Super Shot
Model Number: 58054
Released
26-Mar-86
Drive
4WD
Suspension
Coil Over Oil Filled Shocks
Chassis Description
Black ABS Fully Enclosed
Body Type
Lexan
Motor
RX-540SD Technipower
Original Price
N/A
Width
235mm
Length
390mm
Height
160mm
Wheel Base
262mm
Tread Front
194mm
Tread Rear
194mm
Ground Clearance
20mm
Weight
1720g
Scale
1/10
Tires
front:28/82mm
Rear:34/82mm
The Super Shot was a high performance Hotshot. It has all the hop ups included in the box. Fully ballraced, high power motor, fully independent suspension and fragile gold plated wheels. The ultimate in performance at the time.
Reviews
R/CVET
I recently purchased and restored an original Tamiya Supershot after wanting one for over 20 years and think the car is a beautiful work of art. It helps if you've assembled a few other r/c cars before attempting this one as it's assembly is a bit more complicated then some other models. It's certainly THE 'shot series car to own if you had to pick between the three (Hotshot, Hotshot II, Supershot) as it has the best features out of all of them.
One shock per wheel, full chassis underguard front to rear and the famous and powerful Technipower motor make for a driving experience unlike anything you'd experience with it's Hotshot brothers. It's the king, for sure.
The unique and original body, decals and gold rims really set this car apart from the others and serve as a constant reminder that you are driving the 'top dog' of the 'shot series.
Over the last 8-12 months I have kept a look out for these cars and have seen over a half dozen for sale mostly on Ebay so they are available. With the poor economy forcing enthusiasts to sell off some of their collections along with the new-found popularity of vintage r/c models, I see this trend continuing and even increasing.
The conditions of the Supershots I've seen on Ebay varied and therefore so did the prices. Generally, NIB examples that I've seen are priced between $1,000 - $1,500 in some cases. New-built versions probably go for a litte more than half that. Original, unrestored examples (like the one I purchased) range between $250 - $500. Again, prices will vary and you may find one for more or less than what I stated here. I mention these prices as a general reference based on my extensive experience of searching consistently for nearly a year so you have an idea as to what you might pay.
If you're going to restore one of these cars or merely get one back to it's original condition, you should be aware that the original body and Technipower motor are the most elusive things to find and command a very high price if you do. Therefore, try to find one with at least those original parts.
I've found one or two original decal sets for sale globally so they're around (but $$$) and there's a company that actually makes nearly identical reproduction decals for this model so have no fear if yours doesn't have them.
Believe it or not, most of the plastic and chassis parts are readily available for reasonable prices. Between NOS and interchangeable parts from the original and re-re Hotshot, you shouldn't have too much trouble finding those parts. I know I didn't.
Original gold wheels are also out there but are expensive in most cases. The good news is that enthusiasts have learned to gold-plate their own white Hotshot rims to look identical to the originals. Some of these guys sell them for much cheaper prices then originals so have no fear if a Supershot you find doesn't have them.
Hope this helps all of those who are considering this worth-while restoration.
Cancelled12
What a buggy! I have a massive soft spot for these, the Hotshot itself being where my main passion lies but this is a close second. Built basically as a no holds barred Hotshot it included every optional extra available at the time as standard equipment and was draped in an awesome Silver body set to match. Gold plated wheels (not real gold of course lol), independent suspension, full ball bearings and a hot motor made this kit the one to have after the Hotshot made it's mark. Still not competitive like the Kyosho Optima and others but nonetheless a much better looking buggy.
Ultimately suffered the same problems as the Hotshot because the basic design was the same. CRP and the like made some hop-up parts at the time to eliminate some of these tendencies and in part seemed to rectify some issues.
A very collectible kit imo, could be considered as the first TRF kit? It wasn't produced for very long as it was expensive for a kit that was fundamentally a Hotshot and thus had it's floors. Marketed as a competitive racer it unfortunately wasn't and enthusiasts went instead for other brands. This was the start of the Supershots demise and now it is a kit to be admired for it looks and collectibility today as opposed to the impact it had on the racing scene back in late 80's.
HunterZero
Wow, what a kit. Based on Tamiya's excellent Hot Shot using the same prop shaft driven 4WD drive train, the Super Shot took the chassis to the extreme. The Super Shot includes the Host Shot HP CVA shock kit for fully independent suspension with rear anti-roll bar (it loses the front roll bar to allow the independent shocks to be mounted), full-length underguard, full ball racing and the Technipower motor. And the gold wheels shown in the box art were actually included in the kit this time!
Topped off with a great looking body shell and new roof plate, this was one mean looking buggy - IMHO along with the Fox was one of the best looking buggies ever made.
Performance wise, this car is very similar to the Hot Shot, with great handling. It is a little heavier than the Hot Shot, but not a lot. The extra power from the Technipower motor really makes this car shine. Front suspension is still a weak point, but the independent shocks help a great deal. The front arms and steering knuckles were all quite weak, and were easy to break in a crash.
Other negative points include difficulty getting to the radio gear thanks to the sealed radio box (made even harder thanks to the underguard), and there's still a lot of friction in the drive train despite the full ball racing.
A very expensive and complicated kit for its time, but unvelievably fun to build (the manual is 24 pages!) and a satisfying car to run.
The main thing to check when buying a Super Shot - Make sure you're getting a genuine Tamiya one! There were and are knock-off kits running around that are inferior copies, with some major differences...
* The bumper does not have the "Tamiya" logos moulded in (easiest way to tell)
* No Technipower motor with the copy
* The "Tamiya" logo and "Hotshot" mouding is missing from the inside of the chassis (Tamiya logos have been removed from all parts)
* The "4WD" logo is missing from the gearboxes
* Parts moulding quality is generally poor when compared to a real one, meaning part fit tolerances aren't as good
* No ball bearings or thrust bearings in the copy, replaced with 2-piece bushings and plain washers
* All Tamiya logos removed from box art/manual copy, plus some cheesy alterations to the manual to replace references to the real ball bearings with bushings
* Some parts come on different sprues, and the sprues are missing "Tamiya" logos.
Needless to say, if you're considering buying one... Make sure it has the Technipower motor! These things are hard to find. Plus, as with the Fox, the gold plating on the wheels is very fragile. New gold wheels aren't cheap, so factor this into your restoration.