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| 66% Duncan - Barracuda 66 (mini) |
| Exhibit #2668 |
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| Type | Production |
| Shape | Concave )-( |
| Axle | Bearing |
| Color | Pink gold |
| Packaging | Display Boxed |
| Construction | Multi-piece metal |
| Diameter | 37 mm |
| Width | 29 mm |
| Gap | Fixed |
| Weight | 56 gm |
| Condition | Mint in Package |
| Date | 2017 |
| Owner | Rick Brough |
| Compare |  |
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BARRACUDA66 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 on the website. Unlike the original, this version has no laser-engraved logo which is very disappointing.
The Barracude66 is an officially licensed product by Duncan Toys; produced by Spingear of Japan; made in Tokyo.
66% was using a standard M4 axle that was available in the market. However, they discovered during the making of the second batch of Barracudas (which means that more than 66 of the silver version now exist?), the manufacturer could also make a customized M4 axle by NC lathe, exclusively for 66%. The custom axle meant tighter tolerances and no hex whole in axle for better yo-yo balance.
A third batch of Barracuda66s were made but a new, unique pink gold coating was applied. The high quality coating is the same as that used in coating jewelry.
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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."
Collected March 27, 2017
Original retail price: 8,900 Yen (approximately $80 US on March 15, 2017)
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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