Choosing a 4WD Buggy - Help and advice please...

[paullyjay 227]

I recently purchased a NIB re-re Boomerang from ebay, I was soooo excited, but alas, my payment was refunded with a message saying 'sorry, it has already been sold'

So now, while my refund is 'pending' on paypal, I have had some time to think... I want a 4WD buggy, I always wanted a HotShot as a child, but, on reflection, I see there are a number of other options... So I turn to the infinite wisdom of the gestalt!

I want something I can bash, so durable with good spares available, I want to be able to have different wheel options and I will be fitting brushless kit with a view to running 2s and 3s lipos.

My options are:

Hot Shot, Bigwig, Boomerang, Manta Ray and Dark Impact

Is the Manta Ray any good? (the price seems quite cheap in comparison to the others). Is the Hot Shot worth the extra premium? Is the Bigwig as sturdy as it looks? Or... am I best off going for the boomerang as there seem to be more of them around, so parts would be readily available and cheaper? Or... should I go for the Dark Impact as it's newer and may handle the bashing better?

So many questions... I hope you guys can help!

[MadInventor 3887]

Can't go wrong with the boomerang, however:

If you wanted the hotshot as a child, buying anything else will mean you will still want that hotshot. You can use square Lipos and brushless in both (I have a 4000Kv system in my hotshot running 2S LiPo).

From what I've heard the bigwig chassis can be easy to break, they used to be silly money on Ebay and hard to find.

Dark Impact will be more sturdy as newer, but you might have trouble fitting a square Lipo in the battery tray.

manta ray is a good evolution from the 'shots', but has a couple of weak spots (plastic motor mount and aluminium gear in the gearbox (Not the pinion), but I believe Tamiya do hop up options to resolve this. Other than that a very good choice and overall better than the hotshot series from a performance point of view.

You should also add the Thundershot series to your list. Not readily available as re-re's at the moment, but they are very tough. Again though as with the dark impact, it is problematic getting LiPo power into them due to the moulded battery compartment designed to hold a rounded NiCad snugly.

If I had none of them and was not worried about value for money I would probably go for the hotshot (Nostalgia factor) or the Boomerang. Bigwig probably represents the best value for money as it comes with a more pokey motor, dual shocks all round, and full roller bearing kit, but it's a bit, well, not very aesthetically pleasing shall we say....

 

 

 

[shenlonco 1179]

Go with the Hotshot!

[Mahjik 197]

Quote

If you wanted the hotshot as a child, buying anything else will mean you will still want that hotshot.

+1..  It seems the Hotshot is not an "or", it's an "and". 

 

For just bashing around, the Manta Ray or Top Force would likely be good for your use case, then add a Hotshot to your collection  later down the line to close out that childhood dream.  

[TurnipJF 10281]

^ What he said. You need a Hotshot to satisfy the childhood dream, and your vintage bashing itch is probably best scratched with a Manta Ray or derivative thereof. 

[kwkenuf 184]

Just get a Hotshot and be done with it!  If it truly is what you have wanted, get it and bash with it!

[ThunderDragonCy 8399]

With the Hot Shot, Super Shot, Big Wig and Boomerang all being ReRe'd and still available I don't think parts for any of them is an issue. If it's just recreational running then get the one you want, but have a think about the limitations. Personally I like tweaking my old stuff to perform reasonably well, so I wouldn't get a Hot Shot, I'd probably get a Super Shot, Big Wig or Boomer from that series of cars because they have proper shocks that work fairly well. Dark Impact spares do seem harder to come by, and they only come with ball diffs which really puts me off them as I can't be bother faffing with those. Shame as I really like the look of the DF03 chassis. Manta Ray is best bang for buck. I've had a DF01 this year and the chassis is great. Tamiya are doing an official hope up kit which include metal motor mount and upgrade prop shaft. Some bearings and the Plastic Touring Car gearset to cure the gearbox issues, and you're golden. 

[Biz73 603]

If I remember correctly, people have said that DF-02 gears fit in the DF-03 gearbox if you want to switch to gear diff.

Just remember, if you wanted that Hotshot back in the day, you will end up with one no matter what you buy this time. That is how the addiction starts. I swear this stuff is more dangerous than crack!

[TurnipJF 10281]

DF-02 gears fit the TT-02B, which is the spiritual successor to the DF-02, being the buggy sibling of the TT-02 just as the DF-02 was the buggy sibling of the TT-01 before it. However the buggy called the DF-03 has little in common with the DF-02 to suggest that it is a successor in anything other than name, and will not take its gears. 

[Biz73 603]

Sorry my bad. I agree that it is a whole different line than the previous DF's.

[emspjay 138]

Hot Shot if that's what you wanted as a kid. I had an original Super Shot that I lightly ran and it was fun. I also had an original Big Wig that was new built I never ran it, I don't think that will be a good basher. I thought it was over complicated for what it was especially the steering set up. Luckily I sold that right before the re-re came out. I can't comment on the Dark Impact as never owning one but I bet it will handle better than a Hot Shot.

[paullyjay 227]

16 hours ago, Biz73 said:

I swear this stuff is more dangerous than crack!

Man - This made me laugh!! - you're not kidding, this stuff is hard on the wallet too!

[paullyjay 227]

22 hours ago, MadInventor said:

Can't go wrong with the boomerang, however:

If you wanted the hotshot as a child, buying anything else will mean you will still want that hotshot. You can use square Lipos and brushless in both (I have a 4000Kv system in my hotshot running 2S LiPo).

You should also add the Thundershot series to your list.

If I had none of them and was not worried about value for money I would probably go for the hotshot (Nostalgia factor) or the Boomerang. Bigwig probably represents the best value for money as it comes with a more pokey motor, dual shocks all round, and full roller bearing kit, but it's a bit, well, not very aesthetically pleasing shall we say....

I think the Boomerang and Hot Shot are sitting at the top of my list - but, if there were a re-re Fire Dragon available or a Thundershot/ThunderDragon, I'd be all over it! (they were also on my childhood wish list)

I agree with you about the Bigwig - it was on my list because of the value for money, but (IMO) it is the ugliest of the bunch!

[paullyjay 227]

14 hours ago, emspjay said:

Hot Shot if that's what you wanted as a kid. I had an original Super Shot that I lightly ran and it was fun. I also had an original Big Wig that was new built I never ran it, I don't think that will be a good basher. I thought it was over complicated for what it was especially the steering set up. Luckily I sold that right before the re-re came out. I can't comment on the Dark Impact as never owning one but I bet it will handle better than a Hot Shot.

I have looked at a Super Hot Shot, but the cost made me dismiss it as an option, however is it worth the extra? What are the differences between the Hot Shot and Super Hot Shot?

[emspjay 138]

On 3/23/2018 at 7:16 AM, paullyjay said:

I have looked at a Super Hot Shot, but the cost made me dismiss it as an option, however is it worth the extra? What are the differences between the Hot Shot and Super Hot Shot?

Body, tires, wheels, 4 dampers/shocks vs 2 on the Hotshot, and I'm not sure if the re-re's have different motors the originals did. Are you set on buying one new? My original Supershot was only lightly run a few times in great shape, I sold it RTR and I think I only got $180.00 US on Ebay. The originals really went down in price after the re-re.

[Juggular 5089]

On 3/23/2018 at 7:14 AM, paullyjay said:

I think the Boomerang and Hot Shot are sitting at the top of my list - but, if there were a re-re Fire Dragon available or a Thundershot/ThunderDragon, I'd be all over it! (they were also on my childhood wish list)

I agree with you about the Bigwig - it was on my list because of the value for money, but (IMO) it is the ugliest of the bunch!

Yep, Bigwig is the ugliest of the Hotshot family.  

But I couldn't pass up the price of $133 for an open box kit on ebay one day.  I thought the camel hump was the ugliest feature, so I put some carbon tape on it (I left out the aluminum roof just for the photo). And a white stripe along the body.  The hump being less conspicuous helps. Still, I like my vintage Hot Shot better.  With 4 shocks, it should run better than Hot Shot though.  

[Jonathon Gillham 4698]

If I didn't have an attachment to either the Hotshot or Boomerang then I would buy the Boomerang as the Hotshot is so much more expensive.  For me the Hotshot would have to have some special meaning for me to buy it.  The fact that the Boomerang was my first hobby grade means I get the bonus of having the better performing car of the two and an extra few hundred dollars in my bank.

Of your original list I would go for either the Manta Ray or Boomerang.  The Manta Ray will outperform the Boomerang, but lets face it, both are ancient designs and aren't going to perform as well as modern kits anyway, so go for the one you like the look of.  Which isn't the Bigwig, that thing is ugly.  I run a Boomerang, Novafox, Monster Beetle and TT02B's around my backyward track and I win with whatever car I'm driving against my mates (they are all my cars and my track and I belong to clubs and race other cars) or my son (he's 4) so the cars are all much of a muchness, all have their quirks and benefits

So, in summary, the Boomerang is the best

[Klausen 1229]

Bigwig is on sale on tamico.de from tomorrow. 

[paullyjay 227]

On 24/03/2018 at 8:49 PM, emspjay said:

Body, tires, wheels, 4 dampers/shocks vs 2 on the Hotshot, and I'm not sure if the re-re's have different motors the originals did. Are you set on buying one new? My original Supershot was only lightly run a few times in great shape, I sold it RTR and I think I only got $180.00 US on Ebay. The originals really went down in price after the re-re.

I've had a look at 2nd hand, but they seem to be making good money at the moment, and if there is anything that needs to be fixed, it could end up costing the same as brand new...

On 25/03/2018 at 2:01 AM, Juggular said:

Yep, Bigwig is the ugliest of the Hotshot family.  

But I couldn't pass up the price of $133 for an open box kit on ebay one day.  I thought the camel hump was the ugliest feature, so I put some carbon tape on it (I left out the aluminum roof just for the photo). And a white stripe along the body.  The hump being less conspicuous helps. Still, I like my vintage Hot Shot better.  With 4 shocks, it should run better than Hot Shot though.  

Is that a polycarbonate body, or is it solid?

On 25/03/2018 at 6:45 AM, Klausen said:

Bigwig is on sale on tamico.de from tomorrow. 

Now that puts the cat amongst the pigeons!! That's a really good price...

[ThunderDragonCy 8399]

Bijgwig is polycarbonate.

[paullyjay 227]

On 22/03/2018 at 1:06 PM, MadInventor said:

You should also add the Thundershot series to your list. Not readily available as re-re's at the moment, but they are very tough. Again though as with the dark impact, it is problematic getting LiPo power into them due to the moulded battery compartment designed to hold a rounded NiCad snugly.

 

On 23/03/2018 at 11:14 AM, paullyjay said:

I think the Boomerang and Hot Shot are sitting at the top of my list - but, if there were a re-re Fire Dragon available or a Thundershot/ThunderDragon, I'd be all over it! (they were also on my childhood wish list)

I almost bought a BigWig on Tamico.de today (the special offer price is too good to miss), but thought I'd have a quick look at the bay and see if there were any Thunder Shot/Coro Coro Dragons around... and there it was... Buy-it-now...

So the Hot Shot and Boomerang will have to wait until another day...

[taffer 949]

You bought my fire dragon, thanks! (although i love this chassis, I have 5 other thundershots!)

Hopefully ill despatch tomorrow

regards scott

[taffer 949]

On 22/03/2018 at 1:06 PM, MadInventor said:

You should also add the Thundershot series to your list. Not readily available as re-re's at the moment, but they are very tough. Again though as with the dark impact, it is problematic getting LiPo power into them due to the moulded battery compartment designed to hold a rounded NiCad snugly.

The core 4000mah lipo from modelsport fits cc-01, tl-01 (and thundershot) perfectly 

[paullyjay 227]

1 hour ago, taffer said:

You bought my fire dragon, thanks! (although i love this chassis, I have 5 other thundershots!)

Hopefully ill despatch tomorrow

regards scott

Hopefully it will see good service over the next few months!

1 hour ago, taffer said:

The core 4000mah lipo from modelsport fits cc-01, tl-01 (and thundershot) perfectly 

I have one of these, so I'm good to go!