Thunderdragon
Model Number: 58073
Released
10-Mar-88
Drive
4WD shaftdrive
Suspension
Double wishbone all 4 corners
Chassis Description
ABS monocoque tub
Body Type
Lexan polycarbonate
Motor
RS-540S
Tamiya recycling to the fore! Take 1 ThunderShot and give it an all new bodyshell... heck they didn't even give it new wheels (which are of an 'odd' dimension, uncommon to get tyres for). Appears to have shared bodyshell design with the SuperSabre... but whilst that looks reasonably classy, this one is just dumpy 80s origami.
Reviews
sunnyjai
Never liked it as a kid the Thunder Dragon & its sister the Fire Dragon, but now these oddballs like the Striker, Sonic Fighter, Super Hornet to name a few has really started to appeal. Like many members would agree that it wasn't popular but nowadays small numbers mean rarity means it's all the more appealing addition to one's collection.
Performance-wise, I once had a Terra Scorcher and I find the chassis design (at the time) agile with the new steering design which made it corner blindingly quick, much quicker than the Hot Shot series cars. The only negative aspect of the design was the chassis to gearbox mounting points being easily prone to cracking especially when fitted with modified motors and the bracket 'B8' that secures the front lower arm easily breaks under stress and mild frontal impacts negate a purchase of a whole 'B-Parts' Tree just for that part! Nowdays there are sellers like Pargu2000 on eBay that sell alloy replacement upgrades to this part but during my time there was no such thing as eBay so I had to fashion custom 2.5mm thick FRP plate which sorted out the problem.
Percymon
Only one other review pretty much sums up the popularity of this model. Under that controversial space age shell Is actually a very robust and well thought out 4WD chassis. The front mono shock actually works and with the improved steering set up means the car handles very well even when the terrain gets tough. The odd sized wheels and lack of tyre choice isn't the wisest move from tamiya but spares are readily available still. The shell design is very buck rovers ( for those that remember the tv series) but a simple rotation of the front body mount allows the thundershot shell to be fitted for a somewhat more traditional looking buggy. Great news for those wanting all the first 100 cars, it's almost buy 1 get 1 free!!
Cancelled12
The Thunderdragon was a rebodied Thundershot but was far less popular, although even the Thundershot wasn't a huge success. The body is extremely controversial and isn't the best Tamiya have done, although i really like it. It was a redesign of the aging Hotshot series and despite it's looks, was a superb handling buggy on off road tracks compared to previously released Tamiya models. It had a thinner and lighter gear box that resulted in greater suspension travel. A better steering assembly which negated the bump steer that was so annoying with the Hotshot series.
I managed to find myself a Thunderdragon on ebay with all parts intact, including the msc, for a very good price. I have rebuilt it, ball raced it and upgraded it with a better motor and i love it. It drives so well and can handle all kinds of abuse, it just keeps going and i haven't had a problem with it yet (touch wood!). Parts seem to be relatively easy to come by especially with the re issue of the Thundershot and now Fire Dragon. For this i should be ok for spare parts should i ever need them for quite some time!