Grasshopper body swap onto the Hornet Evo

Just a quick bonus video to show with some trimming and spacers you can get a Grasshopper body onto the Hornet Evo chassis. Maybe something I do in a while but other things are priority!

[@rocpile]

That is a great idea. Thank you for checking it out. I would really like to see one finished.

[@AddamsPlayground]

I am wondering if they are going to offer one but it is cool to know it can be done. If I make one I will definitely have it one the channel! Check out GURU's World, Greg just did one with a lexan Parma hopper body, it turned out pretty cool!

[@Toystheyrenot]

Nice one! I’ve always preferred the Grasshopper’s body over the Hornet’s. 👍😁

[@AddamsPlayground]

Thankfully there are no major mods needed to do this, only some simple to do body trimming and a couple old bushings for spacers and it will work out fine. I am really on the fence if Tamiya will make one so I am glad you can make your own with little modifications! The Grasshopper is a timeless classic and looks great!!

[@sparetimerc]

Hey Addam, Now that is awesome of you to take the time to sit down and figure out how to make this happen. The detailed explanation and to use a second body to show what is needed to make it fit. Awesome video (Professor)

[@AddamsPlayground]

Thanks Al! I figured if Erick was wondering if it could be done then others would be as well. Since I had the spare body I figured I could try it out and in the event Tamiya doesn't release one I can make my own with it! I'm always looking for a good reason to be distracted, seems to be my super power! Professor Lukdaresachiken LOL!!!

[@rolandlabriejr690]

Making a sleeper grasshopper for vintage class would turn heads for sure thanks for the tips

[@AddamsPlayground]

LOL, I think all the rear end would give it away pretty quickly. Also running around twice as fast around the track would be a dead giveaway! LOL!

[@RCBirds]

That's an awesome idea. Thanks for testing and showing Addam👍

[@AddamsPlayground]

Glad you enjoyed it, I will end up making one if Tamiya does not. I am doubtful they will but it is possibly, they invested a lot into making this new chassis setup to not do something lese on it. Time will tell! I have a feeling if I make one then for sure they will come out with their version! LOL!!

[@meirdeaph]

💯👍🙏

[@AddamsPlayground]

Thanks for stopping by and checking it out and I am glad you enjoyed it!

[@HansZarkovPhD]

I loved my grasshopper back in the 1980s. Wore in out chasing cars up and down my street..

[@AddamsPlayground]

It is a great platform and many folks started out on them back in the day! This could be a whole new ball game!!

[@n22pdf]

Grasshopper& EVO awesome Addam.. even better you found a use for Tamiya bushings 😊 Hornets my fave 😊😊 ❤ Pete 👍👍

[@AddamsPlayground]

Thanks Pete! Yes, finally a useful purpose for those bushings! Other than random spacers and an occasion paint mask for wheels I really have no use for them but I have a million of them if I ever do find a use for them!!

[@rcuintheshed6981]

Always prepared to go the extra mile to help someone legend nice one mate 👊

[@AddamsPlayground]

Thanks man, this is the kind of thing that makes the hobby fun, helping each other out!

[@markconnor269]

What a great video Addam 👍 never even thought of the grasshopper body 🤦 but if And when I get a Evo I'm definitely doing that ☺️😁 thanks 🙏

[@AddamsPlayground]

Thanks Mark, with some minor trimming and a couple of free spacers it should go right on there and look really cool. I am going to give it a while and see if they decide to make a Grasshopper version and if not then i will be making my own!

[@kanenstuff]

Thanks for the tips I'm going to get a Hornet Evo and I hope they bring out the Grasshopper, enjoy the festive season 🍻

[@AddamsPlayground]

The Evo is a really cool buggy and a fun one to build as it is so very different and seeing all the bits and pieces they had to come up with to make it work was very fun! I am on the fence if we will see any others. Seems like we should but Tamiya does march to the beat of their own drum so we will have to see! Good thing is with a little simple trimming and a couple free spacers you can make your own if needed! Take care and I am still fully into the holiday mode and will be until after the new year starts!

[@kanenstuff]

@AddamsPlayground I hope they bring out more, but for sure, when I go to Japan for work, they are very strict plus work very long hours with no work life balancea. They are very different from the rest of Asia, but thats ok its their way of doing things. It's one of my favorite places, and they are super nice people, and RC is cheap. Let's wait and see if not it will make it an to choose purchase at 164 AUD for and EVO its a bargain. Enjoy your day, and I will enjoy my night 👍🏻

[@JF-RC]

Hey Addam, perhaps you should be a Tamiya design engineer! 😂😊😂😊Hornet Evo and Grasshopper Evo, in one swoop ! 😂😊😂😊great information. I hope you had a lovely Christmas break, happy New Year to you and the family 🍾🥳🍾🥳🍾

[@AddamsPlayground]

I would love to work with them but I would probably get fired to quickly from telling them the long list of things they need to change to improve! LOL! That said if they listened the kits would be a whole lot better! LOL! I am not sure we will see a Tamiya release of this so it is good to know I can make one if I need to, I will give them some time to see if they do release one though. If not then I will be creating my own! We had a great Christmas and I hope you did as well, You will get to see what I got tomorrow. Take care my friend and happy new year to you as well, wishing you all the best!

[@andyrobinsonrc2480]

Cheers for explaining the process for fitting a GHopper body on the hornet Evo . I wonder if it would be an easier job if you could find one of the 3rd party lexan hopper bidts by Parma or similar. Although they are not as plentiful as the abs hopper bodys. It’s a neat idea. Ps many many thanks Addam for the Christmas card, very thoughtful :)

[@AddamsPlayground]

Yes, Greg over at GURUS RC did one just the other day with the Parma lexan body on it. I love the classic hard body so I wanted to see if it would fit. So you do have options available to you. You are very welcome for the card, I got them in the mail kind of late this year so I am glad it got there reasonably around Christmas!

[@Okpaintguy2]

Very cool ! The Parma lexan Hopper body is a super easy option. It mounts in the stock Hornet location. Even has the dimples in the body for drilling.

[@AddamsPlayground]

I saw your video, it looked great too! I was just too curious if the hard body would work after Erick asked! I am very curious if Tamiya is going to release one or if they are going to make us all do it ourselves!

[@Okpaintguy2]

@ I do like the OG hard body . I imagine there’s going to be some cool builds with this platform just like the original. As for tamiya doing a evo hopper ?? Who knows they have been known to do some strange things 😆

[@HaydadRC]

While I’m not sure if they’d do a GH Evo because of the body fitment; I’d certainly like to see more re-imaginings of iconic kits! Great tips Addam, especially utilizing the Bandit front springs! Thanks! 👍😊

[@AddamsPlayground]

Yeah, the could mold a new body for it or potentially make one out of lexan and do away with the hard body completely. I don't have a lot of hope they will do it but it is good to know you can make it work out with the old body. I do think we will see something else on the chassis, they spent a lot of money to make all those new bit so they kind of need to re-use it for something else! The springs feel like they are going to work well, I was very thankful for the tip so i passed it along!

[@IowaBudgetRCBashers]

We used Traxxas oil shocks for a stampede on Grayson’s rising fighter. They worked perfectly

[@AddamsPlayground]

Those Traxxas shocks have been sued on countless projects in the past and I am sure in the future as well! I know I have used them on multiple projects in the past, they were always available and reasonably priced!

[@AdventureTimeRC]

Nice Addam I used one of old Hornet bodies till I get a chance to paint the new one i had to do some extra trimming for that to good tips brother

[@AddamsPlayground]

Yeah, I saw your runner body. I know the rear needs to be trimmed and the front shock are as well. They did a really great job making it work so well though, very minimal changes to the look of it!

[@yodadarksideGreenHawksRC]

Evo hopper! 🦗 😅 I was wondering how long it would be before someone went off down this route.....lets face it,it makes perfect sense! One of the beauties of Tamiya has always been taking different bodies and making them fit similar chassis. Infact i wouldn't be surprised if Tamiya released a grass evo/evo hopper in the forthcoming months! Great conversion mate.....but i draw the line at giving traxxarse any of my hard earned cash,plenty of other springs available !!😅 😊 👍 👍

[@AddamsPlayground]

If they don't do one this year it is goo to know I can make it work on my own! If I have to do my own then i will get some MCI decals with a different color scheme to them and use them to make it a bit different to the original. Tamiya is great about reusing parts and pieces from kit to kit and did a great job making all this work so well! However, they are also great at doing what they want when they want and not offering the obvious things that would sell like crazy so who knows if they will actually make one! I would still buy a Traxxas if they brought out anything that interested me enough, I just won't feature them on the channel ever. I only went with this as I was told it worked well and it was cheap! Take care and Happy New Year!

[@yodadarksideGreenHawksRC]

@@AddamsPlayground Indeed Sir, looking forward to seeing what you do with that one! As for Tamiya, I gave up working out their marketing logic years ago buddy! 😂 Currently desperately checking UK model shops to see if the super Astute is available yet..... I don't want to miss this one! 😂 Didn't get anything rc related for Christmas, so time to treat myself with my Christmas tips I got from customers! 😉 👍 👍

[@theoagrc]

Great insight Addam. I think we’ll see some more Evo models in the future

[@AddamsPlayground]

Thanks Craig, some crude field testing but it will work out well. I am very curious if they will make more or not. The GH body fits with minor trimming and spacers. The GH2 body fits with the stock rear mounting holes but you do have to fill and move the front one a little. It would make sense to make others since the invested so much into making this chassis. Time will tell, at least I know I can make my own if needed!

[@jspeedrc]

✌🏽🤙🏽

[@AddamsPlayground]

Thanks for checking it out and checking in!

[@truenopanda86]

Addam, you sound like you are starting to fighting something. Take care of yourself brotha! Eat some yummy soups if you can!

[@AddamsPlayground]

This was recorded Christmas eve morning and I was pretty tired still! Between the early morning and being super busy the day before my energy level was kind of low. No worries, I am feeling good and got a lot of down time over the last couple days! Lord knows I have eaten plenty of good food too! LOL! Thanks for the concern, it was just sleepy Addam trying to get the video recorded too early in the morning! LOL!!

[@aviano72]

Tamiya guy sent me here......... 😂 You said Txxxxass again 😆 I want a Dyna Storm EVO 🤑

[@AddamsPlayground]

LOL! Yeah, I try not and use it too much, don't want to get accused of being a fan boy! I want a Dyna Storm, and Evo would work but the DS would be super cool!!!

[@eekrc]

Thanks Addam, I think that will definitely work fine. Probably wouldn't even notice the extra height. I prefer the body style of the Grasshopper and it was my first Tamiya...so im a little biased. Im adding it to my project list lol😂

[@AddamsPlayground]

You are very welcome. I think it will look really cool and you won't notice any gap as the body flares down so it won't be seen. If it were not for the roll-bar you could notch out the area for the shock towers but to go lower you'd need to take out more of the rear to clear the gear box and that would get into the area where the rollbar comes down to the body.

[@reitplace4765]

Great Input Addam, I'm sure there will be a bunch of evo hoppers soon..

[@AddamsPlayground]

Thanks Paul, I am on the fence if we will see others or are they going to make us create them all! Only time will tell!

[@reitplace4765]

@@AddamsPlayground Tamiya would be silly not to make one if they alreaby made the Hornet.. My opinnin. Its a no brainer..

[@terence79chan]

Thanks Addam for this interesting video. It looks ok except for the side cutouts for clearing the rear wheels, trimming the sharp corners should make it “blend in”.

[@AddamsPlayground]

I think filling in the motor cutout on that side with some plasti-card would really make it look a lot better. It looked better from my side, I didn't realize the better looking side was facing me the whole time!

[@terence79chan]

LOL! I actually thought it was symmetrical while watching the video.

[@AlToneRC-RTR]

Nice. Love the challenge of getting things to work the way you want them too. I’m about to have to trim my AK917 body to get my esc to fit. It’s the 150 and the motor is too big to relocate the ESC. Not sure i have enough space to really push it for a top speed. Great vid!

[@AddamsPlayground]

Cramming in some of the big brushless ESCs can be a lot of interesting mounting and trimming techniques! I saw one this morning in another video that was huge!!! Best of luck getting everything in there and in the speed runs!

[@TonyGardnerRC]

Some good information there Addam, I'm sure there will be quite a few out there with a Hopper body on. I'll be keeping mine as a Hornet though as I already have a Hopper. I cant see Tamiya doing an official Grasshopper EVO, certainly in the near future anyway. Should be easy'ish for them to do. The biggest cost to them I would think is new tooling for the hard body, not as simple as a vacuum form.

[@AddamsPlayground]

I am sure there will be some made, both with the hard body and the lexan body as well. I am going to keep mine a Hornet as well and eventually may make my own Evo Hopper. I am on the fence if they will do one or not, your comment about the body is valid, not a cheap thing to do. However the sunk a lot of money into creating this chassis for a one a done kit so it does make me think something else will be showing up on it next year.

[@TonyGardnerRC]

@@AddamsPlayground I'm sure Tamiya has a few surprises to spring on us this year! The Honda City Turbo is on my list for sure and I'd be willing to bet there is a special edition Porsche on the way for the 50th anniversary. Tamiya seem to like Porsches for anniversaries 😂

[@AddamsPlayground]

@@TonyGardnerRC Yes! as soon as that becomes available to order I am getting one ordered!!! I am not a huge Porsche fan so the anniversary releases of those don't interest me much. I know folks go nuts for them and I get it but not something I am looking forward to as much! It will be interesting to see what comes out for sure!

[@martinhsrc6699]

I was having a thought about whether a Grasshopper 2 body would fit and then change to yellow CVAs & wheels to make a Super G EVO

[@AddamsPlayground]

I did check the GH2 body and it will fit, the rear body mount holes line up perfectly but the front one does not. You will probably have to fill the stock hole with plasti-card and then drill a new front body mount hole for it. So with some body work you could get it done.

[@lo2713]

Great video Addam, Traxxas Tamiya. Both start with a T 😁

[@AddamsPlayground]

LOL, there you go, close enough! Plus it was only a few bucks for the Traxxas springs vs the $20 for the Tamiya set, went with the wallet's best interest on this one! LOL!

[@lo2713]

@ allways choose the wallet 😂

[@BSslotcars]

I am sure tamiya will bring out a grasshopper EVO it's a no brainer many would want one. 👍👍

[@AddamsPlayground]

It makes a lot of sense for them to do it, I hope they do but it is good to know it can be done just in case!

[@nomusicrc]

Last A Friday video but Christmas is over this is such a great gift Is the difference between the original grasshopper and hornet just the motor One is a 380 and is a 540 I actually had the world engines rock buster it came with a 380

[@AddamsPlayground]

LOL, it is a holiday extra helping! The main differences are the hardbody over the lexan one, the motor sizes the come with, the way the rear axle mounts and the Hornet came with rear oil filled shocks. The Grasshopper had a fixed pivot swing arm axle and the Hornet has a pivoting swing arm axel so it could twist and flex more going over bump where the GH was just able to move up and down.

[@BargainBashersRc]

Awesome idea! Grasshopper has been growing on me lately so I think I’m asking for one for my birthday this year but now I’m considering a hornet evo and then a grasshopper body 🤔

[@AddamsPlayground]

The Grasshopper is a really cool, iconic RC! I am curious to see if Tamiya releases a version like this or not. If they don't then it is good to know you can make your own!

[@BargainBashersRc]

@ I had the same thought, it would make a lot of sense for them to release a grasshopper evo but you never know

[@ShenRC]

Who you kidding tamiya probably has the tamiya grasshopper EVO kits almost done already! Cool on the springs I think I have a bunch of traxxas springs!

[@AddamsPlayground]

You would think, but Tamiya does some strange things and can miss open shots like this! We will see but at least I know I can make it happen if they don't!

[@stevepryor-g4i]

The storm dragon fits to

[@AddamsPlayground]

I thought about going out and grabbing. It makes sense as it is basically a Hornet with a different body on it.

[@stevepryor-g4i]

@@AddamsPlayground Try the fire dragon to. put the fox front wheels and the Monster Beetle rear wheels with a set of imex dirt dawg tires and it will come to life.

[@brendanmcg4358]

If they did an official Hopper I would hope they’d use the body posts from the Hornet instead of the screws for mounting the body. Those screws as a kid were a pain in the arse. I wonder if you marked the location for the body posts and drilled holes in the hopper body would it work? Guess I’ll have a project to start on after I build my Evo lol.

[@AddamsPlayground]

They would have to make a totally different rear body mount for it, the Hornet ones fall right at where the roll bars meet the body. They could lengthen the mount to make it work or make a lexan body for it.

[@powersmodelgarage]

Good stuff. I wonder if the next Evo might be a Grasshopper

[@AddamsPlayground]

I think it would be a fantastic option, but we will have to wait and see what they do. I am sure they are going to do something else with the chassis, seems silly not to.

[@bradkalman2353]

I think it's gonna come soon. But I hope they make a swing arm axle independent axle for it instead, so it drives differently.

[@AddamsPlayground]

If they do it I don't see them re-invented the wheel, they are just going to mod the body to make it fit properly. We will have to see though.

[@michaeldorich4485]

That's an interesting idea. Is that a " Hopper Hornet"?

[@AddamsPlayground]

LOL! Basically... They were both on the same basic chassis so it fit the bill.

[@dandrawsit4915]

I was think of something similar but with the Grasshopper 2 body... 🤔

[@AddamsPlayground]

The GH2 will work with the Hornet rear body mounts but the front mount does not line up. You'd have to either move the front mount further back or fill the current hole in the body and re-drill a new hole. I stuck one on there to check but didn't get too far in the weeds with it.

[@TheDeLeonHobbyGarage]

Nice work, do you ever have issues taking your ABS plastic based tamiya kits out when the weather is cold? I’m always afraid of breaking parts as the ABS becomes brittle.

[@AddamsPlayground]

In the very cold weather all the plastics become a bit more brittle. If you are running them hard then maybe wait for a warmer day. If you generally only roll them over from time to time then you should be just fine. The newer plastics a re a lot better than the vintage ones were.

[@muddfoot69]

Evo frog next

[@AddamsPlayground]

Hrmmmm maybe it could work... the body may be too narrow to fit well but I can check.