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First there was the 58047 Hotshot in 1985 which was followed by the 58054 Supershot only a year later and then the 58062 Hotshot II the year after that. So why all the updates? What's the difference? The Supershot is essentially an upgraded version of the standard Hotshot. Apart from the obvious color difference in the body and wheels, the most easily visible change is the use of 4 independent yellow dampers instead of 2 linked red dampers. The model also came standard with ball bearings and an RX540SD TechniPower motor. The rest of the chassis including the gearboxes and suspension are unchanged. The Hotshot II went the other way and simplified things with a single lateral CVA shock in front and vertical shocks in the rear. The biggest change to the Hotshot II was the addition of an opening in the top of the chassis to allow access to the electronics bay without disassembly. When the Hotshot was re-released in 2007 as kit 58391 and the Supershot in 2012 as 58517, they both got the Hotshot II's chassis opening as well. This latter version is what I have. The TechniPower is no longer available so this kit comes with a GT Tuned motor instead which is probably similar in performance. Interestingly, the re-release changes the name from "Supershot" to "Super Hotshot" for no obvious reason.

The "Super" version is noticeably faster than the standard due to the upgraded motor, and the independent dampers do improve the off road performance although personally I feel that some of the charm of the original is lost in the transition. I find the model very easy to drive and quite stable both on the ground and in the air. I haven't found any obvious weak points so far. On pavement, the pin spike tires don't grip as well as the oval spike tires from the Hotshot, but the gold wheels really catch the sunlight and look incredible.

The Hotshot and the Super Hotshot are nearly the same build, so I'm only including details on the differences here. Please see my Hotshot build page for full details.

The Super Hotshot comes in a lovely box with traditional box art. Inside the contents are displayed with nice dividers but no blister packs. The body and the beautiful gold wheels sit in the middle.
Here are all the parts arrayed on the build table. This is a fairly complex chassis so there are a lot of parts and hardware.
This model uses the same gearbox as the regular Hotshot, but one difference is that it comes with a 25T GT Tuned motor instead of the generic Silver Can. On the right you can see the standard poor job I did on painting the driver.
The biggest and most obvious design detail that differentes the Super Hotshot from its predecessor is the use of four independent yellow dampers. These are very long stroke oil filled type. The same suspension arms are used from the Hotshot, but the shock upper attach points are on new shock towers. You can see that the tires are also different. The Hotshot uses oval lugs, but these tires have pin spikes.

Here's the completed chassis from above and below. From above, it looks just like a Hotshot apart from the shocks. From below, you can see the huge new under tray. The addition of this tray means that the battery door can no longer be accessed in the old way. Instead one of the side battery supports can swivel out of the way to provide access.
The completed Super Hotshot, including a comparison photo with the standard Hotshot. The color is obviously different, but the body has changed as well. Without the transverse front shock the nose of the body can extend further forward. The wing has also grown and has a greater angle of incidence. There's also a little roof scoop now. The super version has two antennae instead of one in case you didn't realize it was the more deluxe version. One downgrade is the the Super Hotshot lost the front sway bar. They both look so good that I can't decide which one is better.

The Supershot is an incredibly good looking buggy. They got all the proportions right and the addition of the gold wheels is the icing on the cake. Although they are certainly not needed with a 2.4 GHz radio system, I kept the twin antennas because they are so iconic and they look great. The paint job is simple with a one color silver, but the stickers add a lot.