Fire Dragon
Model Number: 58078

actualday

I remember this from the first time around before it became a rerelease. It was simple to construct [a lot simpler than my old boomer] and this was perhaps a relief, but also something of a dissapointment. This was a car that lacked some challenge in construction and lso the drive, in that it offered very few surprises.

The 540 motor as standard was there and was [in retrospect] begging to be hopped up with something faster. I am not sure but the gearing seemed high on torque and low on top end as I remember, pretty dull on tarmac then [unless it was raining of course!]

The shocks were good and bad, the body and springs and internals were all fine and dandy, they worked quite well [I would have liked harder springs though]. The poorly executed part was the plastic 'c' clips used to stiffen up the springs. These C clips would ping off in all sorts of random directions whilst hiurtling up and down a strip of tarmac!! When the battery was dead I would generally spend the next ten minutes looking for yello plastic cips amongst the grit on th eroad. Taht was a pain, and a solution like the manta ray and dirt thrasher would have been much better.

The car, being easy to construct was also pretty easy to drive. I have seen videos of these things really flying when hopped up, however mine was a bit more plodding, fast acceleration, limited top end, but cornered like it was on rails, really very predictable. perhaps that was why I got a bit bored with it. If only I had known then what I know now about hop ups!!

I got a full set of ball bearings in mine from the first build, and it wasn't all that quiet to run, which was probrably more to do with two fresh gearboxes full of brand new whizzing gears!!

In short an easy build and a predictable drive. A great introduction to RC, but hop it up before your interest drops with this model!!