Super hotshot or vanquish?

[A-Baum 352]

Looking to add another 4WD buggy to my stable.  I am torn between the super hotshot and the upcoming vanquish.  I'm not a racer, never plan on it.  I like to run them a bit but mostly they will sit.  I've never owned a boomerang/hotshot family of cars, nor the Vanquish/Avante/Egress family.  Found a decent deal on a NIB SHS for around $240 USD.  I assume the Vanquish will be a bit higher than that.  I do love the look of the HS/SHS series.  Very aggressive looking buggy.  But the slightly more advanced nature of the Vanquish is also attractive.  I'm torn and I'm not really planning on adding both as I have a Wild One on backorder as well.

 

[Lee76 638]

I think if I had a wild one I’d opt for the Vanquish for the contrast in style. Plus If the vanquish build is anything like the Avante I really enjoyed putting that together.

[graemevw 823]

Vanquish, definitely. I think it will be a fair bit more money though.

[Gazzalene 171]

is it just me OR do others find the Vanquish butt ugly?

[A-Baum 352]

12 minutes ago, Gazzalene said:

is it just me OR do others find the Vanquish butt ugly?

My initial reaction is I don't love the body.  I don't love the Avante body either.  They have a cab forward design but not as ridiculous or squared off as many of today's modern racers.  And a quick glance at the Vanquish, it looks kind of cheap.  Knowing more about it now I know it's a great build and a good car, but it looks kind of cheap.  Maybe it's all the black plastic, black body, and stock yellow shocks. It looks like it should be down in the realm of the Falcons and Fire Dragons as mid range kits.  But the price and engineering say otherwise.  

[Lee76 638]

9 minutes ago, A-Baum said:

I don't love the Avante body either.

You Wash your mouth out!  But yes, I’m a little on the fence with the Vanquish body. I’ve not seen one in the flesh, some pics on the web I like it and others not so sure.. I’d still have one though.  there’s one with the rear wing laid almost flat and it looks like a jet fighter.. totally non functional though  

[Nicadraus 6194]

Definitely Vanquish. 

[MadInventor 3884]

I'd go with the Vanquish. Hotshot and super hotshot re-re have been around for a number of years (Hotshot re-re since 2007!). Vanquish is more likely to  be a short run re-re IMO , so more a case of 'grab it while you can'. If you decide not to get one when they are released, you'll be kicking yourself in 12 months (or 5 years) when the hotshot and super hotshot are still available.

 

[A-Baum 352]

So is the HS/SHS not discontinued?

[Saito2 6673]

1 hour ago, A-Baum said:

So is the HS/SHS not discontinued?

Tamiya USA just list the Hotshot as "sold out" and apparently has Super Hotshots in stock (albeit, at their typical very high price to protect dealers). 

If you really enjoy the build process, neither kit is a quick toss-together build like a DT02. The Vanquish is the more engaging build however. 

If you really do want to run them, consider where an how they will see action. The old-school SHS has a weighty, rugged feel to it. I'm putting another one of these together at the moment for a "take anywhere" buggy that will fit in a backpack. They aren't picky about where they run. They also don't have near the finesse the Vanquish does. The Vanquish has much racier aspirations and it shows in the driving dynamics (not to mention the leap in development from the first gen 4wd SHS). Its a more complex, intricate buggy all around but not overly fragile (at least my original wasn't when I was a kid). If I had to hazard a guess, replacement parts would be easier to source for the SHS (once thing get back to normal).

If they really do sit on a shelf most of the time, pick the one you like the looks of. Just my 2 cents .

 

[Gazzalene 171]

4 hours ago, A-Baum said:

My initial reaction is I don't love the body.  I don't love the Avante body either.  They have a cab forward design but not as ridiculous or squared off as many of today's modern racers.  And a quick glance at the Vanquish, it looks kind of cheap.  Knowing more about it now I know it's a great build and a good car, but it looks kind of cheap.  Maybe it's all the black plastic, black body, and stock yellow shocks. It looks like it should be down in the realm of the Falcons and Fire Dragons as mid range kits.  But the price and engineering say otherwise.  

Yet I think the Avante is the best looking buggy ever!

[Morinstal 170]

If u have the money, buy avante first, and then super hotshot, and then vanquish. But this will torn your wallet / bank account for sure .

On a serious note, for me, nothing can beat Avante as a shelf queen.

[slimleeroy 241]

8 hours ago, A-Baum said:

Looking to add another 4WD buggy to my stable.  I am torn between the super hotshot and the upcoming vanquish.  I'm not a racer, never plan on it.  I like to run them a bit but mostly they will sit.  I've never owned a boomerang/hotshot family of cars, nor the Vanquish/Avante/Egress family.  Found a decent deal on a NIB SHS for around $240 USD.  I assume the Vanquish will be a bit higher than that.  I do love the look of the HS/SHS series.  Very aggressive looking buggy.  But the slightly more advanced nature of the Vanquish is also attractive.  I'm torn and I'm not really planning on adding both as I have a Wild One on backorder as well.

 

Super hotshot looks better. Vanquish performs better

[426Purplefish 15]

22 hours ago, Gazzalene said:

is it just me OR do others find the Vanquish butt ugly?

Yes, I find it very ugly-no interest at all.  I am biased though as I don’t care for any cab forward buggies.   I will say though that I found the Avante pretty ugly too but it has definitely grown on me and realized it’s the wheels I really don’t like.  Bought a BS and will probably end up with a 2011 at some point

[A-Baum 352]

See I LOVE the Avante wheels and is one of the reasons why I won’t get the Avante black edition. Different wheels.  

[426Purplefish 15]

15 hours ago, Morinstal said:

If u have the money, buy avante first, and then super hotshot, and then vanquish. But this will torn your wallet / bank account for sure .

On a serious note, for me, nothing can beat Avante as a shelf queen.

I think the Supershot is a great looking car.  With that and an Avante I wouldn’t feel the need for a VQS though I’m sure it’s a better driving car than the others

[A-Baum 352]

24 minutes ago, 426Purplefish said:

I think the Supershot is a great looking car.  With that and an Avante I wouldn’t feel the need for a VQS though I’m sure it’s a better driving car than the others

That's a good point.  If I got the Avante re-re-re-re and the Super Hotshot it probably wouldn't cost a lot more than getting the Vanquish and Super Hotshot.  Although the going rate for a Super Hotshot from the 2 hobby shops in the US that have them is rather ridiculous.  On what planet is the Super Hotshot worth $340?  Rcjaz, when in stock is $225.  Neither rcmart or asiatees has one but I imagine their price would be in line with Rcjaz.  Even with shipping it's a far better deal.  Anyone know of a place that has a decent price on an in stock Super Hotshot?

[thegorf 39]

Are you sure about the postage situation at RCJaz?  It may well be different to the US, but to the UK, p&p kills any savings with RCJaz and RCMart (for kits anyway), while asiatees is not quite so bad.  I was blinded by an 'amazing' price on an Avante at RCJaz a while ago and started the checkout ball rolling, only to find that postage was 106 GBP...!!!  Add 20% vat and customs charges etc on the total price, and it was about the same as what some of the UK based sellers had been advertising it at before going out of stock. So you hobby shop at 340 usd may not be that far out after all.

[A-Baum 352]

1 hour ago, thegorf said:

Are you sure about the postage situation at RCJaz?  It may well be different to the US, but to the UK, p&p kills any savings with RCJaz and RCMart (for kits anyway), while asiatees is not quite so bad.  I was blinded by an 'amazing' price on an Avante at RCJaz a while ago and started the checkout ball rolling, only to find that postage was 106 GBP...!!!  Add 20% vat and customs charges etc on the total price, and it was about the same as what some of the UK based sellers had been advertising it at before going out of stock. So you hobby shop at 340 usd may not be that far out after all.

I didn't go through the motions at rcjaz, but I have had $39 shipping recently from Asiatees on a Manta Ray and a Top Force as well.  I did find a place in Canada that can get me the Super Hotshot for $300 USD after conversion which isn't bad, luckily the USD is strong against the CAN.  It's $240 with $60 for shipping+taxes.  Might be the best deal I'll get.