Go-anywhere ruggedness in a stylish, tough package!
The Hot Bodies Lightning GT10 Sport is a rough-and-ready off-road monster machine! At just the right size for back garden bashing, this 1/10th scale 4WD monster truck is a fun and reliable all-around fun truck to drive hard and jump high! Although the Lightning GT10 Sport can easily handle off-road track conditions, it's meant to be a fun and enjoyable ‘run anywhere' nitro monster truck!
The Lightning GT10 Sport was designed from the ground up to be a fun, big-tyre truck that can run anywhere, all day long. To do this, HB designers gave it a tough 4WD shaft drivetrain just like racing rallycross buggies, dual oil-filled shocks on every corner, large all-terrain tyres and a sturdy 3.0 size Power Factory engine for massive power!
Chassis
To give the Lightning GT10 Sport the best start possible, we've put all the components of this amazing and fun truck on a high tech 7075 T6 aluminium chassis that is 3mm thick. We wanted to make sure it would withstand the sorts of punishment any monster truck owner will throw at it!
To keep things nice and stiff, the sides of the main chassis are upturned and thick plastic chassis supports front and rear provide extra front-to-rear stiffness. A low profile aluminium radio tray holds the steering and throttle servos in place, and provide extra lateral stiffness. Keeping the chassis stiff ensures that the suspension is allowed to do its job properly!
Drivetrain
Driving the Lightning GT10 Sport is a 4WD shaft drivetrain taken from the US National Champion Lightning 1/8th scale rallycross buggy! Using a shaft drivetrain is the only option when the truck is expected to be used in mud, sand, rocky and wet conditions. Shaft drive is tough, provides the best lifetime for all components and is easy to maintain.
A strong plastic 54-tooth spur gear takes the power from the engine and transmits it front and rear through an adjustable dual pad slipper clutch. A dual pad slipper provides more protection to the drivetrain than a standard single pad design, and we've included it as standard to make sure you get the best out of the Lightning GT10 Sport.
The centre dogbones drive the front and rear bevel differentials, which use 4 internal gears for increased durability and lifetime over standard 2-gear diffs. Tough steel outdrives turn steel outdrives and axles, and 14mm hex adapters spin the cool chrome wheels wrapped with all-terrain tractor tread rubber tyres.
To stop the Lightning GT10 Sport, a single drilled steel disc brake is used for extreme stopping power. Brake pads shod with material used in full-size trucks clamp down when the brakes are applied, bringing this beast to a quick yet controllable stop! All the brake linkage is fully adjustable, but you can leave it as set from the factory or it can be adjusted for prime operation on any surface.
For extra efficiency, all the components of the drivetrain, from the spur gear to the wheel axles, spin on rubber-sealed ball bearings. With these bearings you get long runtimes and long engine life while the rubber seals keep out dust and grime!
Engine
Powering the Lightning GT10 Sport is a Power Factory legend, the unstoppable 3.0 engine with pullstarter! This strong performer provide loads of power and torque, is easy to adjust, a breeze to maintain and features a convenient pullstarter for easy and quick starting.
The Power Factory 3.0 uses a plastic slide carburettor for consistent settings at all temperatures and quick response in any conditions. With 2 adjustment needles it's simple to tune and simple to maintain. An accordion style rubber boot protects the internal mechanism from dust and mud. To protect the engine from power-robbing dirt, a dual foam air filter is fitted to the carb.
Protecting the engine from excess heat build-up is the large heatsink head and extra cooling fins on the engine case. Both are made from aluminium, which dissipates heat quickly and effectively. The black coating on the case and the dark silver head look great together, showing the Power Factory 3.0 has a bit of style to go with all that power!
The internals of the engine are made from the industry standard ABC components: aluminium piston with a brass sleeve or cylinder, which is chrome-plated for extra durability.
Getting things going, the Power Factory 3.0 uses a tough pullstarter for bringing the engine to life. Just prime the engine with fuel, attach a glow plug igniter, give a couple of short tugs on the starter cord and you're off! If you want to use a starter box, that's easy too: just line up the engine flywheel with the starter wheel and away you go.
As the engine breathes into life, you'll hear the distinctive rumble of the exhaust at it comes out of the bent tube manifold and into the aluminium tuned pipe. These two pieces of engineering brilliance combine to give the Power Factory 3.0 engine a massive boost in power at low and high RPM, giving you roost-inducing torque and lightning high speeds!
Once you're running, a 2-piece racing clutch is used to engage the clutchbell and spin the 54-tooth spur gear. Why use a proven racing design on a fun monster truck? Because it's stronger and more durable than conventional designs!
The engine is mounted to the 3mm chassis using a mounting system taken from modern off-road racing RC kits - a wide hex screw keeps the mount in place on the chassis, and the mounts are bolted to the engine.
Keeping the engine fuelled is a prime concern, too, so we didn't neglect to add our best 75cc fuel tank. With thick translucent walls, strong o-ring sealed spring-loaded cap, and a ‘stone' type filter, you've got one of the best fuel tanks on the market mounted in the Lightning GT10 Sport!
With nitro-powered trucks there's no stopping to recharge batteries; as long as the truck's receiver pack and transmitter batteries have good charge, you can just keep refilling the fuel tank and go out for more fun!
Suspension and Steering
The Lightning GT10 Sport uses a tough suspension design derived from the massively popular Lightning Stadium racing truck, but with a few extra bits for increased durability! Long suspension arms are damped by 2 shock absorbers each, and the rugged design adds to the overall character of the truck.
Taking a page from the Lightning Stadium's design, the Lightning GT10 Sport features extra-long suspension arms and thick suspension pins. Both shocks on each arm are ‘captured', meaning the mounting screw attaches on both sides of the shock end for extra durability in any type of conditions.
The shock absorbers are factory-fitted just like everything else on the Lightning GT10 Sport, and are precisely filled with oil for exceptional handling in turns and cushioning when landing big jumps. With big coil-over springs they are the perfect match to the long suspension arms! Optional mounting points are provided on the suspension arms for lowering the stance of the truck slightly (great for running on-road) and stiffening up the suspension at the same time, without using option parts.
The front hubs and steering knuckles, plus the rear uprights, are made of tough nylon plastic for enduring any sort of punishment. The front hubs have an oversized rock guard to keep pebbles and stones away from the dogbone/axle joint.
Turnbuckle camber links let you make fine tuning adjustments without detaching anything like other trucks might do, and even the steering links use turnbuckles so you can change the front toe setting if you wanted. Go ahead and try it - even though it's perfectly set at the factory for neutral handling, we don't mind if you try something new! Want to go a little further? You can also change the mounting locations of the camber links!
Finally, a tough servo saver protects the steering servo from any accidents, and perfect for keeping the HPI SF-1 servo out of trouble.
Electronics
Controlling the Lightning GT10 Sport is the trusty and proven HPI TF-3 radio, which has been used by many RC hobbyists around the world. The realistic steering wheel feel of this type of radio encourages the RC beginner to think of the E10 as a real car driving around a race course, and the feel of pulling back on the throttle trigger is just like stomping on the accelerator of a real car!
The HPI TF-1 radio transmitter features interchangeable frequency crystals, a retractable aerial with sliding cover, easy access to radio adjustments and simple battery replacement.
Taking the signals from the transmitter, the HPI RF-1 receiver uses standard RC connectors to send your control signals to the two SF-1 steering servos which control the steering and throttle/brake. You'll get long-range, reliable connections between your transmitter and car with the RF-1 and dependable steering action from the SF-1 servos.
The receiver box is not only sealed against dirt and mud but mounted well away from the fuel tank to protect everything from any spilled fuel. The wires for the switch are smartly routed, as well.
Durability
By now you might think you've seen all there is to see about the Lightning GT10 Sport, but there's still more! You see, in addition to the thick countersunk chassis, tough ball bearing-supported 4WD shaft drivetrain, dual foam air filter, 8 shock absorbers, sealed radio box, dual pad slipper clutch and aluminium tuned pipe.
Sure, that's quite a lot of features that definitely add to the strength of the truck, but there's even more!
Thick bumpers at the front and rear are made from a softer material than other parts of the truck so they bend in impacts and don't snap under pressure. Skid plates under the bumpers allow the Lightning GT10 Sport to slide over and past whatever obstacles it can't climb over, if you can find obstacles that big! Tough bumper braces allow the bumpers to spring back after impacts, so they're always ready for more.
Beefy suspension braces protect the suspension pins from crash damage and prevent the pins from bending or breaking in a really hard crash.
Mounting the body on plastic body posts might sound like a no-brainer, considering the abuse this truck is likely to take, but we made sure to use the same material as the bumpers for the body posts. This makes sure that if you do roll over the body posts won't break and will flex with the roll and let you land on all four wheels, ready to drive off!
Speaking of rollovers, the chassis has a handy roll bar mounted over the spur gear. This lets you get a grip on things and carry the truck around, but also gives the body a bit of extra protection should you decide to end a jump with the rubber side up.
Fully assembled 4WD shaft drive monster truck chassis
Pre-painted bodyshell for instant in-your-face action!
Powerful 3.0 nitro engine for wheelspinning power
Easy pullstarter gets you going fast
Large fuel tank gives you loads of runtime
7075 T6 aluminium chassis is strong and durable
Bumpers and skid plates at front and rear protect the suspension
Dual shock absorbers at each wheel provide plenty of suspension support
Extra-long suspension arms give great handling and response
Tough, overbuilt suspension parts can take the punishment of off-road action
Turnbuckle links let you fine-tune the settings for optimal handling
Sealed shaft drivetrain is maintenance-free and super strong
Dual pad slipper clutch protects the drivetrain from hard landings
Fibre disk brake and adjustable linkage for quick stops
All-terrain tractor tread tyres look great and work everywhere
Reliable HPI radio gear securely sealed in covered radio box
Fuel line routing clamps on the roll bar keep the fuel tubing in place so it doesn't get chewed up by the spur gear.
The center brace is aluminium instead of plastic, like you might find on other kits.
A metal spacer prevents the wheel bearings from being crushed by over-tightening the wheel nuts, protecting the bearings from damage.
Extra ride height clips and rear toe-in mount are provided for a bit of extra tuning possibilities
The Lightning GT10 Sport is a fun, reliable, brawny and well-thought out all-around monster truck that can take whatever you can give it, go anywhere and do just about anything!
Requires:
8 AA batteries for transmitter
4 AA batteries for receiver pack
Nitro fuel
Nitro fuel bottle for refuelling
Glow plug igniter
Glow plug/wheel wrench
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