Blast Away With The HPI Racing Bullet

Introducing the new HPI Bullet ST 3.0, the ready-built off-road vehicle that’s ideal for all off-road bashers and enthusiasts. This is a 1:10 scale monster truck fitted with a powerful 4WD drivetrain and extra-powerful HPI Nitro engine, so it can power through all sorts of terrain and fly over obstacles.

The Bullet ST 3.0 is just one member of a family of HPI vehicles which are based around a durable 4WD shaft drivetrain, 2 shocks per wheel and double-deck aluminium chassis. The Bullet off-road trucks feature either Nitro Star 3.0 engines or silent Flux brushless motor systems, and are available in different off-road truck varieties. In short, you can get the precise flavour of off-road performance you want with the HPI Bullet.

Chassis

The Bullet trucks use a 3mm aluminium plate-style chassis as the backbone, providing an extremely tough foundation for the suspension and drivetrain. The aluminium used in the chassis is the very strong 7075-T6 alloy, which is the best aluminium available in radio-controlled vehicles and military aircraft, making it the ideal material for something like the Bullet. For extra stiffness, the sides of the chassis are upturned and the aluminium radio plate also acts as an extra stiffening support.

Drivetrain

The drivetrain used in all Bullet trucks is a full-time four-wheel drive shaft-type drivetrain, just like the one used in 1:8 scale buggies like the World Champion D8 buggy. A shaft drivetrain is the best option for a kit that’s expected to encounter every possible driving condition and track surface, so whether you’re blasting through mud, water, dirt, grass, snow or gravel, this is exactly what you what you want.

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 Bullet.

The centre dogbones drive the front and rear bevel differentials, which use four internal gears for increased durability and lifetime over standard two gear diffs. Tough steel outdrives turn steel outdrives and axles, and 14mm hex adapters spin the cool styled wheels wrapped with all-terrain tractor-tread rubber tyres.

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 run-times and long engine life while the rubber seals keep out dust and grime.

 

Nitro Star G3.0 Engine

The ‘3.0’ in the Bullet ST 3.0 name stands for the powerful Nitro Star G3.0 engine, HPI’s latest .15-size nitro-breathing powerplant. It’s equipped with the latest modern features taken directly from much more expensive racing engines, yet it’s easy to tune and adjust so hobbyists of all skill levels can jump right in and have fun. You get the minimum of hassle with the maximum of wheel-spinning fun.

The Nitro Star G3.0 uses a sophisticated, heat-resistant composite 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 Nitro Star G3.0 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 Nitro Start G3.0 uses a tough pull-starter 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 Nitro Start G3.0 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 two-piece racing clutch is used to engage the clutch bell 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 HPI didn’t neglect to add a large-capacity 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 Bullet ST 3.0.

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 Bullet ST 3.0 uses a tough suspension design derived from larger racing trucks, but with a few extra bits for increased durability. Long suspension arms are damped by two oil-filled shock absorbers each, and tough front and rear bumpers combined with skid plates protect both ends of the truck in just about every collision.

Extra-long suspension arms provide stability, and thick suspension pins give you extra insurance against crash damage. 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 suspension arms feature a solid construction for extra-tough construction and extreme durability. Multiple shock mounting locations let you fine-tune the handling for whatever you plan to be doing.

For advanced tuning, turnbuckle links let you make quick adjustments, 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, HPI don’t mind if you try something new.

The shock absorbers are factory-fitted just like everything else on the Bullet ST 3.0, 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 hubs, steering knuckles, and 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.

Finally, a tough servo saver protects the steering servo from any accidents, and perfect for keeping the strong HPI SF-1 servo out of trouble.

Durability

We’ve gone over quite a lot how fantastic the Bullet ST 3.0 is, but there’s one important thing we haven’t covered in detail yet: how absolutely tough and strong it is. Bumpers, skid plates, thick steel drivetrain parts, specially constructed composite parts and smart design combine to make this one of the strongest, most durable and most reliable radio-control trucks you’ll ever try.

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 Bullet 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 roll-overs, 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.

Electronics

Controlling the Bullet is the trusty and proven HPI TF-1 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, easy access to radio adjustments and simple AA 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, to keep them away from rotating drivetrain parts and away from the elements.

Full Assembly Instructions and HPI RC Cars DVD

As with all HPI cars and trucks, you get a in-depth, complete instruction manual with step by step instructions that allow you to easily disassemble and reassemble your monster truck for maintenance and easy servicing.

The information on the HPI RC Cars DVD provides a complete and detailed introduction to the fascinating world of RC model cars. This DVD will show you step by step how to start and run in a Nitro engine, and how to get the best performance from your HPI RC car.

The HPI RC Car DVD is your personal RC car expert in a box.

Features

• Factory-assembled & pre-painted 4WD Stadium Truck
• Painted and detailed bodyshell ready to strut its stuff.
• Strong and reliable Nitro Star G3.0 engine
• Easy and simple pullstarter for instant action
• Big 75cc fuel tank gives you plenty of runtime
• 7075-T6 aluminium chassis provides the ideal backbone
• Tough bumpers combine with skid plates to protect all 4 corners
• 8 oil-filled shocks provide a plush ride
• Extra-long suspension arms provide stability and balance
• Proven racing design throughout
• Steel turnbuckle links allow you to custom-tune the ride
• Sealed shaft drivetrain is maintenance-free and super strong
• Double-pad slipper clutch design for extra drivetrain protection
• Reliable disk brake with adjustable linkage
• All-terrain tyres look fantastic on black chrome wheels
• Solid and reliable HPI electronics fitted in splashproof receiver box
• Intelligent fuel line routing to keep things neat and tidy
• A smart metal washer prevents over-tightening of wheel nuts
• Aluminium centre brace for more durability over plastic brace
• Additional track-tuning options included in the kit.

#101400   HPI Racing Bullet ST 3.0 1:10 Nitro Stadium Truck   RRP: £244.99

 

Source: HPI Europe