Tamiya Super Hotshot Project
Page 1: Assembly
The Hotshot and the Super Hotshot are nearly the same build, so
I'm only including details on the differences here. Please see my Hotshot build page for full details.
The Super Hotshot comes in a lovely box with traditional box art.
Inside the contents are displayed with nice dividers but no blister
packs. The body and the beautiful gold wheels sit in the middle.
Here are all the parts arrayed on the build table. This is a
fairly complex chassis so there are a lot of parts and hardware.
This model uses the same gearbox as the regular Hotshot, but one
difference is that it comes with a 25T GT Tuned motor instead of the
generic Silver Can. I also decided to use the fastest possible
pinion (17T) instead of what came with the kit (15T). On the right
you can see the standard poor job
I did on painting the driver.
The biggest and most obvious design detail that differentes the Super
Hotshot from its predecessor is the use of four independent yellow
dampers. These are very long stroke oil filled type. The
same suspension arms are used from the Hotshot, but the shock upper
attach points are on new shock towers. You can see that the tires
are also different. The Hotshot uses oval lugs, but these tires
have pin spikes.
Here's the completed chassis from above and below. From above, it
looks just like a Hotshot apart from the shocks. From below, you
can see the huge new under tray. The addition of this tray means
that the battery door can no longer be accessed in the old way.
Instead one of the side battery supports can swivel out of the way to
provide access.
The completed Super Hotshot, including a comparison photo with the
standard Hotshot. The color is obviously different, but the body
has changed as well. Without the transverse front shock the nose
of the body can extend further forward. The wing has also grown
and has a greater angle of incidence. There's also a little roof
scoop now. The super version has two antennae instead of one in
case you didn't realize it was the more deluxe version. One
downgrade is the the Super Hotshot lost the front
sway bar. They both look so good that I can't decide which one is
better.
©2019 Eric Albrecht
