Tamiya Bullhead experiences

[Jason1145 3986]

I got this used Bullhead a month or so ago and would like to document me experiences with it as a newbie to this iconic model, having heard so much about it and not knowing anything first hand has proved to be a mixed result with this truck.

I've gone through periods of loving and hating it as I discovered more and more about it, manly that some simple jobs on previous Tamiya's have been quite easy, whereas some things on this chassis are a right faff... maybe because I don't know how it all goes together properly yet.... but it's getting better.

 

To start with it was bought as a RTR and arrived like this

However there were two broken parts which needed fixing before it could be run in it's current MSC, 27Mhz radio state.

1) Servo mount was broekn causing the servo to move inside the truck

2) One of the arm links was snapped off where one of the shocks mounted to it.

 

Luckliy the seller sent me both replacement parts after I informed him of theses little mis haps,

Below you can see the broken mount allowing the front right shock to swing loose

This was the first faff I was referring to, took me some time and alot of help on the forum to figure out how to access the screws to release this arm... got there in the end

 

On to replacing the broken servo mount, again a bit of a faff to replace anything in this are but that's the nature of this big beast I suppose, below I show the broken part highlighted on on a new replacement part that is intact

Here is the start of the spending spree on this Bullhead.. a new 25KG Servo to try and help it along

 

I did actually drive it with the stock Acoms servo and it was ok - but this new servo wasn't too expensive and atleast I knew it was "new".

I loved the 4 wheel steering.... initially..... ad then it got awkward..... I'm not used to seeing the rear wheels turn and it actually dis orientated me a few times getting my lefts and right mixed up when it was driving both towards and away from me lol... but it was stil a hoot, hiwever it did tend to flip over from sharp turns so I started thinking about how to change this... more later.

Little pic of it in bouncing action

[Jason1145 3986]

Next step was to update the electronic and after again speaking to other members it was decided to leave the silver cans but get them running on 2s and 3s lipo.... so a new Hobbywing 1060 esc was ordered and a 2.4Ghz radio sourced.

I also received some alloy anti rotation brackets as these are recommended to replace the stock plastic items which have been known to snap.

New electrics installed and all tested working fine

Handy having the on/off switch outside

And fitted

[Jason1145 3986]

At this point I also decided to install a longer servo horn to replace the stock round Tamiya one to gain more travel for the steering..... daft really as I was already finding it to be quite a sharp turner... but more about this later as I was already reading up and had another change planned.

Here you can see it is now a bit taller than the stock one but be careful, if you get one too long it will hit the bottom of the chassis, this one was perfect, about 2.5cm in total length I think.

[Jason1145 3986]

Time to intimidate some other RC's in the household.... sure enough I sold this HPI Jumpshot as it has been replaced ;p

Next on the agenda.... a USA flag.... this get sewn on to the roll bar

 

I forgot to mention I hadn't tightened up the new anti rotation brackets and it caused the truck to veer left under hard acceleration, this got fixed and this was the proof ;p

Then this 4ws and constant flipping over lead me to buy a CPR rear steer lock out plate...... this locks the rear steering meaning it only has front wheel steering. The plate arrived with no instructions or other parts other than the platre, it took me to asking here again to figure out how to fix this. Some 3mm threaded rod in 100mm length was ordered and I found some 3mm lock nuts and this is how I fitted it

A quick indoors test showed it worked and it's now waiting a proper outdoor run

 

[Jason1145 3986]

While waiting to test out the new front only steering attention turned to preserving that awesome Bullhead body from damage... so a new shell was ordered to bash with..... Jconcept 1982 GMC

It actually looks like a Clodbuster to me now

Red backed with silver

RPM Hood blower fitted

Then some more decals and scale accesories

 

[Jason1145 3986]

I'm pretty sure I have spent a fair bit extra on this truck now, probably as much as I paid for it.... and it gets worse as while browsing the CPE website I saw some awesome Twisted MT tyres I fell in love with and luckily I found them available in the UK so these arrived this week

Took a good 20 minutes to swap the tyres over but they went on a treat and I love the new look, they haven't been glued yet but they come with nice thick foam inserts and I can already feel more friction on these tyres sitting on the rims that the previous stock tyres which werent glued on either.

 

So now this truck is looking the business and awaiting a proper run to try out the front steering only...... will use a 2s lipo and see how those tyres hold up or wear out!

[Jason1145 3986]

Last update for today, I forgot to add i bought some CPE wheel wideners and have yet to install them......these widen the track by 5/8'' so hopefully all these little things I'm going to do (one by one) to improve the driving and stability over my initial truck

http://crawfordperformanceengineering.com/product_info.php?products_id=682

[Jason1145 3986]

Oh, and I have some nice red alloy shocks to fit too..... sheesh nearly forgot those!

[Superluminal 3750]

Lovely colour - is that clear red or just light coats of normal red?

[87lc2 2666]

Nice body, been meaning to pick one of them up.  Truck is looking good.

[max69vk 708]

A few nice mods there! How have things been with getting the parts from CPE posted, have you been caught out by the dreaded Post office import fees?

[Jason1145 3986]

4 hours ago, Superluminal said:

Lovely colour - is that clear red or just light coats of normal red?

It's transparent red.... I chose a kightvdilvercto back it and it kept it pretty light in colour depth... next time I use it on a shell I will use a graphite grey to darken it a bit giving a more burnt look.

 

2 hours ago, 87lc2 said:

Nice body, been meaning to pick one of them up.  Truck is looking good.

Thanks it's a top body with nice thick lexan, it lacks very clear cut lines on the front and back but it's just about readable!

 

1 hour ago, max69vk said:

A few nice mods there! How have things been with getting the parts from CPE posted, have you been caught out by the dreaded Post office import fees?

No I've been caught with the wheel wideners as they were $29.99 so over the £15 threshold for Her Maj's liking!

The rear steer lock out plate was only $7.99 so came through unmolested!

I then got caught by customs again for another RC item valued at $29.99 (from the USA) -  must stop buying from over the pond

[Jason1145 3986]

Steering is a go.... turns pretty well so I'm happy to leave it on front steering only now and don't need to research axle mounted servo's  *(until I'm bored) it's a hoot on 2s lipo but I can see 3s lipo being used soon.

The new tyres worked great too..... not glued and they didn't seem to spin inside here and provided enough traction for small wheelies and endo's

 

[Jason1145 3986]

 

[Wooders28 4723]

Looks brilliant mate!!

I keep looking out for a Bigfoot body, the Traxxas ones are more than I'm prepared to part with, but that blower is too my liking, just not that I placed an order with Modelsport this afternoon, so would have been free shipping!!

2s is good, but 3s is always better! 😁, just watch on the brakes, it'll forward roll and damage that bug catcher and blower!

You'll maybe need to keep a look out for a spare battery door too, with the 3s exiting at a different point, I removed the wee bit inside, and gave it a trim, so it holds the battery without bending the power leads.

[Jason1145 3986]

Thanks Wooders I'm really happy with my new Clod and all the tinkering I've done with it... it's making me reconsider my whole collection and look twice at my on road cars with their limited run space ability!

Modelsport got my Jconcepts body in for me and had that good blower great service as always.

I already had to remove that little tab inside the battery door, will keep an eye on it with 3s cheers for the pointer

Im considering a wheelie bar from China just now but it's another £30 lol... nothing to prevent endo'scthiugh haha

[DK308 219]

That's a sweet looking body Jason. A real shame they don't make it in a 13" wheelbase. Would be awesome for my MTA4 s50

You're mentioning using a darker grey for a more burnt look in the future. Have you considered backing it with PS-61 metallic orange or PS-14 copper? Just thinking that the darker grey would muddy the colour rather than giving it a burnt look. Just thinking out loud.

[Jason1145 3986]

So you're thinking the orange or copper for the burnt look and yes it makes sense, just not sure it would show through the red but worth a try for sure

[DK308 219]

1 hour ago, Jason1145 said:

So you're thinking the orange or copper for the burnt look and yes it makes sense, just not sure it would show through the red but worth a try for sure

Yes. But as you say, not sure if it will show though or not. I've heard of people backing it with gold and yellow. I suppose how much it shows through is also dependent no the thickness of the red layer. Giving it a few more thoughts, orange might be a bit too bright. I actually have a body I've painted with clear red, then lamé flakes, and then PS-15 metallic red. In the shade, it's somewhat dark, but in the sun, it's so liquidy and deep that you can almost swim in it. It's not burnt by any means, it's just an example of how backing with different colours can affect the result. Oh, and I actually finished it off in the back with a bright silver. While it's backed with three coats of non-translucent metallic red, as you know, these colours on the clear bodies are always a bit translucent. That silver is part of what makes the colour come alive in the sun. If you ever do a shell with just the normal metallic red, try and back it with gold. It's subtle, but it gives it a s nice warm glow I guess you could call it.