Tamiya Mad Bison

Not long ago I purchased the Tamiya Mad Bison from ModelsportUK UK

Testers Kit:

1/10th scale glow engine Radio Control 4WD racing truck

• Length - 423mm
• Width - 313mm
• Height - 210mm
• Weight - 2230g
• TGM-01 double deck chassis - 2.5mm duralumin lower deck fiberglass/nylon upper deck
• FS-15LT glow engine (recoil starter)
• TM-5 muffler
• Wet type air cleaner
• 80cc fuel tank
• Shaft driven 4WD
• 4 wheel independent double wishbone suspension with oil dampers
• Disc braking system
• Chunky lug pattern spike tires
• Highly detailed polycarbonate body

     (Requires separately available transmitter, receiver, 2 servos, receiver switch, 10-20% Nitro fuel, Glow igniter , 12 AA batteries, receiver 6V battery box, paint and Tools)

I used the standard asahi acoms radio gear all round.  The standard servos seemed powerful enough for the job although I would recommend a more powerful steering servo.  I used the ripmax  glow starter and 10% Nitro Quickfire fuel.  When buying you should also consider a fuel filter and ballrace bearings.

Tamiya Nitro History

Tamiyas first Nitro r/c car was the TR15.  This was a excellent stadium truck with centre mounted fuel tank and engine but it was released when electric cars were more popular and it didn't sell well.  Until now this was Tamiyas only off-road Nitro car until late 1999 when Tamiya released the mad bison on the TGM01 chassis which is based on the reliable 1/10th scale TG10 chassis.  Now Nitro cars are very popular, especially Monster trucks like the Traxxas Stampede, T-maxx and Kyosho's Crusher.

The box art is very good and the inside of the box is well presented.  As you open the box you are greeted by two separate compartments, one with a box with all the tools and screws.  The instructions and stickers are at the bottom.  The engine is protected by bubble wrap and is already assembled.

The instructions are very good and clear with good diagrams as usual for Tamiya. They are 32 pages long and it includes setting up the mad bison and trouble shooting.  A separate piece of paper is included for instructions for breaking in the engine.  (all I.C. engines need to be run in 3 or 4 fuel tanks slowly to lubricate the engine) . 
    

The Tamiya FS15LT engine resembles others used by HPI and Kyosho.  This engine is quite reliable and usually starts on the 1st or 2nd pull (by using my tip by heating the engine first with a hair dryer but be careful and don't operate it near fuel.  I always do this first then fuel the car, but only do this when it is really cold).  Before running the model you have to run in the engine (break in) the instructions are provided to do this.  The air filter is held on using plastic ties and the fuel pipes all push into place.  The engine and muffler are all already assembled.  Watch out for rust on the muffler in wet conditions.  The clutch is included and engages when the engine reaches a fairly high rpm.  No low end fuel mixture is adjustable but the top end fuel mixture is adjustable by the needle valve.  Idling speed is also adjustable.  A silicone pipe from the muffler fixes on to the bumper to direct exhaust fumes under the car.  The Tamiya FS15LT engine is very easy to tune and start and is ideal for beginners.  When breaking in your new engine a lot of gunk will come out the exhaust, this is normal because the engine is running very rich at first.

Engine Specification:

(As far as I know these are correct)

The TGM-01 chassis is very strong and reliable.  The 2 gearboxes are built to last for ever because they are really strong and durable.  The under cowl is protected by the polypropylene plastic which just screws on using countersunk screws.  Most ballrace bearings are not included so a good thing to do is buy the TG10 Ballrace bearing set when purchasing the mad bison.  The instructions recommend you don't glue the tires to the rims which seems strange considering you loose acceleration and braking times but it does act like a slip clutch and reduces stress on the drive train.  Don't forget to thread lock the wheels on as not mentioned in the instructions because I found they fall off!  The upgraded brake disk is included and is very effective.  The front and rear gearboxes are the same as the TG10 and the TB01 but the rear gearbox has a added counter gear to cope with those massive wheels and off road running.  Fully equipped the chassis weighs 2230g.  This may seem a lot but a typical electric car like the TLO1 weighs1575g and the famous Tamiya Clod buster weighs 4350g.   A separate bulkhead separates the engine and fuel tank from the electrics which is a good idea because fuel can seriously damage the receiver, batteries and servos.  A huge 80cc fuel tank is included with primer for easy starting.  The same B parts sprue as the Tamiya TL01 is included but instead of plastic they are made of a strong fiber reinforced material making them a dull grey colour.  These make up the front and rear uprights very strong.  The gear diffs are bullet proof and as long as you grease them with the grease provided they will last forever.  If you turn one wheel in one direction and the opposite wheel spins freely in the other direction this is a very good sign your diffs are working correctly.  The chassis is very stiff and strong leaving the 4 oil filled dampers to soak up all the bumps.
 

The body and wheels:

After the chassis is completed its time to build the body.  The polycarbonate body shell is very detailed with colourful stickers and looks very attractive.  Window masks are included.  The body is the same as the Tamiya wild Dagger and the Stadium Raider.  The spike tires are the same part number as the Tamiya Wild Dagger and they offer very good grip and are very light weight. 

I sprayed the body shell on the inside in Tamiya PS2 red (PS34 is recommended) paint but first I masked off the windows using the tape provided and I painted the black rear top of the pick-up from the inside.  I took the tires off the rims and sprayed them a nice halfords chrome.

Camber angles are adjustable on the front and back and the toe in/out angles are adjustable on the front only.  Instructions are provided to tune your car. 

Very well.  It has great acceleration and top speed (stock) of about 33mph.  On grass turning at full lock on corners at full speed will usually turn it over due to too much grip (grip roll) but luckily I  have managed to control this (usually driving on 2 wheels for 4 seconds) without wrecking the body shell.  Always remember to brake before sharp turns but don't brake while turning, this will cause it to cartwheel!  The spiked tires give good grip on all surfaces and the suspension system works really well.  It is fast for a monster truck and will outrun most other monster trucks (e.g. Nitro stampede although unfair to compare because stampede is 2WD) while cornering due to its low centre of gravity.  If your racing I suggest changing the spikes for the wild willy tires or equivalent because the spikes cause it to roll on fast corners. 

Against the T-MAXX (same 10% Nitro Quickfire fuel used)

The drag race:

I was surprised the MadBison out accelerated the T-maxx even considering the tires were'nt glued to the rims but the T-maxx does have 3 clutches.  Soon the T-MAXX caught up with it and was a little faster overall but by the time it caught up with it we had to stop because we ran out of room.

Round the track:

The Bison seemed to have more power coming out the turns and landed quicker on the jumps.  The Bison won.  The second race saw some contact making the bison cartwheel and I was amazed there wasnt any damage to the bodyshell or chassis.  Then I was out maneuvered because those clever people at Traxxas put that reverse gearbox in.  Then the Bison seemed to be overheating and stalled which was probably due to running wide on a corner and driving through some very long grass.  If it does overheat wait for the engine to cool down, then open the needle valve 2 clicks, this will run the engine richer.  Running the engine lean will be faster but will shorten the life of the engine and cause it to overheat.  The mad bison is faster round the corners because the T-maxx has a high ground clearance and tends to roll more easily.  My only regret was not bringing my camera.  (and running through the long grass).  Overall compared to the T-maxx the mad bison has better acceleration and is faster on the corners but the T-maxx has a higher top speed but only very slightly.  We were both experiencing overheating problems and had to richen the engines out a bit.  After this they both ran fine and the Mad Bison and T-MAXX seemed to have the same top speed.  Unfortunately the Bison on big jumps grounds the counter gear cover which slows it down.  But small jumps it was fine.

Update 25 October 2001:

Big jumps don't suit the bison but dirt, grass and ice running suit it very well.  On ice this truck is perfect, excellent power slides and high speed running is suited well for the bison.  Also that FS15LT engine stays running no matter what happens.  A day after I waterproofed the electronics I took it to a field for a blast and it went down a dip into about 3 or 4 inches of water (came up to the bottom of the shell) water went everywhere, the truck pulled away from it towards me as steam poured from the engine and muffler.  I hooked off the body to dry it as the engine kept on going after this I ran the tank dry and went home.  When I got home the only evidence of water damage was the stiff suspension, after further inspection the lower screw pins (part number MA8) were rusty but this soon came of by spraying it with WD40 and then wiping off the rust with an old towel.

First I got fed up with screwing and unscrewing the under cowl on and off so I stuck it on with some very strong stick back Velcro.  But later I took off the Velcro and only screwed it on when I was running it in wet conditions.  Ballrace bearings were then added and a fuel filter which really should be included in the kit.

With a lot of imagination and money you could convert it into 6 wheel drive! Like the one HERE All together the chassis is 560mm which is a increase of 137mm of the original length.  If you want more information on how to do this email me.  The Mad Bison has great potential to be converted, if you buy a Tamiya TB01 chassis you can convert the Bison quite easily into electric power.  Also the bison can be converted back to a TG10 touring/rally car.

Available Hop-Up options:

If your looking for more performance and added strength consider these optional parts from Tamiya. Before any hop-ups are added make sure your car has full ballrace bearings because will make the most difference:

Tamiya also do a carbon upper deck for the TG10 but it is not listed as a hop up for the mad Bison.  As far as I know it can be used but modifications will have to be made on the gear cover.

Other parts to boost performance like higher percentage nitro fuels, different engines and other universal parts like fuel filters or wheel nuts are available.

Other sites and downloads for the Bison:

Tamiyas Site for the Mad bison

Forum for Mad Bison

Download Mad Bison Video (requires media player)  Action Video From Tamiya

http://www.tamiyaparts.co.uk Shop in UK for any Tamiya spare parts and hop-ups

http://www.morleymodels.co.uk Possibly the cheapest price for a Bison

http://www.modelsport.co.uk Shop in the UK

http://cgi.bagnallsmodels.force9.co.uk/acatalog Shop in the UK

http://www.towerhobbies.com Shop in the US

http://www.hobbyetc.com Shop for GPM spare parts in the US

http://www.clevelandmodels.co.uk Shop for GPM spare parts in the UK 

Download 44025.pdf Parts List in pdf format

Download 44025e.pdf Exploded view in pdf format

In conclusion if your looking for a fast and reliable 1/10 IC off-roader that has a strong and reliable chassis and isn't going to break look no further.  Also suitable for beginners (14+ age).  Beware of Nitro fumes and heat.  always read the safety instructions and the nitro fuel label.  Don't use petrol or diesel .

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