Stadium Thunder
Model Number: 58181
Released
TBA
Drive
2WD rear, gear diff
Suspension
4 wheel double wishbone, coilover oilfilled shocks
Chassis Description
ABS monocoque tub
Body Type
Lexan polycarbonate
Motor
RS-540S
Another Tamiya recycled/parts-bin special. Shares body molding with #58123 Dyna Blaster, new stickers. Chassis virtually the same as 58106 Stadium Blitzer, but with fluorescent yellow wheels and slightly longer steering rods. (Description originally entered by WillyChang)
Reviews
Gruntfuggly
I got my Stadium Thunder as a pile of bits - I wasn't even sure what it was, but it looked promising and I got it at a very cheap price (£1
. When it arrived, there were more parts than originally shown so it became obvious that it had once been a Stadium Thunder.
Gave it a quick strip down and rebuild, and then replaced the missing parts. Once it was running, it turned out to be a lot of fun. It's pretty fast with the Sport Tuned motor (which comes with the kit) and a set of ball bearings, and is very easy to control - the steering is very responsive.
I've run it on asphalt, dirt and grass, but by far and away the most fun to be had is running it on sand. I've run it on several beaches where the sand is hard packed and flat, and you can get some brilliant full-throttle tail out drifts on the go. Build some jumps from sand and it will fly over those too. It just needs a good brush down when you've finished to get rid of the sand and it'll be ready to go again next time - the sealed gearbox keeps most of the sand out.
So far, it has been 100% reliable - the shell has taken some knocks, and it missing a few sections, but it still looks the part. The part where the front assembly is attached to the chassis tub was damaged when I got it, but I drilled the holes in the tub all the way through and attached it with two long bolts. It seems to have held up ever since with no problems.
The only area of worry is the rear tyres - the original kit tyres are rubbish, but I've been running with some old Schumacher Vee 4s, which seem to work very well.
The tub has loads of room for the electrics and it will take decent capacity packs with no space issues either. Highly recommended for cheap, simple fun.
Ridgeback Racing Team
The Stadium Thunder - Got one off ebay fully ballraced for €70 (45 pounds) and I must say I have had a lot of fun with it. I mounted a 17 turns motor and esc. I think it is quite fast for an offroad vehicle. It jumps high and touches down lightly
with its long stroke shocks. On the overall this is a very quick and durable car which in my opinion looks way better than its buggy cousins.