Terra Scorcher
Model Number: 58075
Released
6-Dec-88
Drive
4WD shaftdrive
Suspension
Double wishbone all 4 corners
Chassis Description
ABS monocoque tub
Body Type
Lexan polycarbonate
Motor
RS-540S
Finale of the ThunderShot/Dragon chassis with all new bodyshell... new colour for the wheels too (which are of an 'odd' dimension, shared with Striker/Falcon rears). At least Tamiya gave this one a full set of shockers and... adjustable upper Arms whoohoo!!
Reviews
sunnyjai
I had a Terra Scorcher for a good 6 years and I pretty much ran her to hell and back! In fact I was gunning for a 72' Avante for my 11th birthday back in 1988 but the old man said too expensive so the Terra Scorcher it was and the performance surprised me.
I mated her with the then new Dyna Tech 01R motor and BigWig wheels with (I know this is gonna sound weird) Kyosho Option House Gold Shocks since they looked so way cool! Overkill? Who cares it was my money! Lol
How was it? It handled much better than even my Avante 2001 even with it's standard CVA's! With the Dyna Tech she was blisteringly quick with the typical whine of the old school big pitch pinion that required regular changes. The adjustable upper links allowed fine tuning of the camber settings and front/rear anti roll bars gave it good high speed handling characteristics.
She held her own against mates Optimas and Dog Fighters but ultimately the 3-step MSC let things down off road since at the time I couldn't afford expensive ESCs to handle the Dyna Tech.
Only real gripe was the weak front lower arm holder A5 was prone to breakage from the slightest off set knock of either arm or a jump gone wrong. And each time you'll need to purchase a whole A-Parts tree that you'll end up only using the A5 part and the rest becomes surplus which was ridiculous. So what I did was fashion an FRP plate to hold the two suspension linkages from behind A5 and that remedied the issue. Nowadays one can purchase alloy A5 parts from eBay and it takes care of both suspension and bumper assembly rigidity.
The other issue was regular cracks developing on both front and rear chassis to gearbox assemblies. This will happen when modified motors are used as the 4WD system did not have any centre differential caused stress and the fragile plastic chassis made things worse.
Styling-wise in my opinion was the best amongst the Gen2 SHOT' family and a good looking piece of kit. The design of the body necessitated the use of redesigned front and rear shock towers which improved damper position that in turn improved handling.
Desirability from a collectors point of view? I am not sure but from what I observe the Terra Scorcher is a bit of an acquired taste. Not as desirable against other 4WD kits such as the HotShot, SuperShot, Avante but amongst its own Gen2 SHOT family it is the most sought-after with Tamiya having generously equipped it with full ball bearings, adjustable upper arms, anti-roll bars all round, and front universal drive shafts with hardened drive cups.
macmeniac
The Terra Scorcher is an easy to drive 4x4 Tamiya model. The factory equipment contains ball bearings for the hole car. I believe the car is of light weight and very robust. You can see some pics in my showroom: [Click here] The gold plated wheels are optional as well as the Dynatech motor. Tires are still available (part No. 50344) and spare parts can be used from the Thunder Shot which was rereleased.
focus1
From Tamiya radio control guide book. (Manta Ray cover)
Race proven 4wd mechanics are wrapped in a futuristic body on this highly sophisticated but easily constructed offroad racer. Motor power is transmitted to all four wheels efficiently by using a steel propeller shaft for a minimum of friction loss. 4 wheel indepented suspension, with stabilizers both front and rear. The adjustable, coil over oil filled shock units at all corners provide superb stability during all-terrain running. Kit includes ballbearings to minnimize friction loss for extra smooth running. This offroad racer will please R/C enthusiasts from novice to experts alike.
jimbo4042
Another typical Tamiya job of turning out another car with a previously used chassis. This uses the already pretty decent Thundershot Chassis and in many ways is like the Hotshot 2 was to the Boomerang type cars (only better) I think the car should be called the Hotshot 3 and prior to the release of the Manta Ray and in particular the Top Force, I think this is Tamiya's best 4wd chassis. Lets be honest the Avante is all about the looks!
The Terra Scorcher came already hopped up with its unique rear anti roll bar, white wheels and front and rear adjustable upper arms plus front UJ's. Whereas the Thundershot was around £85 - 90.00 RRP, the Terra was £125.00 -130.00 RRP. Taking into account these hop ups plus ball races as standard plus a twin shock front suspension set up this was a very competitively priced package indeed. It was light, very adjustable, strong (apart from the dreaded A5) and it was nimble.
Prices for this car are low, you can get them for as little as £35.00 and that is a total bargain. Great car, try one, you will be very suprised!
ideal2k
This was based on the same chassis as the Thunder Shot and Thunder Dragon, but unlike them the Terra Scorcher actually came with a good looking body! (The Thunder Dragon wasn't that bad, but the Thunder Shot was plain ugly.) This came with four shock absorbers, unlike the Thunder Shot/Dragon which came with only three. Having the four shocks seemed to really help handling. There was also anti-rollbars in front and rear, adjustable upper arms, and the kit came with full ball bearings and a set of universal shafts.
Some people disagree with me, but I really liked the way this chassis handled. It was sweet
And you know how some cars are more fun to drive than others, this was really fun in that respect