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