When I heard there was a new truck in the office based on the basher of the year truck, I jumped on it!
At first look, the Thunder Tiger ST4 G3 looks tough. It uses a popular style body in the industry right now. The laid back cab and embellished front fenders makes it look like it is moving while standing still. Knobby tires and a truggy wing add a hint of the race-ability. So does the ST4 G3 live up to our expectations? Keep reading to find out..

From: Thunder Tiger
Direct Link: Thunder Tiger ST4 G3

Review By: Wrench (aka Bill)

Specs:

RTR or Kit: RTR/ARTR
Length: 588mm (23.14″)
Width: 400mm (15.75″)
Height: 196mm (7.71″)
Wheelbase: 360mm~365mm (13.75″-14.37″)
FR/RR Track: 335mm~345mm/340mm (13.2″-14.37″)
Weight: 3800g w/o Battery(8.37lbs.)
Ground Clearance: 48mm (1.88″)
Price: $479
Needed to run
AA Batteries x6 for transmitter
2x 2S Lipo with deans plugs or 4S Lipo.

Under the body you will see the familiar chassis of the MT4 G3. The 2000 KV motor with 80A Brushless ESC is powerful enough to pull the front wheels off the ground until the center diff brings them back to Earth. While testing, the tires offered a lot of grip on grass and blacktop, but lacked on the track would get a little loose. In the air, the truck can be controlled and corrected at will. It was easy to put the nose of the vehicle at any angle you wanted making landings a breeze. Taking corners with the supplied 8kg full metal steering servo was never an issue. There is more power in this truck than most people would know what to do with. At the track we were dishing out the pain, mostly on other vehicles we were running over at high speeds.. check out the one shot of the soon to be dead short course…

BUILD QUALITY: While testing, I did run into a few problems. On the first run, the rear shock caps came off on some rather small bumps. I was able to fix this problem with some sleeves I made out of ¾” conduit. Then I found the rear dog bones were slightly to short and would pop out of place under power. A quick adjustment of the camber links fixed the problem, and kept them securely in the truck.

Primary Competition: Traxxas Brushless E-Revo, HPI Trophy Truggy Flux.

TEST VENUES: Open fields, parking lots, Leisure Hours Raceway (indoor track), and a Local dirt oval.

SET UP: The truck was tested stock and with some slight mods to fix the issues I talked about previously.

TURNING: The ST4 G3 turns great. The steering servo has plenty of power to turn the wheels lock to lock. Under power there was a slight push on the track, but this is something that could be fixed with proper track tires. With high speed turns, you will find the usual push, but the truck did not roll over. It was great the way it’s low center of gravity and wide stance kept it planted to the ground.

JUMPING: The Thunder Tiger handles the big air great. I did have the usual chassis slap you find with all truggies. The four oversized oil-filled shock absorbers with 16mm Diameter Pistons did a great job absorbing the force of the impacts, and the wing helped keep it level in the air.

ON-Road- This is a track truck, but being bashers, we had to run on some blacktop. The tires gave out a lot of noise while turning. There was some slight body roll, but you have to expect that from a truck. We were still able to keep the tires planted and had a blast hitting the street ramps.

GRASS: The ST4 G3 is a blast in short grass. The brushless power and 4WD just eat it up! With a center diff, it will not hold a wheelie long, but it will pull the front wheels off the ground when you grab the trigger at any time.

POWER: I tested the ST4 G3 with a Track Power 4s 6800mah 70c battery. The BLC-80C ESC and Ripper IBL40 2000kv have more than enough power to shred the tires off of a lesser truck. If it wasn’t for the center diff, the truck would be on it’s lid with a full trigger pull. The top end did feel a little soft, like it ran out of gear. This could be attributed to it being more of a track truck. The power it puts down on the low end will pull you out of a corner fast.

RADIO: The COUGAR P3 2.4GHz transmitter is standard equipment with most Thunder Tiger vehicles. It is a good RTR 2.4 radio. All the end points and trims are set with dials. The trigger and wheel are in their traditional positions and it also has a fold over antenna. It takes 6 AA batteries, which is a little different than most of the 4 or 8 we usually see.

Broken Parts Although nothing really broke, the problems with the shock caps did require leaving our test spot to go back to the shop to fix. The dog bone problem was fixable in the field. We beat this one up good. At the track we were jumping front double and LEAVING the track slamming the pavement, bleachers and or garbage cans, and this was done more than a few times… on purpose.

Best mod under $5 Home made shock cap collars.

Best mod over $5 For racers it would have to be a good set of tires. The supplied tires are great for bashing, but lack traction on the track.

Summary:

A = Outstanding/Best in Class, B = Above Average, C = Average, D = Below Average, F = Horrific

Time To Bash: C You’ll need to supply a LiPo, but Charging batteries and installing AA batteries are all you have to do.

Workability: B The work I had to do was easy to get to and took little effort or time to do.

Car Show Rating: B The body style and racy look are always a head turner.

Bash-A-Bility: C Once the shock and dog bone problem were fixed, the truck took a hell of a beating, but we did have to make some small mods to get it there. So long term, it’s a good basher, but out of the box, you may need to do a little work to get there.

Fun Factor: B It’s always fun when a truck can handle the big air with ease!

Handling: C Bashing handling is great, but on the track the tires hurt the handling.

Value: B A 1/8th scale truck that you can beat on and take to the track for some fun with this much power is a good value for sure!

Parts Availability: C Parts are readily available on-line but it might be a while before most local hobby shops build up any stock.

BigSquid Rating: B- The biggest thing that brought this ratting down was the out of the box issues. It is a truck that can take a great beating and come back for more! Everyone should have a electric 1/8th scale truck that can handle some big batteries, and to have one you can bash and fly at a track is a big plus!

The new part number is #6401-F111 and it has a street price of around $590. The latest edition of the Thunder Tiger MT4-G3 should be hitting hobby shop shelves in late May.

Hit THIS LINK for all the information on the new MT-G3 at the Thunder Tiger website, and check out THIS LINK for more Thunder Tiger news right here on BigSquidRC.

With the new Thunder Tiger Desperado being a RTR, there is no need to waste hours building a boat, it’s ready to jam right out of the box. For size the Desperado has a length of 27.2 in, a beam of 7.3 in, a height of 6.1 in, and it weighs in at 2.7 lbs.

The Desperado Jr also comes with a bunch of features that everyone is looking for-

* Water cooled outrunner brushless motor
* 2.4 GHz Ace radio system
* One piece ABS hull
* A magnetic hatch
* Rudder flexes out of the way when hitting objects
* Part #TTRB5026 (green) and #TTRB5027 (blue)

Expect a street price of $250 and a release date of late March. Check out THIS link for more Thunder Tiger news right here on BigSquidRC.

From the moment it was announced we have been wanting to get our hands on the Thunder Tiger e-MTA! Well we now have one in our possession, and it was time to get it out of the box! Enjoy the pictures!

Keep reading (or click through) for even more photos!

That battery compartment looks like a tight squeeze, but we will find out soon what we can jam in there.

Looking for more Thunder Tiger news here on BigSquidRC? Click Here for more.

* Powerful brushless motor included
* Precision CNC-machined aluminum flybarless rotor head
* One-piece carbon main frame with a slim profile
* Lightweight, rigid one-piece metal main rotor hub
* Metal tail blade grips, with dual radial bearings and one thrust bearing
* Large battery bay that accommodates 8-12S LiPo batteries
* 120° CCPM control system
* Torque tube-driven tail
* Titanium turnbuckle pitch linkages
* V2 carbon fiber main blades included
* Main Rotor Diameter: 53 in (1345 mm)
* Main Rotor Blade Length: 23.6 in (600 mm)
* Tail Rotor Blade Length: 3.74 in (95 mm)
* Length: 47.25 in (1200 mm)
* Weight w/o batteries: 6.06 lb (2748 g)
* Part #TTRE0055

The Titan X50EF has a street price of $580 and you can get more information on the Thunder Tiger Website. Hit up THIS link to view more air news right here on BigSquidRC.

* State-of-the-art Ace Cougar GP3 2.4GHz radio system
* ABS blow-molded deep vee hull that’s preassembled and pre-painted
* Powered by a water-cooled OBL29/20-15M brushless motor and BLC-40M ESC
* On-board gear is easily accessed under a quick-release hatch
* Comes with a wooden display stand
* Part #TTRB5023 (for yellow) and #TTRB5024 (or green)

Street price for the Outlaw Jr is $250 and they are expected to start hitting hobby shops in early March. Hit up the official Thunder Tiger Website for more information.

TGIF, we hope you have a great bashing weekend, how about a TGIF Mystery Link?

We just got word that the Thunder Tiger eMTA 8th Scale Brushless Monster Truck is heading to the USA! Woo Hoo! We have had our fingers crossed about this one for a while. We posted a bunch of details HERE about it, then even a video of it in action HERE!

Looks like it’s going to run around $499. Stay tuned for more news on this truck when we get our hands on it!
Stock Numbers are:
TTRD8111 for Red
TTRD8112 for Yellow
TTRD8113 for Blue

Might want to start saving up for some 6S Lipos!

Need more Thunder Tiger News hit that link for all the latest from Big Squid RC.

When you buy qualifying Thunder Tiger boats through the end of April, you can get merchandise certificates ranging from $10 to $30. The boats included in this promo are the Victoria Yacht, Naulantia 1M Yacht, ETNZ 1M Yacht, Volans Trimaran Yacht, and the Neptune Static Diving Submarine.

On the helicopter side of the promo you can get a free Lipo battery with the purchase of a qualifying Mini Titan. The free battery is a 3S 11.1 volt 2200 mah pack, normally a $29 value. The helis included in this promo are the kit and ARF versions of the Mini Titan E325V2, plus the Mini Titan E325S. This promo also runs through the end of April.

To get more information on these promo’s simply click over to the official Thunder Tiger America Website.

For more Thunder Tiger news check out THIS link right here on BigSquidRC.

* Hulls: Factory painted, pre-assembled ABS plastic
* Sails: High performance tear resistant
* Mast and Booms: Extruded Aluminum
* Display Stand: Plywood
* Length: 39.4″ (1000mm)
* Beam: 21.6″ (549mm)
* Height: 59.25″ (1505mm)
* Sail Area: 514.6 sq in (33.2 sq dm)
* Weight: 7.5 lb (3.4 kg)

You can plant this Yacht in your rc garage for a street price of $260 and they are available right now. Hit up the official Thunder Tiger USA Website to take a look at some of their other fine products.

Looking for more rc boat news right here on BigSquidRC? Check out THIS link.

The Thunder Tiger TS2e certainly is an interesting vehicle. From the outside it looks like a run of the mill touring car, but when looking under the hood you find it’s a belt driven rear wheel drive only car. Needless to say there are millions of rwd cars on the full scale road, but they are extremely rare in the rc touring car world. Does this rwd basher hold up under abuse? Is it as fun to drive as a rwd full scale car? Let’s find out…

From: Thunder Tiger
Direct Link: TS2e RTR Touring Car

Review By: Cubby
Pics By: Cubby

Specs:

RTR or Kit: RTR
Age: 14+
2wd or 4wd: 2wd
Shaft or Belt: Belt
Electric or Gas: Electric
Waterproof: No
Scale: 1/10th
Length: 16.5″
Width: 7.5″
Height: 5″
Wheelbase: 10.2″
Motor: 540 brushed
Speed Controller: Ace Veloci RS
Radio: Cougar GP2 2.4 GHz
Differential: Rear
Slipper Clutch: None
Driveshafts: Bones
Shocks: 2 Oil shocks in rear
Servo Saver: Yes
Screws: Philips
Spur/Pinion Pitch: 48 p
Bearings: Some, also uses metal bushings
Tires: Unbranded street tread with inserts
Battery: Not included
Part Number: 6580-F283 (for orange)
Top Speed (measured by BSRC w/ 2S Lipo): 17 mph
Warranty: To be free of defects at time of purchase
Street Price: $150

Primary Competition: There aren’t a lot of rear wheel drive only touring cars out there, but it would be competition for basically any on-road specific bash vehicle.

What’s Needed To Complete: Six AA sized batteries for transmitter, a 6 cell Ni-MH the for car, and a battery charger.

Build Quality: Belt tension was a bit tight on arrival. Pinion/spur mesh was quite loose. Right height was a bit off. Everything else looked good to go and well assembled.

Test Drivers: Cubby, Brian, and Tim

Test Venues: City park, various parking lots, a backyard, and a local cul-de-sac.

Set-up Notes: We used Venom AA batteries in the transmitter and a Dynamite SpeedPack 2S Lipo to power the car.

Turning: The TS2e pushed when on-power but found traction and held a good line when off-power. To get it to turn you might let off the gas. Quick 180 pivots are easily accomplished by a quick stab of the brake. Because of it being rwd only, you can’t get on the throttle nearly as quickly as a normal 4wd after the apex. You can break the rear end loose by smashing on the throttle just after the apex of the corner, but because of the limited brushed power the rear won’t stay out there for long.

Jumping: Hey, this is a touring car, how well do you really expect it to jump? For the record it does not jump well. For having very little weight up front it jumped extremely nose heavy and it was nearly impossible to make corrections in the air. Of course you can jump the TT, but I don’t recommend it.

Bumps/Whoops: Yes, we attempted to drive the TS2e outdoors on various dirt surfaces, and no, you don’t want to. For a touring car the front suspension is quite limited, making for some seriously rough driving in whoops/bumps. With no sort of damping on the front of the car, much of the time the front wheels were bouncing in the air, making the TT next to impossible to drive on a ball diamond.

On-Road: Overall, the TS2e tracks and drives well enough. A light touch is needed on the throttle until the tires get warmed up, even with the anemic stock power. When taking the TT out in an empty parking lot, it doesn’t take long to get used to its handling characteristics, soon you are pulling off all the fun on-road maneuvers that touring cars are known for.

Grass: Sorry, this is a true on-roader, it simply does not have the ground clearance for any type of grass running (yes, we tried).

Tires: The Thunder Tiger street treads provided decent grip after being scrubbed in. These aren’t race tires, but for bashing purposes they work well.

Power: There is not much power on tap with the TS2e. Not much torque, not much spank from a dead stop, the mid-range is super soft, and top-end power falls off quickly. Top speed was only 17 mph and it took some time to get there. If you are a first time noob the soft power makes it easy to learn how to drive, however, if you are an experienced driver you will quickly grow tired of how slow the car is and want to upgrade.

Radio: This is the same unit that came with the TS4e we recently tested, and it performed in exactly the same manner. We did not measure range, but the Cougar gave us more than we ever used while testing. It uses 6 AA batteries, which made it feel a tiny bit bottom heavy compared to radio’s only using 4, but that didn’t bother any of our testers. The foam on the wheel felt fine while the trigger size and throw also felt good. The grip had a notch on the front (that rests on top of the middle finger) that was a bit hard edged for our taste. Overall, solid radio that worked fine for us.

Broken Parts: The TS2e didn’t break until we started jumping it. On it’s maiden voyage off the ramp (about 18″ tall) we broke a front steering block when landing.

Misc Notes:

The front suspension is said to be “F1 type”. Well, it might very roughly look like F1 front suspension, but it isn’t set up anything like F1. It is the worlds simplest set-up, springs at the hubs, with no type of damping. Did this make the car drive horribly? No, it was still quite drive-able, but a more modern/standard shock set-up with have been much preferred.

With the type of suspension it uses, the front a-arms have no way of moving up and down. And… the front body mounts are directly bolted to the a-arms.

On a driving note, the TS2e pulls a great J-turn.

A stock brushed Slash eats the TS2e alive in a drag race.

Motor temps were exceptionally low with stock gearing. To get a bit more yank we added some teeth to the pinion and motor temps shot up quickly, so high in fact that we overheated the stock motor and were forced to install a new one. If you are looking for more speed, don’t over gear the stock motor, bolt in a new power system.

Best Mod Under $5: Cut that stock connector off ASAP and solder up a quality unit.

Best Mod Over $5: Easy answer on this one, an upgrade for the power system. Even a low-end brushless system will be much faster than the stock set-up.

Summary:

A = Outstanding/Best in Class, B = Above Average, C = Average, D = Below Average, F = Horrific

Time To Bash – C - We spent a couple extra minutes setting the rear ride height and adjusting pinion/spur mesh while waiting for the battery to charge, otherwise it was quick and easy to get running.

Workability – B - Anything you might need to work on is right out in the open and easily accessible.

Car Show Rating – C - While the BSRC Bash Crew liked the look of the TS2e body, which featured some well done graphics, there was no bling to up the cool factor.

Bash-A-Bility – B - We slammed the TS2e around pretty hard and it didn’t break until we hit a ramp with it.

Fun Factor – C - On the upside- the rear wheel drive gives it a unique and more “realistic” feel for a touring car. It was a blast to kick the rear end out when coming out of corners. On the downside- the power system is one of the softest we’ve tested.

Handling – C - There aren’t many cars of its type to directly compare it to, but it drove well enough. It does not have a ton of over-steer, an attribute that would have made it hard for a noob to drive, in fact it is exceptionally easy to drive. However, its front suspension holds the car back, reducing its overall performance.

Value – C - The TS2e certainly comes with a reasonable enough price point, $150. For that cash you are getting a 2.4 GHz radio set-up, but a slow brushed system and old school front suspension.

Parts Availability – C - You won’t find replacement parts for the Thunder Tiger at every hobby shop, thankfully, they are readily available on-line.

BigSquid Rating – C+ - If you are big fan of rear wheel drive, you are a first time noob looking for an exceptionally easy to drive car, or you are looking to save a few bucks, the Thunder Tiger TS2e is a viable option. However, if you have the extra cash I’d recommend its big brother, the TS4e, it simply handles better and has more power out of the box.