all the basic tricks, including "Reach for the Moon", "Dog Bite", two-handed looping, "Barrel Roll", and so on. The Screwball Mini was my first experiment in yo-yo design. Looking back on that experience and the success of the Screwball Mini, I felt I was destined to be a creator of small yo-yos. So, with the 38mm formula, I thought that someday I would have the desire to make the best tiny yo-yos in my life.
I worked with Kentaro Kimura of Turning Point to create the Tarasqus yo-yo. I asked to him make it 38mm diameter. I also worked with Ben McPhee of YoYoFactory to assist on some of their tiny yo-yo projects.
In launching the 66% brand, I decided to collaborate with the Duncan brand first to establish 66% in the market. It also became one of my motivations to have a presentation at the time of the World Tournament in 2016, to have the concepts and to have the person in charge say that I should go out first with Duncan before making a tiny yo-yo from another brand. As a model symbolizing Duncan in the active model, it was inevitable that I chose Barracuda as the first model of 66%. The Barracuda is used by many world champions and it was also upgraded in 2016."
Original retail price: 7,200Ă‚ÂĄ (about $63 US in November 28, 2016)
To see all mini yo-yos in this museum, in the left panel, click Exhibits.
In the right pane, in the Name/Model field, type mini, then click Browse. | |
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