58742 Hornet Evo coming!

[TurnipJF]

I have been looking at my standard Hornet trying to come up with ways of getting a bit more width at the rear of this model using the Hornet wheels, spacing them out to make full use of the extra axle length shown in the Hornet Evo pictures. Two approaches strike me as being possible: spacing the wheel hubs further outwards along the axles, or spacing the wheels out further relative to the wheel hubs.

The first approach would involve getting some wide alloy clamping hexes 2mm wider than they would need to be to space the wheels out to the full extent of the axle width, then file either side of their faces down by 2mm to leave a 2mm wide ridge in the middle that would engage with the drive pin slot in the wheel hub. These would be installed on the axles between the drive pin and the stock wheel hub, spacing them outwards and transmitting drive to them.

Another approach would be to space the wheels outwards relative to the hubs. The 5 bolts that hold the 3-piece wheels together could be replaced with longer ones, and the extra length could be used to hold spacers to move the wheels away from the hubs while still transmitting drive to them by engaging the hub mouldings usually engaged by the wheels. A spacer on the axle itself of the same thickness would help spread the load and keep things in alignment.

Which approach would be the better one, and can anyone think of one that is better still?

[El Gecko]

3 hours ago, TurnipJF said:

I have been looking at my standard Hornet trying to come up with ways of getting a bit more width at the rear of this model using the Hornet wheels, spacing them out to make full use of the extra axle length shown in the Hornet Evo pictures. Two approaches strike me as being possible: spacing the wheel hubs further outwards along the axles, or spacing the wheels out further relative to the wheel hubs.

The first approach would involve getting some wide alloy clamping hexes 2mm wider than they would need to be to space the wheels out to the full extent of the axle width, then file either side of their faces down by 2mm to leave a 2mm wide ridge in the middle that would engage with the drive pin slot in the wheel hub. These would be installed on the axles between the drive pin and the stock wheel hub, spacing them outwards and transmitting drive to them.

Another approach would be to space the wheels outwards relative to the hubs. The 5 bolts that hold the 3-piece wheels together could be replaced with longer ones, and the extra length could be used to hold spacers to move the wheels away from the hubs while still transmitting drive to them by engaging the hub mouldings usually engaged by the wheels. A spacer on the axle itself of the same thickness would help spread the load and keep things in alignment.

Which approach would be the better one, and can anyone think of one that is better still?

I found these Traxxas bits awhile back which might help. They fit the standard 5-bolt Tamiya pattern on the outside, and have a 12mm hex hole on the inside, so you can use hexes of any width.

[TurnipJF]

Those would be ideal!

[ThunderDragonCy]

 

Hopped up EVO on Paisen RC on youtube. Says it's using the front DF03/TT02B alloy shocks front and rear, so i wonder if they will do a release of a set of 4 for the Hornet EVO. Also says it's fitted with the DT03 ball diff. Wheels are fairly obvious - DF03 wide rears, and grasshopper 2 fronts.

 

 

[Twinfan]

Nice - is it using the DT-03 universals with the ball diff do you know?  Or are they not the correct length?

[ThunderDragonCy]

2 hours ago, Twinfan said:

Nice - is it using the DT-03 universals with the ball diff do you know?  Or are they not the correct length?

It's not clear, but DT03 universals would be too long for the EVO arms. You would need to replace the rear arms with DT03 arms to make that work, although I think that would be a good thing.

[Twinfan]

Gotcha, that's what I thought.  It will be good to see the manual when it becomes available!

[Badcrumble]

[tamiya monkey]

 

[kontemax]

Waiting for a Grasshopper 1 & 2 Evo.


Max

[toyolien]

On 9/23/2024 at 8:22 AM, ThunderDragonCy said:

 

Hopped up EVO on Paisen RC on youtube. Says it's using the front DF03/TT02B alloy shocks front and rear, so i wonder if they will do a release of a set of 4 for the Hornet EVO. Also says it's fitted with the DT03 ball diff. Wheels are fairly obvious - DF03 wide rears, and grasshopper 2 fronts.

 

 

I have to say it, but that looks more comical than the Comical Buggies...

[Saito2]

I got a little on the fence about the differing wheel track and sight of the motor hanging out the back. One gets used to the look of the mechanicals of a buggy and not just its body so the Evo began to look "off". The gullwing front arms look pretty low too as others have noted. Then I watched the video above and forgot about all that stuff. Looks like a blast (with turnbuckles and bearings too!) at a great price. Now, go kick (sting?) the RC10's rear, little Hornet Evo, lol (j/k)

[SlideWRX]

There is the Hex adapter they include in the kit - screenshot from the RC Driver video.  Looks like an easy 20+mm extension!

The classic wheel adapters - looks like originals are thicker and could push the wheels out maybe 2-3mm on each side...

[MadAnt]

Not gonna lie, I want to get the Hornet evo. I'm probably not going to run the stock silver can, I might go with a brushless system. I really want to see if what Tamiya has done works well or if I'm going to have to fix some things. From watching the video, it looks like the shocks need thicker oil, but that's an easy fix. 

[yogi-bear]

it comes with bearings, I'm in!

Maybe Tamiya do listen from time to time.

 and I have already told Mrs Yogi-Bear it'll be my Christmas present. I think I'll go brushless too.

[finder75]

Just saw an unboxing video and noticed that the Hornet Evo comes with a 380 motor adapter in plastic,I saw it at the end of the manual but didnt notice which sprue it was on, surely this means that a Grasshopper Evo must be coming.

Regarding the unboxing / youtube Hornet Evo content so far , The Japanese stuff has been good but the auto translate is often times hilarious and leaves details vague.The english spoken reviews havnt seemed to spotlight the alterations that people want to know about what makes this version adapt for bellcrank steering, or independant suspenion or the top turnbuckle link for the front suspension. or the unique rear axles for the 3 piece wheel length in a DT02 hub carrier.

Im afraid it has suffered the youtube curse of " get the video out asap for clicks" and little research has been done about these differences. example * shows bag of screws* heres a bag of screws *reads box* its got a hobby wing esc ...etc

I have never seen or heard about the 380 motor adapter till now and only because the manual was opened .

[markbt73]

Looking more and more like this is my kind of kit! Plenty of extra goodies in the box, it's cobbled together from other cars so lots of other parts fit, and well-equipped for a low price. Honestly, I'm more interested in this than any of the expensive re-releases.

[Losi XXT-CR]

20 hours ago, kontemax said:

Waiting for a Grasshopper 1 & 2 Evo.


Max

Just curious, but why?

Don't get me wrong, I can sort of see if you had a Hornet back in the day and then realised how limited some aspects of it where, this new Evo is kind of the Hornet you always wished it should have been.

But....

Since the time of the original Hornet, there are far better buggies. So if you want a better performing buggy, surely a DT-02, DT-03 or one from another maker is the way to go. The Traxxas Bandit isn't all that far off the Hornets age.

And if you do want a Hornet, well you can still get them too. Warts and all.

Ultimately, I'm not sure I really see the point of something like a Grasshopper Evo. Either you want one because it is a Grasshopper or you want something that goes and performs better. Of which you have that choice here and now. Having something called Grasshopper, that isn't really a Grasshopper because it is so fundamentally different, is surely just buying the "something" else?

[ThunderDragonCy]

14 hours ago, SlideWRX said:

There is the Hex adapter they include in the kit - screenshot from the RC Driver video.  Looks like an easy 20+mm extension!

The classic wheel adapters - looks like originals are thicker and could push the wheels out maybe 2-3mm on each side...

If they're the hex adapters then it's even more of a reason to just get DT03 rear arms, 70mm driveshaft and a long turnbuckle and get something with decent geo. You'll be bending that axle every run.

[kontemax]

8 hours ago, Losi XXT-CR said:

Just curious, but why?

Don't get me wrong, I can sort of see if you had a Hornet back in the day and then realised how limited some aspects of it where, this new Evo is kind of the Hornet you always wished it should have been.

Because I never had the Hornet at the era but I had a Grasshopper and a Grasshopper 2.

:-)  :-)  :-)


Max

[Saito2]

Personally, I just prefer the Grasshopper's styling to the Hornets myself.

[markbt73]

10 hours ago, Losi XXT-CR said:

Just curious, but why?

Don't get me wrong, I can sort of see if you had a Hornet back in the day and then realised how limited some aspects of it where, this new Evo is kind of the Hornet you always wished it should have been.

But....

Since the time of the original Hornet, there are far better buggies. So if you want a better performing buggy, surely a DT-02, DT-03 or one from another maker is the way to go. The Traxxas Bandit isn't all that far off the Hornets age.

And if you do want a Hornet, well you can still get them too. Warts and all.

Ultimately, I'm not sure I really see the point of something like a Grasshopper Evo. Either you want one because it is a Grasshopper or you want something that goes and performs better. Of which you have that choice here and now. Having something called Grasshopper, that isn't really a Grasshopper because it is so fundamentally different, is surely just buying the "something" else?

For the same reason people still hot-rod VW Beetles and the like. It's fun to see what you can do with it.

[Wheel_Nut]

Well… None of the DT series buggies have ball-raced bellcrank steering! This EVO Hornet is breaking new ground for Tamiya in the reduction of dreaded bump-steer.    It’s not one moment too soon if I may say so…

This is much more of a “High Performance off-road racing buggy” than it was before. Personally I really like the retro styling of The Hornet body, and The Grasshopper is pretty nice too.

[Kowalski86]

21 hours ago, finder75 said:

Im afraid it has suffered the youtube curse of " get the video out asap for clicks" and little research has been done about these differences. example * shows bag of screws* heres a bag of screws *reads box* its got a hobby wing esc ...etc

That's par for the course, get video out, get views, move onto the next freebie. User experiences and forum posts are much more useful.

19 hours ago, Losi XXT-CR said:

Since the time of the original Hornet, there are far better buggies. So if you want a better performing buggy, surely a DT-02, DT-03 or one from another maker is the way to go. The Traxxas Bandit isn't all that far off the Hornets age.

The Hornet Evo will be cheaper than any of the DT-02 variants, while having a more unique look than the DT-03.

The Bandit is more expensive, uses pin drive wheels (in 2024 no less!), bushings in the hubs (which aren't even the standard modern bearing size), fixed links all around, and it's not sold in Japan afaik.

The only merits to the Bandit are it being RTR, and being a great money pit if you want to throw aftermarket parts at it.

[Frog Jumper]

10 hours ago, markbt73 said:

For the same reason people still hot-rod VW Beetles and the like. It's fun to see what you can do with it.

 

20 hours ago, Losi XXT-CR said:

Just curious, but why?

Don't get me wrong, I can sort of see if you had a Hornet back in the day and then realised how limited some aspects of it where, this new Evo is kind of the Hornet you always wished it should have been.

But....

Since the time of the original Hornet, there are far better buggies. So if you want a better performing buggy, surely a DT-02, DT-03 or one from another maker is the way to go. The Traxxas Bandit isn't all that far off the Hornets age.

And if you do want a Hornet, well you can still get them too. Warts and all.

Ultimately, I'm not sure I really see the point of something like a Grasshopper Evo. Either you want one because it is a Grasshopper or you want something that goes and performs better. Of which you have that choice here and now. Having something called Grasshopper, that isn't really a Grasshopper because it is so fundamentally different, is surely just buying the "something" else?

I tend to agree.  Want a modern hornet?  Get a modern car and put a hornet body onto it.