Decision

[KSRC101]

So when I was a kid a friend of mine for Christmas got a Frog. A few months later he got a Hot Shot. I always wanted these. So now I am going to jump in. But I know these 2 vehicles are very different. I just looking for opinions on which one to buy? Just going to use it around my yard / street. I am sure I will eventually end up with both, but just want to hear if what others think..

Thanks!

[MadInventor]

I'd definitely go for the hotshot and not bother with the frog. The Frog suspension is just awful with no damping on the front, the hotshot is a much more sophisticated model, looks better, handles better, and has more grip with the 4wd, will be a more involved build, and with a mild brushless motor system will be a fast reliable runner. There's a reason your friend wanted the hotshot after having the frog for a few months

 

[Effigy3]

I always wanted a Frog BITD but could never afford one.  When I got back in the hobby a few years ago, I got the Frog I always wanted.  As I remembered back then, the Frog was prone to roll-overs (Notice the big metal bars that stick up to protect the body when it rolls?  You *KNOW* it rolls a lot when the manufacturer builds-in something like that!) and liked to puke its drive shafts out.  I had hoped the re-re would have addressed the issues, and it tried.  It's still wicked tippy, no getting around that.  Swapping out the old hex-drive dog bones for proper cross-pin style didn't help.  I have maybe a dozen battery packs through my re-re Frog.  I've replaced broken front axles like 3 times, and lost count of how many times I've had to pop the dog bones back in.

Between the two, get the Hot Shot.

If you want to spend your $200 wisely on a much more modern Tamiya buggy, then get the TRF 201.  It's a VERY nice buggy and Tamiya USA sells them for $175!

This was the pinnacle of 2WD racing buggy back in 2010 so while it doesn't have that "vintage charm" which is an undeniable draw, it will be a very capable buggy on either loose dirt tracks or a fantastic basher.

If you want to keep the costs down, buy a Hobby Wing QuicRun 1060 ESC and a Tamiya Sport Tuned motor.

If you want to be fully modern, buy an LRP Spin Super ESC and a 13.5T brushless motor.

To finish it off, get yourself a pair of 5000 mAh 35C or better LiPo batteries to power it like maybe the Duratrax DTXC1964.  JConcepts Goose Bumps 2.2" rear tires and JConcepts Rips 2.2"  front tires.

Edits to add links

[Prescient]

Hot Shot for sure.

The frog is 100% nostalgia. It has its charms but meh.

[TeaMonster]

I have both the frog and the hotshot, for me I like running them both. However as people have said the frog is very quirky to drive and the driveshafts can be an issue. The hotshot is a very enjoyable build and a very different car to drive the frog.

But as has been said above there are more reliable and better to drive cars for the same money, depends if you want nostalgia or not

[mongoose1983]

No 4wd buggy will ever be able to bring up the ultimate bliss of running hard a 2wd vehicle. Any vehicle that is. So here's a vote for the Frog.

4x4 might be nice when trailing, but I've always found more exciting dirt racing in 2wd. In the end, this is up to you and how you "feel" the car. I believe back in the 80's most kids who actually got the Hot Shot were more into the novelty that that little red buggy meant being the very first 4x4 Tamiya buggy to ever hit hobby stores worldwide, but you see the handling is a totally different feeling. I'm sure you will read "BETTER" in most replies here, but 1:1 buggies are 2wd, and the first image your mind comes to when thinking "buggy" is a VW-based 2wd clumsy off-road vehicle. And that is closer to the Frog.

 

[MadInventor]

33 minutes ago, mongoose1983 said:

No 4wd buggy will ever be able to bring up the ultimate bliss of running hard a 2wd vehicle. Any vehicle that is. So here's a vote for the Frog.

4x4 might be nice when trailing, but I've always found more exciting dirt racing in 2wd. In the end, this is up to you and how you "feel" the car. I believe back in the 80's most kids who actually got the Hot Shot were more into the novelty that that little red buggy meant being the very first 4x4 Tamiya buggy to ever hit hobby stores worldwide, but you see the handling is a totally different feeling. I'm sure you will read "BETTER" in most replies here, but 1:1 buggies are 2wd, and the first image your mind comes to when thinking "buggy" is a VW-based 2wd clumsy off-road vehicle. And that is closer to the Frog.

 

Sorry, I have to disagree

I was one of those kids who bought a hotshot in the mid 80s,  because I wanted something fast, 4wd, with double wishbone suspension, I liked the low profile oval block tires and one piece wheels, plus at the time it looked miles ahead of what to me looked like the 'old' buggies such as the SRB and the frog. I was massively happy with it after having a grasshopper with a 380 in previously (and before that a sand rover), and running mine round on a 7.2v 1200nicad with the silver can in, it was impossible to grip roll even on grass, and would easily climb dirt inclines the grasshopper and my old sand rover had no chance on. People might look down on the hotshots handling now, but (IMO) it was streets ahead of the real old school cars when it was released. Most 1:1 responses on here about 1:1 buggies involve vw based buggies because a.) that's what buggies were in the late 70s, early 80s, when we were kids watching things like the cannonball run and the Fall Guy, and b.) at least 50% of us on TC have a sand scorcher obsession. Most off roaders being built new today look more like this:

Which I would say has more than a touch of supershot in it. Single seater, long travel double wishbone suspension with 4wd, even the lower suspension arms have the slightly bent up ends which appeared on the lower front wishbones of the later shot series. 1:1 buggies are following the same evolution as RCs did, it's just taking a lot longer because of the cost involved.

 

[mongoose1983]

Well, I read no disagree in anything you've said here Alistair.

[Snappy1]

My money would go on a Hotshot.......

[Theibault]

• Hotshot if you want 4wd and Wild One if you want 2wd. That's my 2 cents. 

[lin6499]

I would go for Hotshot too if you don't care the car tends to be understeer.

[madmickmalone]

the Hotshot

[Saito2]

The Frog and Hot Shot are kinda like apples and oranges. Both vintage buggies, but not alike. The Frog is one step ahead of the old full metal SRB-era. As such it has simple plastic parts combined with stamped metal parts. They are very light and a step up from the SRBs they replaced. Stock, they are bouncy but better than a Hornet. They do have a high COG with upright servos, a tall-ish chassis and high-mounted motor. They can be modified however to handle much better. Frogs were wildly popular with racers around here before the RC10 came out and put an end to all of it. It's quick and with a short wheelbase and adjustable caster, can really hook around a hairpin turns on the right surface. 2wd can be fun with throttle-induced over-steer.

The Hot Shot is two steps ahead of the SRB-era, design-wise. It's mostly plastic and the plastic moldings are complex and accurate. Where the Frog is light, relatively simple, nimble but bouncy, the Hot Shot is weighty, complex and planted. The Hot Shot seems solid and hugs the ground. With longer suspension arms and low profile tires it seem to slink (but not drag) along the ground. Much more stable. The build is more involved (its one of my very favorites). The layered chassis over arched by a roll cage assembly with the addition of a unique suspension system is a work of art to me. It understeers as early 4wds do. You can't go wrong with either, They're both icons in Tamiya history, but they do behave quite differently.

[ThunderDragonCy]

Couple of left field ideas from me. AMPRO Engineering  (pinto power on here) has loads of upgrades for the Frog/ORV chassis like wishbone rear suspension and others. Maybe do a Frog resto mod style build? Other option to scratch a Frog itch would be Neo Fighter on the modern DT03 chassis. There are Frog decals in the box so you can do the shell as a "Neo" Frog.

Personally I'm a sucker for 80s 4wd tamiya's so it would be the Hot Shot for me.

[moffman]

On 17/03/2017 at 8:00 AM, lin6499 said:

I would go for Hotshot too if you don't care the car tends to be understeer.

What re-re Tamiya doesn't under steer? maybe the grasshopper with the 360 motor but i think the only RC in my collection that don't under steer is the kyosho's tomahawk! But anyway i think its a matter of closing your eyes and choose one both have there own pro's and con's the hot shot looks cool but the frog looks cool in a funny way either way you're sure to have fun with the one you choose!

[Baja500]

Depending on the use of your surfaces... just around your yard and street get the hotshot, although the hotshot suffer's a little with ground clearance overtime with continued use... just outside the square if i may say so, a hotshot or a frog may get a little beat up quicker than most, a subaru brat, monster beetle or a blackfoot may be more rugged basher's for this purpose. depending on taste. although the frog is very unique in its own right in the right conditions as well which i love it. You want to rekindle your childhood that you experienced, definitely get the hotshot. Just watch out for street curves or gutters etc 😓

 

 

 

[NWarty]

I, like many here, own both of them. There is no doubt that the Hotshot is the better runner. With modern servos, a decent ESC and motor, it handles wonderfully. Even though my Shot's running gear is all vintage, a decent little 2.4ghz radio works wonders. I've been able to overcome the understeer issue with endpoint adjustment and dual rate. In fact, it turns better than any of my other vintage runners. 

They both have a lot of charm, I had the Frog before I restored the HS so the leap in performance was very apparent.