Features
If you have driven either the OFNA Hyper 7 or Hyper 8 buggies, the Hyper ST should be quite familiar. This is a good thing, since the Hyper series of buggies makes great racers, and basing the brand-new truggy's design on the more established buggies should help eliminate the mechanical gremlins that plague many debut RCs. Still, the Hyper ST features all-new, long-arm suspension components, revised gearing, and a host of other tricks up its sleeve to make it more than just a buggy with big tires.

Real Deal Mill
It's always nice to see an RTR equipped with a quality engine and not just a cheap hunk of aluminum that's barely worth the effort to break in. The included Mac-Star 28 can definitely hold its own on the racetrack. The .28 cubic inch displacement makes it legal for sanctioned races, and the pipe included is tuned for the engine's performance. The Mac-Star comes equipped with a pull start, and it started well once the tuning was dialed in. It can also be converted to work with a starter box if you want to shed the drag that a one-way bearing places on power output.

Easy Adjust
Brake bias and pressure is easily adjusted at the servo, which means last-minute adjustments between heats can be made quickly. The two rotors are gripped by composite brake pads glued to the calipers, and they work very well. The center diff is sandwiched between a composite plate on top and an aluminum cradle underneath to minimize flex, but it's still easily accessed for maintenance.

Big Travel
Suspension travel is surprisingly supple, and with over 3.5 inches available, there is plenty of it to go around. So much travel allows the ST to take advantage of droop to smooth overly blown-out or rutted racetracks. The Hyper ST is also equipped with C-hub carriers and universals up front, as well as adjustable swaybars at both ends.

Steer It
The standard dual-bellcrank steering setup with a big servo saver spring is in place. OFNA says the linkages have been redesigned for greater efficiency. Combine that with the included steering servo capable of a very respectable performance, and you have an RTR that steers very capably.

Hard Bottom
When it comes to chassis components, no color is more beautiful than the medium gray that comes from hard-anodizing. It offers just a little bit more protection from rocks, scrapes, and belly-landing the crown of a double. The narrow chassis centralizes weight, and the plastic side guards keep mud and dirt from clogging up the top side of the chassis.

Instructions and Setup
The Hyper ST comes 100% assembled and ready-to-go. And from our experience, OFNA does an excellent job in manufacturing their read-to-runs. The kit comes standard with a tray to use AA's to power the electronics, but we opted for a side-by-side Ni-MH pack, which provides more voltage to both servos to actuate the throttle and bell cranks. Breaking-in the ST was standard issue, and the mill turned-over on the third pull. We have had issues with the Mach 28's pull-start in the past, becoming uncoiled rather easily, but the one on the ST worked flawlessly. If you aren't so luck, simply disassemble the pull-start, and carefully recoil the mechanism. The ST got rolling without any issues.

Testing
Since OFNA calls this a competition truggy, I headed straight to The Grove in Rock Hill, South Carolina, for a day of on-track testing. Testing took place on a Monday after the track had seen racing on Friday and Saturday, and while the track had held up well, there were still enough ruts to really test the Hyper ST's rough-track prowess.

Acceleration and Speed • The Mac-Star 28, when tuned correctly, is a strong engine for an RTR. Combined with the Hyper ST's 14:518 final-drive ratio, acceleration was strong. The included springs aren't overly stiff, and you could see the back end of the truck squat down and really dig in when you gave it full nitro. Top speed is fine, but the engine didn't seem to want to run well on the top end unless it was pushing 250 degrees or more.
Rating: 9/8

Braking • The Grove's layout is tight and twisty, which really puts a premium on a good braking system. The Hyper ST handled itself well. The layout made adjustments easy and quick, and I was able to dial in the small amount of rear bias I prefer. After multiple tanks without much of a break in-between, brake fade wasn't an issue. The radio, however, does limit braking performance a bit because it is a bare-bones AM transmitter that only offers trim as an adjustment.
Rating: 8

Low-Speed Handling • With a track width of 16.10 inches, the Hyper ST isn't the widest truggy on the market. But that does benefit the low-speed handling, and the ST felt nimble and quick all the way around the track. In fact, this truck's steering is definitely its strong suit. At full lock the inside of the wheels are hitting the steering linkages, and my test unit had a turning radius of 5'4".
Rating: 10

High-Speed Handling • Don't let the Hyper ST's slightly narrower track width fool you. It was extremely stable at full throttle. Turn-in is aggressive and predictable. Let me repeat: turn-in is aggressive! Out of the box, the Hyper ST exhibited a pronounced push on throttle, but moving the swaybar connectors out on the rear end of the truggy handled that and made it much more neutral when powering out of a turn. As far as fully stock RTRs go, this has got to be one of the best turning racers on the market right now, and it should only improve with a high-torque aftermarket steering servo.
Rating: 9.5

Rough-Track Handling • I think you would have a hard time finding a track rough enough to cause a problem for the Hyper ST. Even with the drop screws limiting down travel, the truggy never seemed to lose its composure over the rough stuff. The big-bore shocks hold plenty of fluid and are consistent lap after lap. The unique triangle pins on the stock tires also did a good job on the loose dust surface of the test track.
Rating: 9

Jumping • The Hyper ST is a capable flyer. Jumping was usually a non-issue. Even when a driver error caused the truggy to hit the face of the jumps at an odd angle, the Hyper ST would straighten itself out on landing and
motor on. I did notice the chassis bottoming out on the big stuff, but it was nothing that a little tuning with the shock oils couldn't take care of. After a few laps I noticed that the Hyper ST did seem to fly best when I approached the jump with some throttle on to keep the nose from dipping down. On the smaller stuff, the ST's suspension just absorbed the bump and hardly got any air at all. Overall, this chassis inspires a lot of confidence on the racetrack. It feels as though it can handle just about anything.
Rating: 9

Wrenching
Maintenance • The nice thing about 1/8-scale truggies is that everything is generally spread out enough so that wrenching really isn't a problem unless the design is really screwed up. The Hyper ST's chassis is intelligently laid out so that everything--differentials included--are relatively easy to get to. The shock towers and body posts are a single unit, so they fit over the diffs like caps. Once they are off, you've got it made. All the hinge pins are captured, so there are no E-clips to deal with. And all the fasteners feature hex sockets, so you won't have any stripped Phillips head screws slowing you down.
Rating: 7

Wear and Tear • When photos of the Hyper ST first hit the net, many internet "experts" criticized the plastic shock towers, saying they were cheap and would break too easily. But during my extensive testing I never had a problem. The composite plastic used in the towers is a tough yet slightly flexible material, a lot like the suspension arms, and it lived through some very hard hits. Overall, nothing broke on the Hyper ST, even after a tough shot into a retaining fence that I was sure would end my day early. I did experience a small tear in one of the rubber shock boots, but I'd much rather have that than have the shock shafts exposed to all the grit flying around on the racetrack. One upgrade that probably would be a worthwhile investment is OFNA's CNC aluminum hub carriers, which should be quite a bit stronger than the cast units on the RTR.
Rating: 9

Tuning • This is the one area where the Hyper ST leaves me wanting just a bit more. For the most part, all the adjustment options are here. Everything from caster, camber, front toe, adjustable linkages on both swaybars, and even the wing angle can be changed. But there are only three upper mounting positions for the shocks, and no adjustability for Ackerman without changing the steering plate. Even your options for changing roll centers are limited. The tuning options are plenty for most situations, but experienced racers may miss the multitude of adjustment options available on some other truggies.
Rating: 7

Conclusion
With a street price of around $550, the Hyper ST is an amazing truck. Right out of the box it turns like it's on rails, shrugs off abuse, and is easy to tune and maintain. Possibly best of all, it just feels confident on the racetrack. It is capable of turning in consistently fast laps and can also absorb some driver error without winding up on its lid. The only nitpick I have is the cheap radio system included with the RTR. In the past this has been overlooked with the assumption that racers would install their own system anyway, but now that you can get a DSM system in some other RTR kits, the bar has been raised for everyone. Otherwise, the Hyper ST is a winner in every category.