First there was the 58047 Hotshot in 1985 which was followed by the 58054 Supershot only a year later and then the 58062
Hotshot II the year after that. So why all the updates?
What's the difference? The Supershot is essentially an upgraded
version of the standard Hotshot. Apart from the obvious color
difference in the body and wheels, the most easily visible change is the
use of 4 independent yellow dampers instead of 2 linked red
dampers. The model also came standard with ball bearings and an
RX540SD TechniPower motor. The rest of the chassis including the
gearboxes and suspension are unchanged. The Hotshot II went the
other way and simplified things with a single lateral CVA shock in front
and vertical shocks in the rear. The biggest change to the
Hotshot II was the addition of an opening in the top of the chassis to
allow access to the electronics bay without disassembly. When the
Hotshot was re-released in 2007 as kit 58391 and the Supershot in 2012 as 58517,
they both got the Hotshot II's chassis opening as well. This
latter version is what I have. The TechniPower is no longer
available so this kit comes with a GT Tuned motor instead which is
probably similar in performance. Interestingly, the re-release
changes the name from "Supershot" to "Super Hotshot" for no obvious
reason.The "Super" version is noticeably faster than the standard due to the upgraded motor, and the independent dampers do improve the off road performance although personally I feel that some of the charm of the original is lost in the transition. I find the model very easy to drive and quite stable both on the ground and in the air. I haven't found any obvious weak points so far. On pavement, the pin spike tires don't grip as well as the oval spike tires from the Hotshot, but the gold wheels really catch the sunlight and look incredible.
Update: This model was destroyed in the 2022 fire. It has not been replaced.
 Page 1: Assembly |
 Page 2: Final Photos |