My first Tamiya - HotShot 2007

[ChewiOne 8]

Hi - i am new to the Tamiya Club forum and in fact new to Tamiya cars.

When i was a child i always wanted a Tamiya car - either the Hornet or HotShot but sadly could never afford one. Now as an adult i thought a mid-life crisis merited buying a HotShot - it was cheaper than getting a motorbike and a lot safer.

So i got the Hotshot with a basic Acoms transmitter and receiver, 3000mAH battery and Delta 3 fast charger.

Having never built a car before, everything was new to me - i easily put in 30 hours plus building the car. Everything is stock, including the... plastic bearings (cough...).

I probably would of made some hop-ups if i knew more, but as it was my first car i was a bit naive about this.

But you have to start somewhere...

Here's how it went:

https://imageshack.com/i/idCFiTgsj

Gearbox build - they look pretty simple, but were a bit fiddly inside..

https://imageshack.com/i/eyKoG6Mmj

Rear suspension arms added

[ChewiOne 8]

https://imageshack.com/i/ey2iJa5aj

Front suspension arms added

https://imageshack.com/i/ipPIzjftj

The driver painted - quite pleased with the way he turned out.

[ChewiOne 8]

http://imageshack.com/i/eyNMQeORj

The body of the HotShot starting to come together

https://imageshack.com/i/f0iuNpQcj

Cutting the plastic body shell - well worth taking your time on this!

https://imageshack.com/i/f0rIB7cEj

And painting - Tamiya build guide said use 3 coats of paint but it was a least 7. Used the entire can.

I've not got pictures, but next up i put in all the RC gear, attached the wheels and tested the car ran OK.

Noob mistake - not attaching the pinion gear correctly to the motor shaft - i should of lined up the grub screw to the 'flat' part of the shaft. First test and it comes off inside the gearbox - fortunately there was no damage.

Noob mistake 2 - not spacing the 13T pinion correctly and therefore not fully meshing with the spur gear. Facepalm - i knew this was extremely important as well, but still got it wrong...

But all fixed now.

Next up was adding the roll cage etc... and then ready to go out for the inaugural run!

[ChewiOne 8]

https://imageshack.com/i/eyJrD7Kzj

The car is built and ready to shred!

https://imageshack.com/i/exjejldcj

https://imageshack.com/i/p1iGm6Jwj

https://imageshack.com/i/idVPzuOPj

I'm pretty pleased with the way the car came out - i think it looks awesome - really mean!

The front suspension seemed a little weak - but this is a bit of a design flaw - not much i can do about it.

I found some public land near to me that made the perfect testing ground:

https://imageshack.com/i/f0ECRlEVj

https://imageshack.com/i/eyKXyqmgj

https://imageshack.com/i/pd4XH4nNj

It's some old volley-ball courts that have been abandoned and now ripped up leaving the chalky ground you see.

It was a little bit tough on the car, but great fun (note the twisted right light in the last pic!).

I only flipped the car twice - was actually more than twice but it landed wheels down so not going to include them..

I still need to adjust the battery cable a little better and more foam padding to the battery.

[ChewiOne 8]

Anyone who lives South London or Surrey (near Epsom) way - just punch this in to google maps:

51°20'07.9"N 0°14'28.3"W

To find the location of where i went - like i said, it's public land where a few joggers and dog walkers go but no one bothers with this rough patch.

With a more powerful car you could really use the slopes for jumps. I may attempt to build a few smaller jumps in the ground as well.

[ChewiOne 8]

So i'm really pleased with the car and i really enjoyed running it for the first time.

With hindsight i maybe should have replaced the plastic bearings with metal ones - but i only discovered about this after the car was built.

The only other thing i don't like is the spongy front suspension.

I'm already thinking of my next car - probably a Super HotShot. Or... maybe something a bit more powerful that i can do jumps with and stuff but i've no idea what this would be...

[mongoose1983 3362]

Welcome to the club, ChewiOne!

That's a nice spot you find to run the car. The HotShot is such a classic, plus I think you did a great job painting that driver.

Other than that, to make the photos appear in the thread you have to right-click your mouse so you just copy (and then paste) the images in this thread.

Have a good Sunday!

[ChewiOne 8]

Thanks Mongoose - I've dropped in the images like you said so you don't have to click on all the links each time.

Cheers

[mongoose1983 3362]

Yeah

Talking about mid-life crisis, I'm sure you'll find your way to more cars somehow sometime soon, haha.

Have you ever considered buying old cars to restore? I know I love to find old, beat-up examples to make them run and look as good as possible.

[XV Pilot 1937]

The Hotshot is a bold choice for a first car, but I can certainly see the appeal. The Hotshot was a childhood dream for me too, that joined my fleet as a re-re in adulthood. It is a great build and an engaging drive, despite the suspension shortcomings.

As your next car, how about a more modern buggy? Something that shows how far Tamiya design has progressed in the interim? Depending on your budget and intended use, a TT-02B or a DB-01RR would do the trick. The TT-02B is a great value basher, while the DB-01RR is a very competitive racer.

[ChewiOne 8]

Thanks for the comments.

The problem with my getting my next car is there are so many to choose from.

A friend of mine has a vintage Frog and Boomerang - both in need of some serious restoration.

I also had a look at a YouTube video of DB-01RR racing which looked to be some serious fun.

I'm going to scour these threads for a bit - mull it over before i decide. I've only just got the HotShot so i should probably wait a least a month or so before committing to another purchase...

[GregM 1113]

Good job on painting the driver figure. Patience and a steady hand are paying off.

[drcarlos 57]

I think the TT02B would be too close in performance to the Hotshot (which you have done a great job with by the way), the DB01RR or DB02 (leonis) might be a good bet or Egress might offer enough of a difference to the Shot. The DB01 or DB02 would also probably be competitive at a club racer level too as they are derived from one of the Tamiya racing platforms. I was looking at a similar choice to you but from the other way (I have the TT02B) around.

One thing to do right away though is get the bearings for the Hotshot as you will notice a pickup in performance and run time.

Also don't invest too heavily in NiMh batteries as you will probably quickly want to change to lipo's when you see the boost in power and run time they offer.

[ChewiOne 8]

Thanks everyone for all your advice - much appreciated.

Today i have ordered some ball bearings, Traxxas steel pinion gears and also a Super Hotshot under-guard.

I'm still interested in getting the Super Hotshot at some point - it's just looks so cool.

Also thinking of DB01 or DB02 and will consider running Lipos as well.

And i'm also looking at other buggies on the market too (Losi, Traxxas etc...) even though i know this IS a Tamiya forum.

The HotShot is great fun, but i definitely want something with some more grunt to thrash around with as well.

[mr crispy 2297]

Nice build ChewiOne, I've always fancied a Hotshot but somehow never got around to buying one. It's definately on my wish list & I prefer it in its mono shock state. I believe you can upgrade the front shock to improve the handling or replace it with a dual shock upgrade if you want. When you're bearings arrive you'll get to build most of it again

That spot you found isn't too far away from me, although it's dangerously close to Mick Charles Models a bit further up the A240 at the Stoneleigh Pk Rd junction That's about the only RC hobby shop I know around here, worth checking out as they know their stuff.

[drcarlos 57]

Thanks everyone for all your advice - much appreciated.

Today i have ordered some ball bearings, Traxxas steel pinion gears and also a Super Hotshot under-guard.

I'm still interested in getting the Super Hotshot at some point - it's just looks so cool.

Also thinking of DB01 or DB02 and will consider running Lipos as well.

And i'm also looking at other buggies on the market too (Losi, Traxxas etc...) even though i know this IS a Tamiya forum.

The HotShot is great fun, but i definitely want something with some more grunt to thrash around with as well.

Don't be afraid, I have in the house 3 Tamiya's for myself and a Schumacher Cougar SV2 (for racing, seriously grunty it is too), my eldest has a 2 Hobao's (a Hyper Mini ST and a Hyper H2 Pro for racing) and my youngest boy has a HPI Maverick Strada MT (soon to get a Team C TR02 V2 for racing). As much as I would love us all to run Tamiya TRF201XX's for racing I am not made of money and the Hobao, Schumacher and Team-C cars offer better value while still remaining competitive.

I think the DB01 or DB02 will be the way to go unless you step up to something like an XB4 or Cat but that's a large jump up in price and I can't think of anything else that occupies the middle ground between hobby grade and pro grade like the DB01 and 02.

The Super Hotshot is great though will stay on my list of wants even after I get to my self imposed limit of 5 cars, so if circumstance change I may still get one.

[Effigy3 1267]

Welcome to the forums ChewiOne. Outstanding job on the driver! The Hotshot was one of two cars I lusted after BITD. I never did get one but it's still on my wish list. It sounds like you've been bitten by the R/C bug too. At least here you're in understanding company.

[mikeburgon190282 0]

Hey ChewiOne

I'm local to you (Morden)

I'm just in the process of rebulding a Stadium Thunder that I got off eBay, but once that's done will check out place you suggested.

Thanks

Mike

[lupogtiboy 531]

Wow, great result for a first build, looks fantastic!

Nice to see another member local to me, I work in the VW dealership about 5 mins from that location you put, seems there are a few members around here now, perhaps we should meet up somewhere for a bash!

[Dojo Dave 889]

Hey ChewiOne

I'm local to you (Morden)

I'm just in the process of rebulding a Stadium Thunder that I got off eBay, but once that's done will check out place you suggested.

Thanks

Mike

If you're interested in a decent traxxas basher I have 3 slash trucks 2 x 2wd , and a 4wd rally. Im in the process of selling one of the 2wd trucks..Pm me if youre interested I am a Brit I the U.S so I'd have to make it a really good deal for you. Lol