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ALEXKYRIAK

Mad Bull.... Opinions?

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So, the Mad Bull. To me it's a 'new' car. Didn't see it back in the day. Having got back into the hobby recently, at first glance this car was basically invisible to me:  I must have skipped over this on websites faster than a blink of the eye. Big tyres with a small, flatish body, ungainly looking. Not my cup of tea.

But lately, it has become a rather more interesting prospect. Having recently acquired a Monster Beetle (which I am smitten with, looks, chunkiness, unique;  the Monster Beetle is a massive departure for me, I was always of the fast, cool-looking buggy school - the big tyre "monster truck" thing never appealed). The Monster Beetle has led me to appreciate the more chunky type of buggy / trucks in Tamiya's line up.

So, thanks to falling for the Monster Beetle,  here I am now considering a Mad Bull. Looking into it, the Mad Bull seems to have an interesting lineage which has piqued my curiosity, given that my first ever Tamiya experience at the age of 12 was the one and only Hornet.(http://www.blackholesun.fr/en/35-en/my-models/off-road/buggy-truck/108-tamiya-58205-madbull-dt-01)

The Mad Bull looks like a Grasshopper on steroids,  a "Monster Grasshopper". Videos look like it's a lot of fun. I actually really like the combo of low slung centre of gravity and chunky no nonsense tyres, contrasting to the somewhat streamlined body.

However, a lot of reviews also state it's a very entry level model, and relatively basic. Having looked at the design of this car in a lot more detail, it seems to have potential for a lot of hop-up improvements, however I can see few on the net. It's also interesting to see photos of the Mad Fighter shell on the Mad Bull. I like the quirky look of both.

 

Anyway, long ramble to get to the question: what are your opinions of the Mad Bull? Would be interested to hear people's views and experiences.

 

Thanks :)

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Got 3. 1 new build. 1 rebuild and 1 work in progress.

 

Love them. They are very basic but great fun. Good for a very fast build. Only thing i think they need our of the box is oil shocks. And metal bearings.

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If the mad bull is a Dt01 then its chassis must be a predecessor to the DT03 (neo/racing fighter). 

From a quick look at the picture I'd say it's a buggy chassis with Lunchbox wheels and tires and a funky looking body.

If it were me I'd buy a dt03, put Lunchbox or Monster beetle wheel/tire set on it and a Nissan Titan shell. Would be a very fun SCT/Monster truck with the low slung center of gravity of a buggy. The bigger tires would be tougher on the drivetrain but would add some clearance which is also nice. 

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I bought a Mad Bull partially to see how well the evolved solid rear axle worked and partially because it had a modified Grasshopper 2 body shell that reminded me of my departed Super G GH2. Its odd looking, almost like a moon buggy. It moves in an odd way too. The front end has wild camber changes as it rolls along. The rear end works surprisingly well, a big step up from the "bounce-all-over-the-place" Hornet. All I added to mine was bearings and front oil shocks. The front oil shocks tamed the crazy, flailing front wheels nicely. It slinks along the ground quite well and is very stable. I've yet to flip mine. It's incredibly basic. I blinked and the build was over. I believe it originally stemmed from an old RTR Tamiya called the Rookie Rabbit. The DT01 designation is a bit weird. It shares nothing with the DT02  or DT03 in lineage. A Bear Hawk is more of a predecessor to the DT02/03 design-wise. I always saw the DT01 as more of the ultimate iteration of the Grasshopper/Hornet family than anything else. A great buggy/truck. I just wished Tamiya took the time to re-gear it when they added the monster tires.

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Between a Grasshopper, Lunch Box, and Mad Bull, the Mad Bull was the best beach RC I tried.  It could deal with the uneven sand really well due to the large tires, and it wouldn't flip over due to the low center of mass.  It can handle a decent 3000kV to 3500kV 4-pole brushless setup, which makes it pretty fast even with the smaller pinion installed.  It's a relatively inexpensive kit, so there are no guilty feelings subjecting it to salty sand or wet mud.  It benefits from some modifications -- ball bearings, CVA dampers, turnbuckle linkage between the servo and steering bellcrank.

I don't think I've seen a "kit stock / box art" Mad Bull yet; most people seem to customize them mechanically and do their own paint / decal schemes.  The moon buggy idea is a good one; so is making something inspired by the HALO video game series.  There's a lot of replay value in a Mad Bull whether you're building/running/modifying/customizing it.

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I have a secondhand mad bull and its awesome. I upgraded the front shocks and tried to improved the steering a little, other than that its stock and like great on the beach.

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They are awesome cars that are great fun to drive, I love 'em!  There aren't a huge amount of hop ups for them, as mentioned bearings, oil shocks and steering linkage are all simple things, some have even managed to upgrade the front suspension to improve handling but for me that isn't what the Mabull is about. Keep it simple and drive the tyres off it!

1690081_10153554633786158_88969449620589

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It is what it is. Love it and really enjoy it for exactly that reason. It's simple,tough,a wee bit random,and bags of fun!

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Tough, easy to build, work on and maintain. I have two Mad Bulls and a Mad Fighter and I love them. 

I chose them because I wanted a go anywhere type of buggy that the kids could thrash about without breaking. 

One of the things I saw a lot of before I got mine was tyre choice limitations. I have since found that Aqroshot wheels fit and they use 2.2 inch tyres so there is a world of choice in the rubber department.

I have waterproof esc's and servos in mine with oil shocks and bearings. I have also got rid of the 'bent coat hanger ' steering link in favour of a turnbuckle and ball studs. As already mentioned, don't over think them, just accept them for what they are and have fun.

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Great set of comments guys, thanks. 

Scarecrow, love the collection. Partial to a Mad Bull, are we..?;)

think I might dip in and give it a go. Having checked out the manual I think adding oil shocks looks to be a definite, as suggested by you guys, ditto the bearings. 

Not sold on the original 'box art' colour/paint scheme so am tempted to try something unique. Probably with Monster Beetle or Wild Willy 2 wheels/tyres. Mad Fighter shell could be interesting future development. 

Scouser, do you have a picture of your turnbuckle and ball studs mod? Are these  just standard parts used creatively or a hop-up?

 

edit: oh, and Munchbox, your 'use a DT-03 suggestion' sounds very interesting. Do you know if anyone has ever tried it? I googled a bit but couldn't see anything. 

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33 minutes ago, ALEXKYRIAK said:

 

Scarecrow, love the collection. Partial to a Mad Bull, are we..?;)

 

 

What makes you say that?:D

 

And re the wheel/tyre choice. The pink one in my pic is my daughters car, it is running Bush Devil wheels and tyres at the mo, had to trim the front bumper slightly but they work really well. The car furthest away from the camera is a Mad Fighter, that has a set of Blitzer Beetle wheels and tyres, Wasn't keen on the rear tyres as they wear out quite quickly so I swapped to some on road ones from the Street Rover I think, wheels are from an Aqroshot as mentioned above.

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Part numbers are #50592 and #50596 with a cut down m3 screw to act as a turnbuckle. You drill a small hole and screw one ball stud to the steering link then the other goes on the servo horn. Put the ball cups on the screw and connect it all up. Saves hacking up the front shock tower. There is a picture of the mod in a Mad Bull build thread but can't find the thread at the minute. I will see if I can find the link.

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1 hour ago, ALEXKYRIAK said:

 

edit: oh, and Munchbox, your 'use a DT-03 suggestion' sounds very interesting. Do you know if anyone has ever tried it? I googled a bit but couldn't see anything. 

Admittedly no. I was under the impression that the Dt01 chassis was closer in design to the 02/03 since the 02/03 are very similar. 

That doesn't mean it won't still work. Wheel and tire choice for dt03 is something I've been googling around for a couple weeks in anticipation of my build. I'll definitely be trying wheels off my Lunchbox to see if they fit.

The offset is essentially 0 as I recall and I should be able to switch the rear hex adapters for the Lunchbox rear adapters without modification. 

The full setup I mentioned might be accomplished more easily by buying a dt02 Nissan Titan and fitting Lunchbox wheels and tires to it rather than buying a dt03 and then searching for a Titan shell and mounts.. if I were to do a car dedicated to run in such form I might consider the spiked Chevron tires of the dump truck cars which to my eyes are the same as lunchbox tire but with spikes for more grip.

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Would the Wild Willy 2 (WR01?) 12mm hex monster truck wheels fit a DT03 if you just got the Blitzer Beetle steering uprights? Those longer axle uprights are the only difference between the DT03 and DT03T chassis' as far as I can tell.

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Give me a week or two for my racing fighter kit to arrive (due this Thursday) and for me to get it put together and I'll see if the Lunchbox wheels will fit.. 

In the mean time I'm sure there are plenty of folks out there with dt03 and Lunchbox in their fleet, if someone would be willing to test fit for us?? I'd like to know if Lunchbox wheels and tires and Monster Beetle wheels and tires will fit a dt03 without modification..

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I have both! Just tried it. Lunchbox wheels definitely don't fit stock DT03 axles. The shafts front and rear and miles too short. As I mentioned, the DT03T has Blitzer Beetle uprigthts at the front, but must have longer output shafts at the hub end on the rear too.

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WP_20170106_17_06_13_Pro%20Medium.jpg

Love my Mad Bull, goes well with a 15T motor

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49 minutes ago, Munchbox said:

Give me a week or two for my racing fighter kit to arrive (due this Thursday) and for me to get it put together and I'll see if the Lunchbox wheels will fit.. 

In the mean time I'm sure there are plenty of folks out there with dt03 and Lunchbox in their fleet, if someone would be willing to test fit for us?? I'd like to know if Lunchbox wheels and tires and Monster Beetle wheels and tires will fit a dt03 without modification..

Just checked the Aqroshot manual online vs my Racing Fighter manual and the rear driveshafts are identical, so no option for lunchbox wheels. It would have to be something 12mm Hex for the rear.

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3 hours ago, Scouser said:

Part numbers are #50592 and #50596 with a cut down m3 screw to act as a turnbuckle. You drill a small hole and screw one ball stud to the steering link then the other goes on the servo horn. Put the ball cups on the screw and connect it all up. Saves hacking up the front shock tower. There is a picture of the mod in a Mad Bull build thread but can't find the thread at the minute. I will see if I can find the link.

there you go:

 

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3 hours ago, ThunderDragonCy said:

Would the Wild Willy 2 (WR01?) 12mm hex monster truck wheels fit a DT03 if you just got the Blitzer Beetle steering uprights? Those longer axle uprights are the only difference between the DT03 and DT03T chassis' as far as I can tell.

Yes they would.

 

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btw. i got one mad bull and just got enough spare parts to build another one or two. its a great car so why not go for a 2nd or 3rd one :D

anyway this is my yellow bull wirh a mad driver:

PHOTO_20160323_021616.jpg

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On 4/2/2017 at 11:51 PM, ALEXKYRIAK said:

So what are the shocks on the Yellow Bull, Dangerseeker?

these are carson brand shocks. got them from amazon:

https://www.amazon.de/Carson-500405702-Alu-Stoßdämpfer-2-Stück/dp/B00J5DAS5U/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1491262857&sr=8-4&keywords=carson+alu+stossdämpfer

 

the shocks are available at different sizes and i use them in many cars. never had a problem.

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