The Tamiya Grasshopper is a classic buggy that was first released in 1984. It is a simple and affordable platform that is suitable for beginners and hobbyists who are interested in off-road RC racing. It has a durable plastic monocoque chassis that is designed to withstand the rigors of off-road racing. It features independent front suspension with double wishbone arms and a rear suspension with a solid axle and trailing arms.
The Hornet is basically a turbo charged version of the Grasshopper. The chassis is almost identical. It has a better motor, which is a 540 silver can rather than the smaller 380. It also has oil dampers at the rear end. However, oil dampers or not the rear rolling rigid suspension structure is far from being sufficient. As you can see from the video, it is not effective at all. Excessive vibration due to road conditions can even lead to damper failure. Still, due to a simple and straight forward drive train, speed is excellent and the electronic components are less likely to get overheated.
Grasshopper 2 still runs on a 3 80 but it does come with slightly better spring coil shocks. 380 motor has good rpm but much less torque, therefore you will find the car struggling on grassland.
Note that they do not use standard wheel hex adapter by default. However, you can always use wheel hex on it without any compatibility issue.
The stock plastic bushings are fine. You may not need ball bearings as long as you stick with a silver can.
