Jump to content
Sign in to follow this  
Saito2

Any love left for the Hot Shot?

Recommended Posts

I've noticed a bit of a divide growing concerning the popularity of the Hot Shot. In the past the Hot Shot was always a hot car (ugh, pun) to own but as the years rolled by after the rerelease, I've noticed a split between the vintage guys and the rerelease guys. Vintage examples will always be hot to trot (pun again!) but there seems to be some growing dissatisfaction with the rerelease.  I was a bit surprised when Tamiya rereleased it virtually unchanged as the Hot Shot was always the most "flawed" of the series. Still, I was happy to run a Hot Shot in all its glory, goofy suspension and all, without the fear of breakage. I'm noticing a trend where a lot of folks are less than pleased by it's "character". Its generally agreed that it looks cool but doesn't quite live up to the legend. Its hard to remember that before the Hot Shot, most Tamiya buggies, of all types, hopped and bopped around quite a bit out of the box. The Hot Shot on the other hand, stuck to the ground with relatively long travel suspension and low profile wheels/tires for the time period. So owners, whats your take on this Tamiya classic? Run it hard or leave it on the shelf as a queen?

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

never owned one but always thought they were the toughest looking buggy tamiya made. 

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm glad I got a re-issue one, just so I could figure out (finally) how that rear suspension worked. Never could see it well enough in pictures to understand it. But when it came ot driving it, it was just too frustrating, with that awkward front end geometry. I kept passing it over in favor of other runners, and it just sat there.  And I really do like the looks of it, but I just couldn't justify keeping it around just to be pretty. If I had a chance at a nice original, I might grab it, just for the shelf. But the re-issues need to earn their keep, and the Hotshot wasn't.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I am not an owner, never have been, but there was one in my family when it was 1st released. Oh how I coveted that thing! Such a cool look. I found out that one from my childhood was recently given away, really wish it’d been given to me!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Love mine!  Shen RC on youtube search and you will see the hotshot beauty in motion!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I never owned a Hotshot until after I was a member here, but the reason I am a member here was me laying eyes on a Hotshot back in 1985,

 

The Hotshot is a Tamiya RC time capsule in its purest form, if you don;t love its character, you never knew it in the first place

  • Like 6

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I would have thought that there is a lot of love for the Hot Shot and its subsequent family of buggies in here.
It's not my cup of tea tbh, though I have a Boomerang. It's just the way the motor and driveline are set up, every time I drive it I feel like it could break.
Cool design for its time though.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
2 hours ago, Pablo68 said:

though I have a Boomerang. It's just the way the motor and driveline are set up, every time I drive it I feel like it could break.

I felt the same way about the Boomerang, though the driveline was the one thing I did feel secure about. I found the Boomer's tub to be torsionally flexy . Worse, the battery door, with its flimsy hooks bears a lot of pressure keeping the structure of the lower rear chassis together. The Hot Shot felt built like a tank, comparatively. My fears are probably unfounded as the Boomer is the better performer. 

I often toy with modifying the front shock (what I consider one of the worst design faults), updating it to a Boomerang/HS2-style monoshock but don't want to ruin the car's quirks.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The Hot Shot is my first hobby grade rc. It will always have a special place in my heart. In fact, I still have my original bought circa 1985. I have bought a few reres since. Non of them will ever see action.

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

In the early 90s I was given a pile of parts that were once a race-spec HotShot and asked if I could make it work.  Since the majority of the original plastic parts were cracked, split or just plain broken, the answer had to be no (although I kept going back to if year on year to see if anything had miraculously fixed itself).

When the re-re came out I had to have one, although I always knew those drive adaptors and the shocks would be a weak point.  I drove it once on rippled grass and loved the way it moved, but after that single drive I could see some bowing in the shock rods and decided it would be best consigned to the shelf.

That's where it stayed, for about half a decade, until I made the long trek to the 2015 Iconic Revival without a confirmed entry and with only one eligible buggy in my possession - the HotShot re-re.  I blagged an entry, had a great day's racing and came away with 3rd place in the C final.  (Given that the HotShot was in the oldest eligible class and I was in the slowest-qualifying heat, I was officially the slowest driver to receive a trophy that day.  That's a result in my book).

Anyway, despite being a "weak car" the HS survived a day at the track with a powerful brushless system in it.  Actually I stripped the spur in the first heat, but that was my fault for mounting the pinion incorrectly and only having part of it on the gear.  I was able to relocate the pinion and carry on racing for the rest of the day.

I ran the HotShot again in 2016, before I decided it would be better with a 4-shock conversion.  I used RadShape's design.  I then spent an absolute age trying to find a suitable set of shocks to fit, and having found said shocks, I now need to buy the right size ball ends to fit them.  (Sometimes I really hate buying RC parts).

But I don't know if it will get run again.  The 4-shock conversion makes it not eligible for vintage racing, and the days of the open bash seem to be long gone.  So right now it's in a box in bits and sadly that's where I think it will stay.

I loved it and I miss it.  One day I'll make the time to fix it.

  • Like 3

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
7 minutes ago, Mad Ax said:

In the early 90s I was given a pile of parts that were once a race-spec HotShot and asked if I could make it work.  Since the majority of the original plastic parts were cracked, split or just plain broken, the answer had to be no (although I kept going back to if year on year to see if anything had miraculously fixed itself).

When the re-re came out I had to have one, although I always knew those drive adaptors and the shocks would be a weak point.  I drove it once on rippled grass and loved the way it moved, but after that single drive I could see some bowing in the shock rods and decided it would be best consigned to the shelf.

That's where it stayed, for about half a decade, until I made the long trek to the 2015 Iconic Revival without a confirmed entry and with only one eligible buggy in my possession - the HotShot re-re.  I blagged an entry, had a great day's racing and came away with 3rd place in the C final.  (Given that the HotShot was in the oldest eligible class and I was in the slowest-qualifying heat, I was officially the slowest driver to receive a trophy that day.  That's a result in my book).

Anyway, despite being a "weak car" the HS survived a day at the track with a powerful brushless system in it.  Actually I stripped the spur in the first heat, but that was my fault for mounting the pinion incorrectly and only having part of it on the gear.  I was able to relocate the pinion and carry on racing for the rest of the day.

I ran the HotShot again in 2016, before I decided it would be better with a 4-shock conversion.  I used RadShape's design.  I then spent an absolute age trying to find a suitable set of shocks to fit, and having found said shocks, I now need to buy the right size ball ends to fit them.  (Sometimes I really hate buying RC parts).

But I don't know if it will get run again.  The 4-shock conversion makes it not eligible for vintage racing, and the days of the open bash seem to be long gone.  So right now it's in a box in bits and sadly that's where I think it will stay.

I loved it and I miss it.  One day I'll make the time to fix it.

Depending on the shocks it might be worth looking at getting some Big Wig front arms and towers and boomerang rear tower. Spray them black to matvh the buggy and you should have a vintage eligable 4 shock car. Front shocks need to be 80mm eye to eye, rear are the long shock 105mm size. 

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I couldn't afford the Hot Shot when it came out.  Boy I wanted it, but as a kid I just couldn't wait long enough to earn enough money to get it so I had to settle on the Fox.  I don't regret it as the Fox was a great car (after they fixed some of the initial issues).

 

Having said that, the Re-Re Hot Shot is what got me back into the hobby.  I can't say I would be back if I hadn't seen the Re-Re.  Some 30 years later, I finally have a Hot Shot.  Yes, it doesn't perform as well as newer vehicles but I don't think that's necessarily why anyone would buy it.  The slammed cockpit look just really gives it an aggressive look.  It still does well if you have loose dirt areas to run it.  Tarmac, clay or carpet, not so much.  ;)

 

  • Like 3

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I got my Hotshot in 2002 or so.  

Frankly, I was a bit disappointed.   

But, you have to put it in the right context.  This was from 1985.  The year of Back to the Future, Rambo 2, St. Elmo's Fire, Breakfast Club, Brazil, and Weird Science!  

 

Geesh, I feel old... but those were my teenage years (tiny bit less exciting. okay, A LOT less exciting...).

The nono-shocks were a fresh new concept then.  In 2002, I knew it was a semi-failed concept, judging from Hotshot II and Bigwig that have 4 shocks.  But it's difficult to ignore the advancement in RC.  T-MAXX was on the market.  If you look at what T-maxx can do, and look at Hotshot?  Of course, 15 years gap is hard not to notice.  Performance was rather "clanky."   But I was sure glad to get my hands on THE Hotshot.  What it comes down to is ; 

Are you looking at Hotshot with eyes of 2019?  -->  You are going to be disappointed.  

Are you looking at it with eyes of 1985?  ->  Then you'll have fun building it, at least.  

 

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I only have the Boomerang, not the Hotshot, and i know that the Boomerang dealt with a lot of the Hotshots flaws, but I love running the old buggies (despite having all the far superior cars available). They perform well enough if run as designed, ie mild motor and NiMH, and hold their own against their contemporaries,  the TT02B. I don't have a Hotshot because they are so expensive (twice the price of a Boomer!) and they were a bit before my time - my first hobbygrade was a Boomerang.

At home I love watching the Boomerang, Fox and Monster Beetle all running together, all have their flaws but they all can win a backyard race in the right hands.

  • Like 3

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I honestly can't remember which car my contemporaries got when I was a kid. I'm sure it was a Tamiya, like the ones I drooled over in the Littlewoods catalogue. My favourite at the time? I honestly can't remember but I think it was probably a Hot Shot. I didn't get a Hot Shot. Out of my family's budget, so I received a Taiyo Mini Hopper for Christmas. 

Fast forward to when I get into the hobby in 2014 / 2015. Buggies don't really appeal after reading about Mad Bulls and monsterized Hornets. But I liked the idea of doing a vintage restoration. And I like 'character' (for that, read 'stuff that doesn't work as well as it should or is put together weirdly') like my Strathearn turntable and Alfa Romeo 146. So I bought a vintage Hot Shot.

It is still in a box awaiting restoration. I bought a few parts I knew that it needed. I know it is flawed but it will be an interesting tear down and rebuild which is what I enjoy most.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Three under eights in the garden. All of them wanted to drive the Hot Shot. The poor Neo Scorcher alternative only just beat the option of just chasing the Hot Shot about on foot. So we grown-ups might think it lacks in handling, damping etc, the kids still think it looks awesome B). I’ve no idea about reliability, but I do know it saw off my XV01T in head on crash tests too!

  • Like 1
  • Haha 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
8 minutes ago, jupitertwo said:

Three under eights in the garden. All of them wanted to drive the Hot Shot. The poor Neo Scorcher alternative only just beat the option of just chasing the Hot Shot about on foot. So we grown-ups might think it lacks in handling, damping etc, the kids still think it looks awesome B). I’ve no idea about reliability, but I do know it saw off my XV01T in head on crash tests too!

Doesn't surprise me for a second. All this tells me (and should tell Tamiya) is that the need to build cool scale looking shells for modern running gear. A Hotshot3 with a decent chassis with modern features under that kind of shell wouldbe mega. 

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

This thread needs more pictures B)

i know we all know what a hotshot looks like, but it’s just so cool to look at

48834229051_f66b78bb2e_b.jpg

  • Like 4

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

My younger brother had one back in the 80s. I was jealous at first because I had the Frog. I thought the Hotshot was a better buggy. When we finished assembling it and ran it, I stopped liking it. The suspension was/is very, very lousy. A very noisy car too. If anyone is planning to get one for bashing or vintage racing, forget it. Go for something better and stay away from the HS. You'll save a lot of money too. For shelf or nostalgic purpose, then it's ok. 

  • Haha 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
19 hours ago, Pablo68 said:

I would have thought that there is a lot of love for the Hot Shot and its subsequent family of buggies in here.
It's not my cup of tea tbh, though I have a Boomerang. It's just the way the motor and driveline are set up, every time I drive it I feel like it could break.
Cool design for its time though.

Believe me that driveline can take a lot more power than you think. I have been bashing mine on 3s lipo and 5900kv motor and it hasnt broken yet.

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I bought one new in the 80's when I was 14. I did a lot of extra work around the house for a long time to get it. When I did get it I built it non stop one night into the wee hours. I still enjoy the build very much but now my wife is jealous of all the time I spend on RC cars....lol. 

The Hotshot was my second Tamiya after The Frog and I was amazed at how well it handled with its low COG. I loved that thing and I have 2 re-re Hotshots now.

Today I have Traxxas and Arrma cars but Tamiya just takes me back to when I had a full head of Flock of Seagulls hair, a fast girlfriend, and my beautiful Hotshot.

  • Like 3
  • Thanks 1
  • Haha 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I always try to keep things in perspective (with varying degrees of success ;)). The Frog hopped about a good bit in stock form. It was transitional, being composed of plastic and metal stampings. The cast parts of the SRBs were gone (except the uprights) and the plastic moldings were not overly complex, but getting there. The Hot Shot was the next major evolution in Tamiya buggy performance. Now virtually fully plastic, it was loaded with reasonably more complex moldings, differing types of plastic, and a more compliant suspension with long arms. Add to that the low COG @fullspectrum  mentioned, plus a mid motor (Tamiya beat Kyosho to the punch on that one) and one can see it was a "hot" car at the time. Granted, in competition, it wasn't long before racers threw away the chassis, keeping the driveline intact for track duties. Still it was a leap ahead of the Frog (ok, enough PUN-ishment):).

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On 10/1/2019 at 11:43 PM, Saito2 said:

I've noticed a bit of a divide growing concerning the popularity of the Hot Shot. In the past the Hot Shot was always a hot car (ugh, pun) to own but as the years rolled by after the rerelease, I've noticed a split between the vintage guys and the rerelease guys. Vintage examples will always be hot to trot (pun again!) but there seems to be some growing dissatisfaction with the rerelease.  I was a bit surprised when Tamiya rereleased it virtually unchanged as the Hot Shot was always the most "flawed" of the series. Still, I was happy to run a Hot Shot in all its glory, goofy suspension and all, without the fear of breakage. I'm noticing a trend where a lot of folks are less than pleased by it's "character". Its generally agreed that it looks cool but doesn't quite live up to the legend. Its hard to remember that before the Hot Shot, most Tamiya buggies, of all types, hopped and bopped around quite a bit out of the box. The Hot Shot on the other hand, stuck to the ground with relatively long travel suspension and low profile wheels/tires for the time period. So owners, whats your take on this Tamiya classic? Run it hard or leave it on the shelf as a queen?

I got a re-release and I like it a lot!

I like it because even though it's a bit ungainly and wallowy by modern standards, it's still waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better than something like a hornet as soon as you hit any kind of rough surface so it has a good balance of character and drivability.

The way it looks and sounds in motion doesn't inspire confidence at first, it kind of sounds rattly and front arms flail around wildly but you can push way harder than the looks and noise suggest is possible. 

It does great in sand, dirt, gravel, dead leaves etc on the forest floor, short grass etc

And although it understeers a fair bit, the handling on (smooth) road is quite predictable so you can get a pretty good flow going by using the throttle to adjust the steering line etc. Not so good on rough/cratered tarmac but then even stuff like my Slash can end up tipping over if I catch a rut at the wrong time so it's not a huge criticism.

The only thing that really bugs me is the front end bottoming out so easily and if you try to add pre-load to fix it, it becomes too firm and also puts even more stress on the already over stressed front damper. That aspect definitely sticks out compared to the Boomerang. I actually managed to get hold of some of the red hotshot 2 style shocks so I might convert the front end over to that spec and hopefully by using a red shock it won't lose too much of it's character. I might try and modify the end cover from the stock shock so it fits over the new one too just as a facade to make it look a little more vintage 

The bump steer is noticable too but less of an issue for my use and not having to worry about sand grit getting in the steering slider isn't a bad thing.

Overall though, I think it's a great looking buggy that definitely handles well enough to be fun to use and has some genuine light off road ability. It might not handle like a modern buggy but it's lightyears ahead of some other classics Tamiya models.

Crude by modern standards but impressive for its time and definitely good enough to handle a mild brushless setup which I think is admirable and a credit to how good it was back then.

  • Like 5

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Sign in to follow this  

×
×
  • Create New...