The Hotshot Junior (Japanese: ホットショットJr., Hottoshotto Junia) is the very first Mini 4WD car as well as the first Racing Mini 4WD car released by Tamiya on June 16, 1986. It is the scale-down version of the Hotshot R/C buggy made by the same company.
The car was featured in manga and anime Dash! Yonkuroas Dankuro 'Tankuro' Toda's machine shortly after his Monster Beetle Jr. was lost in a accident. It was eventually replaced by Dash-2 Burning Sun later on.
General info[]
The Hotshot Jr. featuring the more aggressive-looking bodyshell design with the partially exposed cockpit with the driver figurine in it. The monoshock damper props and upper arms are also presented. All variants features a white rooftop.
All MS variants comes with the N-02 nose unit and T-01 tail unit for its MS Chassis and paired with the standard, light gray 16 mm lightweight plastic rollers.
Type-1 and MS variants[]
The standard Type-1 and MS variants features the red bodycolor and monoshock prop.
The Type-1 variant was equipped with the white, medium diameter 4-spoke Hotshot-type wheels paired with the black high-profile spiked tires, and comes with the chassis frame and A parts molded in Black. The MS variant was equipped with the white, large diameter 4-spoke MS II wheels paired with the black Avante-type spiked tires, and comes with the N-02, normal center, T-01 and A parts molded in black.
Special variant[]
The limited Special variant, which was released around the same timing as the standard Type-1 variant, features the clear chassis frame, A parts and the red tires.
MS Halko Momoi Special variant[]
The limited Halko Momoi Special features the orange bodyshell.
It was equipped with the gold plated, large diameter 5-spoke lightweight wheels paired with the deep orange arched tires. The nose, the lightweight center, the tail and the A parts were molded in fluorescent orange.
Yomiuri Giants Special and Hanshin Tigers Special variants[]
Both variants, named after two of the famous Japanese baseball teams, features the black bodyshell, with unique decal designs.
Both variants were equipped with the black, large diameter 5-spoke lightweight wheels paired with the arched tires, and comes with a Polycarbonate-mixed ABS normal center chassis molded in Black. The Yomiuri Giant Special has its tires, nose unit and tail unit molded in light orange, while the Hanshin Tigers Special has its tires, nose unit, and tail unit molded in lemon yellow.
SMC Mall Limited Edition[]
The limited SMC Mall Limited Edition variant, released exclusive on SMC Mall in South Korea, sports the clear orange bodyshell.
It was equipped with the yellow, large diameter 4-spoke MS II wheels paired with the orange, hard-compound Avante-type spiked tires, and comes with the N-02, normal center, T-01 and A parts molded in yellow.
About the Hotshot 1/10 R/C buggy[]
Tamiya Hotshot RC buggy (filmed in 1985)
The Hotshot R/C buggy promotional video.
Released in 1985, the Hotshot is the very first shaft-driven 4WD R/C buggy made by Tamiya.
Its 3-piece chassis is supported by the front/rear monoshocks and 4-wheel double wishbone suspensions that were equipped with stabilizers. The gearboxes are fully enclosed and has the thrust ball bearings and differential gears.
On the motor mount, there's the heatsinks for it which dissipate heat from the old-school, servo-powered mechanical speed controller (MSC).
Tamiya would later re-released the Hotshot in 2007, with some changes such as replaced the heatsinks with the dummies (This is due to the inclusion of the electric speed controller (ESC), which produces less heat than the MSC) and the improved dog bone type driveshafts.
Technical info[]
| Variant | Body | Chassis | Wheels | Tires | Motor | Dimensions | Gear |
Type-1 |
Color: Red |
Type: Type-1 |
Size: Medium |
Size: Medium |
Standard |
Length: 127 |
11.2:1 |
Special |
Color: Red |
Type: Type-1 |
Size: Medium |
Size: Medium |
Standard |
Length: 127 |
11.2:1 |
Mini 4WD |
Color: Red |
Type: Type-1 |
Size: Medium |
Size: Medium |
Standard |
Length: 127 |
11.2:1 |
MS |
Color: Red |
Type: MS |
Size: Large |
Size: Large |
Standard |
Length: 152 |
4:1 |
MS |
Color: Orange |
Type: MS |
Size: Large |
Size: Large |
Standard |
Length: 152 |
4:1 |
MS |
Color: Black |
Type: MS |
Size: Large |
Size: Large |
Standard |
Length: 152 |
4:1 |
MS |
Color: Black |
Type: MS |
Size: Large |
Size: Large |
Standard |
Length: 152 |
4:1 |
MS |
Color: Clear Orange |
Type: MS |
Size: Large |
Size: Large |
Standard |
Length: 152 |
4:1 |
Gallery[]
Boxarts[]
Images[]
Trivia[]
- While the Hotshot is not the first car to be released on two different lineups, it is the first car to be released on two pure-racing Mini 4WD lineups, consists of Racing Mini 4WD series and Mini 4WD PRO series.
- The MS variant has the new bodyshell mold created due to the midship layout of the MS Chassis, which is impossible for the original's bodyshell to fit onto.
See also[]
Mini 4WD New Year's limited editions[]
- Year of the Monkey 2004
- Year of the Boar 2007
Related[]
External links[]
Tamiya Japan[]
- Hotshot Jr. at Tamiya Japan
- Hotshot Jr. (MS Chassis) at Tamiya Japan
- Hotshot Jr. (Mini 4WD 25th Anniversary) at Tamiya Japan
- Halko Momoi Special Version 2 Hotshot Jr. (MS Chassis) at Tamiya Japan
- Yomiuri Giants Special at Tamiya Japan
- Hanshin Tigers Special at Tamiya Japan
Tamiya America[]
- Hotshot Jr. (MS Chassis) at Tamiya America
- Halko Momoi Special Version 2 Hotshot Jr. (MS Chassis) at Tamiya America
SMC Mall[]
- Hotshot Jr. SMC Mall Limited Edition at SMC Mall (Korean)
R/C buggy that the Mini 4WD car is based on[]
- 1/10 scale R/C buggy Hotshot (2007) at Tamiya Japan
- 1/10 scale R/C buggy Hotshot (2007) at Tamiya America