Hobao Hyper ST Pro

The radio tray is now carbon fibre and connects to the not-so-lovely radio box which is straight out of the Hyper 7 buggy but I won’t harp on about this (although it’s a niggling point for most owners). I say this as its secured down with four screws making ‘easy access’, not so easy! However in today’s day and age with 2.4 GHz technology, you don’t really need quick access (as there’s no need to change crystals) but if you are a bit behind the times, then there are a number of fixes to be found on the MaxBashing forum. The battery sits next to the receiver box (on the outside) which again isn’t a problem if you’re using a flat six cell receiver pack and a switch charging harness built in (so it never needs to come out). However if you run the AA battery holder or a hump pack receiver pack, it will hang over the edge so make sure you zip-tie it in securely!

There are one or two niggling bits that I would suggest changing straight away. For example, the shocks pop onto a ball end at the top, so use a longer screw through the ball end and put a washer with nyloc nut to stop them ever popping off. Then use nyloc nuts on the ackermann plate instead of the ones supplied. The Pro shell supplied is drilled out for the RTR so you have two extra holes in the back. The brakes are not too great either; I found that even with a 14kg servo, the brakes wouldn’t lock up and if I set the end point any further the radio tray would just flex and bend, so it’s a good idea to change these to something else like Cradock discs (available from Apex models and other good hobby shops).

I also personally feel the side guards are too narrow and could have done with an extra 15mm each side as the pipe sits directly on it and as mentioned, if you use a hump pack battery on the other side, it hangs over the edge. But I’m yet to damage a pipe or battery pack so maybe I have this wrong. Like I said these were very minor things and might just be personal preference, as all in all this kit was a major pleasure to build.

The kit is very well organised for the build with all the relevant parts in the right places, no searching for parts and screws in 10 different packets just to put the front end together, no they were all in one bag as it should be. The same went for each stage of the build.

RACING THE HYPER ST PRO

Having had the opportunity to race this truck quite at a few times and speak to Hobao team drivers like Sloppy (Graham Alsop), I started with a basic set-up of 30wt shock oil all round with the four hole 1.4mm pistons and used 5k, 7k and 3k diff oils (front, middle and rear) . I have since found a set-up that suits me a lot better and now run 45wt oil all round with 7k, 10k and 3k diff oils. There are no spring options yet for the ST Pro but the old Hong Nor big bore springs fit (NOT the new 16mm shocks), so there are spring tuning options should you require them.

My first race day with the ST Pro was at round three of the Truggy Nationals held at Ledbury Model Car Club, and I was so confident with its capabilities that I bet a mate £30 I would finish higher than him, in hindsight I think I was a little too drunk when I did this considering he has won the MaxBashing buggy championship for the last few years… and I then hurled up all over the hotel room before I went to bed, still you live and learn… or maybe not in my case!

I was plagued with engine problems (and a hangover) at the actual race so only got one good qualifying heat in, but the standard tyres hooked up great on the dirt and grass surface and I was quite impressed with them. My day ended with me crashing out due to engine failure and I lost the £30 bet, but I could tell that this was going to be a stonking Truggy! After this race we did the truggy shoot out and our Gung Ho Pro said the ST Pro had the most buggy-like handling and more steering than any other he had driven. You can catch all the comments in the previous issue of Maxbashing Magazine.

After this I entered the two-day Apex GP at Remote World in Slough, and following more engine problems, I put my faithful RB WS7 III back in and was able to concentrate on the racing and set-up. I decided I had too little off-power steering in the tight sections and needed to get on the power to turn, which doesn’t help if you are coming into the corner too fast. The simple fix was to move the steering arms from the middle hole to the forward hole on the ackermann plate. With these changes made I went out for the A final and worked my way up from last to finish third overall, this was when that huge smile started to appear on my face!

Since then I have done another National and a Maxbashing race and the Hyper ST Pro just keeps on going no matter what I throw at it. The car has always brought a huge grin to my chops and to this day has not had a single breakage or failure. The car is very stable and jumps pretty level and considering the way I hit jumps I would have expected to have had to replace something by now, well I lie, I have replaced the air filters on several occasions!

CONCLUSION

The Hyper ST Pro definitely has the best steering in its class and I don’t think you will find better value for money on a latest release anywhere. Tough is an understatement for this Truggy. My first impression was that this was aimed at the serious racer, but due to the durability displayed it would suit any class of racer. This truggy has been tested to the Max and just keeps coming back for more. You could actually get rid of all your bashing kits and use this instead as you will save a lot of money in the long run! The parts are cheap and readily available at hobby shops with great back-up from CML Distribution, not that you would need it. To win races you need reliability in your choice of kit and if you get an ST Pro, this is exactly what you get! Plus of course in the hands of Sloppy, it only narrowly missed out on winning this year’s Truggy National Championship, but check out the report on that in this issue for more details!

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