TOPIC:

What's this? Looks like a Hornet/Grasshopper chassis, but with monster truck wheels and the front suspension is different.
Front bumper looks factory, but I don't recognise it.
Did Tamiya make a Monster Truck based on the Hornet chassis?
I think the Lunchbox uses a lot of the same components, but it doesn't look like a Lunchbox chassis

I think it's a home mod that people are doing

A similar "Monster Grasshopper" mod using Lunchbox wheels, steering knuckles and bumper was suggested by Tamiya in the German Grasshopper II commercial video. According to the video, Tamiya even produced brochures with instructions back in the day. The result looked strikingly similar to the later DT-01 Mad Bull.

Intriguing ... definitely Blackfoot wheels, and defininity Hornet chassis from the steering servo bsck - I really don't know about the front end though - it looks like it's been grafted on from another make entirely.

It's potentially a really bad lash up, but if you can get it cheaply enough it might be worth a punt - the Shumacher buggy it's being sold with should clean up enough to re-sell



I'm concerned about the gearing though - big wheels really upset it (unless you use the brass pinion & spacer from a Lunchkin) - the result will be poor acceleration & overheating - even more so on the example andyaus posted

GregM wrote:

A similar "Monster Grasshopper" mod using Lunchbox wheels, steering knuckles and bumper was suggested by Tamiya in the German Grasshopper II commercial video. According to the video, Tamiya even produced brochures with instructions back in the day. The result looked strikingly similar to the later DT-01 Mad Bull.

I remember that - mainly for the IC engine noises dubbed on

edit -

LOL! - I expected you guys to come back with something like "Duh! Thats the 1993 Tamiya Monster Bunny XP - didn't you know that? What kind of Tamiya fanboy are you?".
I'm glad I'm not completely ignorant .
The Schumacher buggy is a Cougar Club 10 I reckon.

Re the video - you can see the "Mad Bull" wobbling around on its balloon tyres at 0:48

Jonny wrote:

I'm concerned about the gearing though - big wheels really upset it (unless you use the brass pinion & spacer from a Lunchkin) - the result will be poor acceleration & overheating - even more so on the example andyaus posted

Strangely enough, the Mad Bull retained the same gear ratio and 17T pinion as the other "regular" DT-01 buggys, despite having big Lunchbox wheels. That was some pretty thoughtless engineering, I think. Even with an adjustable mount I was only able to go down to a 15T steel pinion, due to the enclosing gearbox getting in the way.

I wonder if the "Monster Grasshopper II" instructions suggested to use the Lunchbox motor mount and a 10T brass pinion.

I was just thinking sort of the the same thing - Mad Bull has same gearbox as Fighter Buggy, which has smaller wheels, but our Mad Bull goes like stink without any gearing issues, in fact it's making so much torque it's a bit of a handful on anything loose/slippery, not bad for a standard gear setup & big wheels. Hilarious car that one...

Are we sure the Mad Bull didn't get a pinion mod to sort the gearing?