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Tamiya HotshotRC Legend That’s Found It’s Way Back to You
Tamiya hotshot was the first four wheel drive buggy to be shaft driven, among all of Tamiya’s rc models. The very first hotshot model was introduced in 1985. Tamiya has reintroduced hotshot keeping in mind customer demand for this amazing car. Recent launch of hotshot has given fans around the globe an opportunity to indulge in the nostalgia of old days with their hotshot. Are you aware of the first off-road racer car from Tamiya?Well you guessed it right. It’s none other than the one we are talking about right now…Tamiya Hotshot. Tamiya's hotshot is a 1/10 scale rc off-road racing model with 4 wheel drive. This happened to be the 47th kit from Tamiya. Hotshot marked Tamiya’s entry into the rc off-road segment. Its predecessors were more into off-road scale models and were far from rc racing specifications. Hotshot is mostly made of plastic getting in that weight advantage you would need while racing. Independent suspension system of hotshot used two monoshocks made of aluminium as dampeners. A tightly sealed plastic container housed the speed controller and the radio setup, keeping it at a safe distance from dirt and water. Early design of hotshot needed a lot of fine tuning, quite understandable because this was the first of its type model. Insanely high margin of safety taken by designers added a lot of extra weight to the car. A combination of hardened steel and light aluminium was used to make the half shafts without any serious consideration of weight optimization. Aluminum heat sinks used with the speed controller were very expensive as well and could very well have been replaced by other cheaper yet efficient materials. However Hotshot had its own share of advantages and edge over other cars of its days. It was easy to assemble and did not require much of maintenance, nothing less than bliss according to me. The suspension system permitted more travel and the car being light weight was ideal for the race track. Some of the later models of Tamiya were inspired by Tamiya hotshot’s design to a very great extent. Tamiya Hotshot’s 2007 ComebackHotshot had been discontinued for more than 15 years until its recent launch in 2007. This is a great opportunity to get a fresh look of the hotshot which has an enviable history. The latest model was released in Japan on 21st July 2007. In the new model the propeller shafts were upgraded for increased efficiency. There used to be a mechanical speed controller in the old hotshot which has been replaced by an electronic controller in the new release. Aluminum heat sinks were a part of the old controller. Their functionality has been replaced in the new model however to preserve the old look of hotshot a dummy part is used. It does a fairly good job in convincing you about the sanity of the design. One thing that I believe is degradation is that the newer version does not come with licensed logos unlike their old counterparts. However generic decals adorn the body of new Hotshot to get in as close to the one that you had started your off-road racing journey with.
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