Desmond [the 2.2] - Part 1
Showroom update: March 2017
Status: New build
Name: Desmond (the 2.2)
Chassis: essentially an RC4WD Trailfinder/Gelande copy (alloy ladder chassis) with Mad-Gear axles & custom suspension.
Body: Hilux cab (Trailfinder II)
I've always loved the engineering that goes into RC rock-crawlers, and having started out with a budget RTR model a few years ago, have steadily tried to improve it's performance (eg. wheel weights, better shocks) - although this was always at the expense of scale realism, as I really didn't want to compromise the axle articulation for example.
While the original Mad-Gear Cliff box-chassis and 4-link suspension underpinnings have supported a number of body incarnations - including a chopped Midnight Pumpkin shell, and a modified Vaterra Slickrock tuber-cage as a nod to some sort of realism - ultimately I felt the while articulation of that chassis remained exceptional, it was also sloppy and suffered from considerable torque-twist, plus I was never complete happy with it's [less than scale] looks that was the inevitable compromise.
So towards the end of last year I took the decision to try and build a more realistic [scale] crawler that would ideally offer greater off-road performance than a typical Axial or other RTR model - and that fundamentally had a hard body rather than a lexan shell.
Looking around at [off the shelf] options, while a Trailfinder II or Gelande kit offers the requisite scale looks, they not only cost a LOT of money, but are still potentially compromised by their 1.9 wheels and the limited axle travel their scale body requires - which again hampers outright performance.
So in an effort to make the most of the components I already had, I bought a similar design aluminium ladder chassis from ebay, together with a metal centre-gearbox assembly (basically a copy of the Axial SCX10), and endeavoured to mate my existing wheels/tyres, axles and suspension components (plus the original motor and electronics too) together - and then top it off with a scale truck-cab, to create more of a scale 'truggy' style vehicle.
There are more details in the build thread on the forum here: http://www.tamiyaclub.com/forum/index.php?/topic/81391-desmond-the-22-heavy-metal-crawler/
...but essentially I ended up having to modify the SCX10 gearbox mount slightly, and create longer linkage/radius arms with a series of rods and ball-joints (plus various shims and spacers) to optimise the way the suspension works.
The result is a super-solid chassis, that has minimal torque twist and a very smooth suspension action - that has a degree of sag dialled into the 100mm internally-sprung shocks, so that the vehicle tracks the terrain really well, and doesn't skip or jump at all - I'd say it is very realistic in the way it moves, particularly with the smooth and torquey 70T motor fitted.
The Hilux cab was an obvious choice perhaps (painted red in a homage to the Top Gear pick-up), but certainly lends itself to this style of home-brew shed-built crawler, and was narrowed by 40mm so that the axle articulation wasn't compromised at all with the huge 130mm diameter 2.2 tyres fitted, and four-wheel steering.
There are few scale details already, such as the rust/weathering, the chrome body strip... although admittedly the only Tamiya component so far is a Wild Willy II radiator fitted to the front of the custom engine bay/inner wings...
This Tamiya imbalance I hope to address - if only by a modest amount - by incorporating an interior plate (from the Holiday Buggy) and customised Wild Willy driver as the next stage of the build.
I am also currently experimenting with interior roll-cage options and potentially some kind of rear tube-work over the load-bay, again in an effort to create something that looks even more scale, that doesn't compromise the vehicle's current agility.
More soon!
Jenny xx
If you liked those pictures, you should see these...
Desmond [the 2.2] - part 2