Mad Hopper

[XV Pilot]

Thought I would share the latest addition to our fleet:

Having had a great deal of fun with the Rising Fighter, which is effectively an updated Super Hornet, we wanted to add another updated retro buggy to our collection. I have been a long-time admirer of the Grasshopper II bodyshell, so I decided that I would create my own idea of what an updated Super G would be like if Tamiya released one. I call it the Mad Hopper.

Mods:

Rubber sealed bearings throughout

Etronix 27t rebuildable motor

RW Racing steel pinion

Ansmann alloy shocks with Tamiya seals

Edit red wheel nuts

Carson chrome spoked wheels & all-terrain tyres

I wanted to base it on the DT01 chassis, as this forms the missing link between the classic Grasshopper/Hornet and the present-day DT02, both of which already feature in our collection. I had two possible approaches to creating this model using Tamiya's current product line-up. I could either start with a DT01 Mad Fighter and swap out the bodyshell, or start with a DT01 Mad Bull and swap out the oversize wheels. Since I already had several sets of suitable wheels available, I went for the latter. The result is a buggy with the looks of a Super G, along with the stability and ruggedness of a (relatively) modern DT01. I know it is no Axial Exo or Tamiya TRF, but the fun-to-cost ratio is right up there with the best of them!

[Grastens]

Love the presentation and the colour!

I always admired the Grasshopper II chassis for its looks. Your car does look like it would be a lot of fun for the money!

[TA-Mark]

Nice clean look for the DT01 buggy.

I wanted to base it on the DT01 chassis, as this forms the missing link between the classic Grasshopper/Hornet and the present-day DT02

There's nothing in common between a DT01 and DT02. Not even the layout.

DT01 is the modern wide track Grasshopper/Hornet. Live axle pivoting rear and single wishbone front suspension and huge amounts of bouncing and bumpsteer.

DT02 is more like a modern version of the Bear Hawk or Blitzer chassis. Four wheel double wishbone suspension and quite good handling characteristics.

[Percymon]

Nice effort - i miss my GH2, although it always needed better shocks than Tamiya provided

[mongoose1983]

The front tires look awesome! Excellent build of a rather indestructible buggy.

[XV Pilot]

Thanks for the positive comments!

While I agree that there is very little in common between the DT01 and DT02 in terms of the mechanicals, I would argue that the DT02 is very much the successor to the DT01 in terms of market positioning, as both are simple, rugged, affordable entry-level 2WD buggies aimed at beginners (but still lots of fun for experienced modellers).

The standard shocks are shockingly bad I agree. I hesitate to even refer to them as shocks, as there is no damping built into them whatsoever. Pogo-sticks would be a more descriptive term for them. Luckily Ansmann make some excellent yet very affordable alloy shocks that are a direct fit, and improve handling no end. The Ansmann shocks are prone to leakage in stock form due to use of poor-quality O-rings in the shaft seals, but this is easily rectified by replacing them with Tamiya's red damper O-rings.

The tyres are from Carson, and were reportedly designed with the DT01 and DT02 in mind. They come pre-mounted on either black or chrome wheels, but I have yet to find a source of unmounted ones. I like them because they provide good grip off-road, yet have good wear characteristics on tarmac. I find them a good compromise between street tyres that last well on tarmac but don't work offroad, and standard buggy tyres that do work offroad but wear down to slicks in no time on tarmac.

[GregM]

That's a nice evolved hopper!

I recommend you to re-use the DT-01 kit springs at the rear, as they are soft enough to let the suspension work nicely. You can get seperate Carson all terrain tires (front #11089, rear #11090) from stores like Tamico and maybe Seidel.

[XV Pilot]

Thanks for the tip re. the tyres.

I agree that the kit springs work well at the rear, but luckily the springs that came with the Ansmann shocks are similarly soft with no spacers. The front springs do need spacers though, as they are a fair bit softer than the kit ones.

[XV Pilot]

With the arrival of my custom decals, I have managed to put the finishing touches to the black bodyshell for the Mad Hopper.

The red bodyshell pictured in my earlier post is used for general bashing, but this one has come out so well that I think I will keep it for display.

The bodyshell is painted in Halfords Gloss Black, while the driver is painted in Tamiya Gloss Aluminium, with Games Workshop acrylics for the details. The air intakes and MSC heatsink hole have been given the aluminium mesh treatment, which I think complements the colour scheme nicely and completes the look.

[Skottoman]

This looks sweet, I need to find a set of those wheels/tires for my Sand Rover...

Nice body on this one for sure!

[kontemax]

These wheels and tires are from Carson.

Max

[XV Pilot]

Just realised I hadn't posted a pic of the red shell with its custom decals in place. Here it is: