First car

[Nobbi1977 1793]

I agree with the above. It might be cheaper to get a DT-03 and add big wheel than find a NIB Madbull at the right price. A Dt-03 will run modern hardpacks as well so there is a lot more choice in the market.

 

Remember little kids have little hands so most transmitters are far to big for them to reach and have full control.

I ran one like this for my little ones and although it looks toy like it held up to a multi user endurance event when I lent it to another member on here.

https://hobbyking.com/en_us/quanum-2-4ghz-3ch-pistol-grip-tx-rx-system.html

sometime postage from the EU warehouse is cheaper than the UK. Their batteries and chargers are good as well.

[Baddon 860]

https://www.timetunnelmodels.com/live/catalog/tamiya-58205-bull-road-buggy-complete-deal-bundle-radio-control-p-60514.html

 

[Nobbi1977 1793]

32 minutes ago, Baddon said:

https://www.timetunnelmodels.com/live/catalog/tamiya-58205-bull-road-buggy-complete-deal-bundle-radio-control-p-60514.html

 

Looks a good price but battery and charger options are not great and add extra cost. 

 

Is the Madbull still in production?

[Baddon 860]

In production, not sure TBH. Still available, yes and spares so no fear with getting one. Also easy enough to sell on as they are so suitable as a first "proper" RC.

My first RC was a Taiya Jet Hopper (like a RTR cheaper nastier slower Grasshopper) when I was about 10. The idea of a Madbull type buggy at 6......WOW. 

My third Tamiya was a Midnight Pumpkin as loved the looks and thought a wheelie machine was just what i wanted.....BORED very quickly with that and back to my basher of the day the ThunderShot. BUT i was a teenager at this point. I wanted a proper go anywhere Monster truck to invested in a Traxas T Max when i was at uni....total disaster trying to get nitro with its over fussy mix to work. Modern electric buggies are just so straight forward.

Someone above has mentioned Lipo packs- for the kids and bashing and as we go away in a touring caravan and take the buggies we all ONLY run NiMh as risk of fire /puffing overheating etc is pretty much non existent this keep price of the battery charger down as well. I just picked a 2nd one up this week of eBay as new with box for £13 posted.

 

For something with a longer life try the DT-03 based truggy (Modern Madbull but with none of the issues in steering as its a proper sorted fully independent sprung and damped buggy) 58610 Aqroshot

https://www.timetunnelmodels.com/live/catalog/tamiya-58610-aqroshot-stadium-truck-complete-deal-bundle-p-57203.html

It is more money BUT it will be so much better in the long run the price difference to the Madbull will barely cover the CVA shocks that are stock with this. Wheels are smaller and as such it will have less ground clearance and wont run as well on grass and the tires not being balloon type will take less stink out of the kerbs.

 

[Jakob TK 17]

Forget the worry of LIPO's causing fires. I am pretty sure most of you guys are hauling a lithium battery around in your pant pocket most days right? There's really no difference to the batteries in an RC car. YES they can burn. So throw away your cell phones too. And only charge them while they are in a LIPO safe bag.

On a note as to the LIPO situation in a Mad bull, I cleaned out the tub, and made myself a servo mount of an aluminium plate in the front. Put a little foam in the bottom and you have a perfect place for a shorty LIPO. You'll have to have another plate for receiver and ESC in the back, just a flat one screwed on with two thumbscrews and you're set.

You can get your Mad Bull here, as a kit. The XB's are hard to find and way too expensive now but kits not so much. https://tamico.de/Tamiya-Mad-Bull-Bausatz-58205  They also have a starter kit. I always get my electronics from hobbyking.com, but you can give this a quick look-over. It is easy:  https://tamico.de/Carson-RC-Starter-Set-Reflex-X1-24GHz-Sender-mit-Empfaenger-Akku-Ladegeraet-Servo-Batterien

[Pault46 3]

Thanks for all this I've learned a lot. I like the DT-02 Sand viper which is like the DT-03. It's reasonably priced, independent suspension looks good. Just have to try and slow it down a bit and maybe add big wheels. Think that's why the Mad Bull is learner friendly. But for £20 more you seem to be getting a lot more car. Thanks 

[Pault46 3]

Is this the Mad Cap chassis? When I was a lad they used to break all the time on the front end, think where the bumper attactched .

[JennyMo 3526]

Hi Paul - fwiw. I bought one of my nephews a 2010 Holiday Buggy (DT-02) for his first car when he was about 10 years old - I showed him some options around that price point and let him choose, although I admit I strongly recommended he go for the DT-02 chassis for general handling and upgradability...

We bought everything from a retailer (I want to say it was Modelsport), but if you're tight on budget you can source alternative radio gear via ebay (FlySky 2.4GHz TX/RX - try seller Blacksmith Products) for around £25, and a battery and trickle charger for similar money - so if you get the car with the ESC included, you're pretty much ready to go... Of course almost inevitably we soon upgraded his car with a 540 motor (from the stock 380), and he bought a fast charger and second battery too... but you ought to be able to get everything* you need initially for £150 or less.

*note. you'll also need a steering servo too - I got a great metal gear one recently from a UK seller on ebay for less than £5 posted!

If your son is only 6 years old, then perhaps the big-wheel Mad Bull (or Lunchbox/Pumpkin) would be slightly more robust for the 'learning to drive' stages, but I was surprised how strong the 2010 Holiday Buggy is - plus it has independent suspension of course, and the body is self-coloured so no need to paint and doesn't show chips etc. Just sticker up and go!

https://www.modelsport.co.uk/index.php?product_id=36927&gclid=Cj0KCQiAurjgBRCqARIsAD09sg9aRafHgwUQn-39nEDdUnW6Grc40bX6BNAQFoFTUZyGU_R8JQKy-nYaAsVIEALw_wcB

Hope that gives you something to consider...

Jenny x

[TurnipJF 9192]

11 hours ago, Pault46 said:

Thanks for all this I've learned a lot. I like the DT-02 Sand viper which is like the DT-03. It's reasonably priced, independent suspension looks good. Just have to try and slow it down a bit and maybe add big wheels. Think that's why the Mad Bull is learner friendly. But for £20 more you seem to be getting a lot more car. Thanks 

You get a car that is more advanced/complex in terms of spec, but not as strong or resilient, or as capable off road. Not sure if that is "more", perhaps just different. Both have their strengths, but in different areas.

 

5 hours ago, Pault46 said:

Is this the Mad Cap chassis? When I was a lad they used to break all the time on the front end, think where the bumper attactched .

Nope, the Mad Bull uses the DT-01 chassis, shared with other cars such as the Mad Fighter and Rookie Rabbit, but fitted with longer front axles and uprated tierods to handle the bigger wheels and tyres. They are very tough - I have had one for years and never broken anything.

I also have a DT-03T Aqroshot fitted with Mad Bull wheels and tyres, but while this is just as capable offroad as the Mad Bull and has better handling, I wouldn't subject it to the sort of punishment that the Mad Bull can take with ease, as it is a significantly less robust platform. That isn't to say the DT-03 is weak, just that the Mad Bull is a tank. Where other cars crack, the Mad Bull bounces.

 

 

[Baddon 860]

One thing on the speed, you CAN buy a fancy radio gear with end point adjustment so you can reign in the max speed

OR, like me cable tie a small thick piece of rubber tube to the trigger so it wont pull all the way back. cost is ......nil if you  have a cable tie and some tube as I did. I used this (its still there a year later) for my little lady who was 4 when she started with her MadBull. The 7 year old never needed it and is very good with his only a year later - changing his to a Traxxas Stampede I just bought tonight.

Also its less tamper proof for a while. Once he is old enough to remove he will likely be ok with full speed anyway.

[Baddon 860]

21 hours ago, Jakob TK said:

Forget the worry of LIPO's causing fires. I am pretty sure most of you guys are hauling a lithium battery around in your pant pocket most days right? There's really no difference to the batteries in an RC car. YES they can burn. So throw away your cell phones too. And only charge them while they are in a LIPO safe bag.

 

LiPo RC batteries are liable to go on fire when the cells go out of balance and one set charges more than the other, this wont happen in a mobile phone or camera as its a single cell. Hence 2s, 3s etc batteries found in RC should be charged in a LiPo fireproof bag and stored in same.

[TurnipJF 9192]

Very true. Also worth noting that not all lithium batteries are created equal, and that the Li-ion batteries commonly used in consumer electronics are not as volatile as the LiPo batteries used in model cars. 

[MICHAELs TopForce17 586]

never had a lipo battery fire ever and been using them for 4 years or more just check on your battery when charging and if it looks damaged don't charge it.

[Pablo68 1049]

The DT-02 is a great car. Not perfect, but then again no car is. It's a good starting point. It's what I got my youngest son years ago, he still has it albeit with a reconditioning a few years ago by yours truly.
It should be easy enough for you to put a crawler motor in it to slow it down a bit.
I'm not sure if suggested or not but the Flysky FS-GT3C is a great 2.4ghz radio kit for the price. It has a load of features including end point adjustments, so you could slow it down that way too.

[Jonathon Gillham 4607]

+1 for a radio with end point adjustments. By the time you buy a slower motor you could have bought a better radio and have the flexibilty of handing the car to an adult for a run at full speed. Also consider size and weight. Some radios are big and little hands will struggle, and also check what batteries they require. 8 AA's will be heavy, but it may be possible to swap the AAs for a lipo which will keep the weight down. I ended up investing in a Futaba 3PV for my son but he has 3 cars now and is starting racing with me next year. Its a great little radio for the money, but pricey compared to Flysky etc

I bought the Plasma Edge II / TT02B for my son when he was 3, actually bought 2 of them so we could run them together. They are now loaners for his friends when they come over. Actualky for my friends too, we have races. What I have seen is when kids start out they find stick controllers easier to use so thats worth considering. Its easy to tape a block of foam or something to stop the stick going full forward which is as good as EPA.

Personally I would go for DT02/3 or TT02B as they are modern and parts are cheap and easy to get. They run fine on grass as long as the standard tyres are in good condition, and of course the spikes don't wear down if you only run on grass.

[Nobbi1977 1793]

Good end point adjustment is a god send but the ones on cheaper radios is a pain because what it takes off the speed it also takes off the brakes.

[Fabia130vRS 2098]

I bought a Sanwa MX-V for 99€ with two recievers, servo and hump pack, it was 4 years ago and I bought it for a TT01, it has all the adjustments and a quality feel just likenthe Futaba 3PV, especially the 4 battery’s make it lighter from the models with 8.

 

[Jakob TK 17]

On 12/10/2018 at 10:21 PM, Baddon said:

LiPo RC batteries are liable to go on fire when the cells go out of balance and one set charges more than the other, this wont happen in a mobile phone or camera as its a single cell. Hence 2s, 3s etc batteries found in RC should be charged in a LiPo fireproof bag and stored in same.

- and that is why you ALWAYS balance charge. Hence you should treat them as you treat your phone. It is cool with me if you want to treat your phone that way.

 

On 12/10/2018 at 10:27 PM, TurnipJF said:

Very true. Also worth noting that not all lithium batteries are created equal, and that the Li-ion batteries commonly used in consumer electronics are not as volatile as the LiPo batteries used in model cars. 

You'll have to give me a source on that. My source says it is the other way around. The polymer electrolyte is semisolid and thus safer: "more resistant to overcharge with less chance of electrolyte leakage". Found here: https://in.c.mi.com/thread-639598-1-0.html

[TurnipJF 9192]

4 hours ago, Jakob TK said:

You'll have to give me a source on that. My source says it is the other way around. The polymer electrolyte is semisolid and thus safer: "more resistant to overcharge with less chance of electrolyte leakage". Found here: https://in.c.mi.com/thread-639598-1-0.html

Looks like you're right - I've done a bit more reading and it appears I had it the wrong way around. Several other sources ranging from Quora to Wikipedia to Ravpower's website echo your view that LiPo is safer than Li-Ion by nature of its electrolyte being less prone to leakage.

[Jakob TK 17]

On 12/12/2018 at 3:00 AM, TurnipJF said:

Looks like you're right - I've done a bit more reading and it appears I had it the wrong way around. Several other sources ranging from Quora to Wikipedia to Ravpower's website echo your view that LiPo is safer than Li-Ion by nature of its electrolyte being less prone to leakage.

Hi, didn't see your reply till now. Thanks, was not sure myself until I looked around so you had me searching for answers too. Good to know we can all learn from day to day. Merry Christmas.