Chenowth Light Strike Desert Patrol Vehicle build

[mr crispy 2293]

Always loved the look of these military buggies. I had a Hasbro version back in my 1/6 figure collecting days and reworked it to look less toy like. I was tempted to RC it but at the time I didn't have the knowledge to do it right and the crawler gear that would make it work wasn't readily available then. So it was the idea to build one onto a 1/10 buggy that lead me to this very forum and restarted my love of all things RC Tamiya.

Over the years I lost interest in the idea, filed it away as a future project until Toykid brought out his FAV conversion via Shapeways and, well... how could I resist?

http://www.shapeways.com/model/1960201/desert-patrol-vehicle-side-racks-for-the-tamiya-fa.html?modelId=1960201&materialId=62

It's such a great looking scale kit I had to get one for myself. Besides I really want to recreate my 1/6 LSV in 1/10 and photo it jumping through the sand dunes, it's something I didn't get around to doing with my old buggy before selling it

So first job was to track down a Fast Attack Vehicle for a decent price. As this will be a runner I thought the Rere Shark Mouth FAV would be best as it needs to be painted Matt black (unlike my incorrect 1/6 version ) so any paint scrapes will show the metallic grey plastic, giving a better scale appearance.

I tracked down a very nice 2nd hand model on eBay that also came with a 2.4ghz radio system. When it arrived I was amazed at how clean it was. The previous owner had clearly taken their time building it up carefully just as the manual instructs and even included the "free extra parts" metal shielded bearings. Better still it had never had a steering servo fitted so it hadn't been run at all. All the parts were present, even the unused bits that they'd removed from the sprues were included and it's was all packaged extremely well! Easily the best "used" buy I've ever had

No wear on the tyres at all!

All fitted together.

This is my first FAV so I was interested to compare it my Grasshopper based Fast Attack Hopper. You can see here how much wider the FAV body is.

Wheel base is the same with the width at the rear axle just a little wider than the GH.

Got a steering servo fitted along with the included radio gear ready for a test drive.

I can't help noticing how much extra room there is under the FAV body compared to my FAHoppers, there's really no point in the receiver box with smaller modern radio gear.

Test run around the garden went well with no faults found. I decided to swap over to the kit supplied 15T pinion as I don't want all out top speed on what will eventually be a detailed, scale looking car. I also tested out a slightly better drivers head.

... nah not this time, already been done It does highlight my first issue with the standard FAV suspension though. The front springs are a little too weak, you can see the mounts are already sagging by apx 5mm. I had a set of Hornet front spring cups in my spares. They hold an O ring inside as well as compress the springs a little to improve the preload. As it happens they fit just right but I didn't have any spare O rings to get some limited friction damping. What I did have was some flanged grommets in the servo parts bag. So cutting the flange off I had a rubber tube that worked just like the O rings.

This also left me with a rubber disc which when fitted on top of the front suspension mounts stops that annoying rattling noise you hear as the shaft heads hit the metal mounts.

Job done, it'll almost be a shame to replace them later but it should improve handling and the scale looks.

[mr crispy 2293]

Stripped down for painting, I gave all the parts a good rubbing with a fresh Skotch pad kitchen sponge to "key" the surface ready for paint. It even worked on the metal parts giving them a dull finish.

Beautiful day for painting, sunny with no wind.

Preparation is the word here, the larger parts are temp stuck to old spray cans to make handling easier. Smaller parts are on matches and pre stuck into holes in the box so I can stand them up to dry. I'm not bothered about showroom finishes as this is meant to be a military vehicle so any slight imperfections are welcomed I used a large can of Halfords Matt black primer, gave it a good shake and stood it in a bowl of hot water to raise the pressure and get a finer spray. After 3-4 light misting coats it's looking good.

Final few coats to catch any missed areas and I'm washing my hands when I notice it's started flippin raining! Don't you just love British summers? Anyway no harm done, the few spots of water only fell on dry paint so it didn't effect the finish.

Reassembled with rubber sealed bearings for running on dusty, sandy conditions taking care not to scratch the new paint. Man that looks good in black.

I'll paint the wheels when I get the Knights Custom covers.

I've left the bumper on for now as it'll protect the steering while running. This has all the electrics and radio gear installed so it leaves plenty of room for driver and crew detailing. The battery wires hanging out the side are bugging me. I'll have to see about either rerouting them or hiding them under stowage that will be in the side bins when they're fitted later. I'm also thinking to replace the motor wiring with plain black insulated cable fixed to the rollcage so it's less obvious.

[mr crispy 2293]

Put in my first order to Toykids Knight Customs Shapeways page:

http://www.shapeways.com/model/1960201/desert-patrol-vehicle-side-racks-for-the-tamiya-fa.html?modelId=1960201&materialId=62

Didn't have the funds available to order all the parts at once so I've gone for the upper rollcage, side bins and the .50 cal roof mounted gun. Hopefully I'll get the rest of the goodies in the next order

I also have a McFarlane figure on the way from the USA which should give me one of the crew members I need. I'm not sure about the rest, I'm thinking to completely replace the FAV driver figure so I may try moulding and sculpting the figure I get, I'll see how it goes once he's arrived. I wanted my vehicle to be a 90's era buggy so there's isn't a lot of options ready available out there. It's been quite a while since I did any major sculpting work so fingers crossed it'll all come back to me from my Games Workshop days

That's where I'm at so far, waiting for parts and working out how to blank off the drivers compartment. I'll keep you posted.

P.S. Big thank you to Toykid for doing a such a well detailed job on the conversion, it really looks like a work of art. I just hope mine comes close!

[Grastens 2795]

I like the look of this one already! I cannot wait to see your skills at work...

[mr crispy 2293]

Well that didn't take long

Simple hexagon shape of plasticard gives me lots of room in the cockpit to play with

I'll dig out my spare Axial Wraith seat which I'll use for the rear gunner, and copy the shape of the back rest for the driver and passengers seat. I'm also going to try out a 70T motor I have to see what the top speeds like. Maybe too slow but it'll give me an idea of what to go for.

[Nump.T 53]

Hi Mr Crispy.

Really enjoying your FAV and Hopper build. The Mcfarlane driver figure intrigues me, could it possibly be a certain Family Guy "Combat Stewie"?.

Nump.T

[mr crispy 2293]

"Combat Stewie"... what are you like Nump.T

I'm going to try and keep this one as realistic and scale as possible. Saying that I did consider trying out my Neca Arnie in it sometime.

The McFarlane figure arrived, cheap as it was missing a few bits but I wouldn't need them anyway.

If I use him it'll be a total chop job and a good few hours with the milliput! I might just used him for scale references and attempt to sculpt the figures, we'll see how that goes once the Shapeways bits arrive.

Speaking of that, got an email from them this morning confirming the first batch of items are done and on their way via UPS!

[Nump.T 53]

"Combat Stewie"... what are you like Nump.T

I'm going to try and keep this one as realistic and scale as possible. Saying that I did consider trying out my Neca Arnie in it sometime.

The McFarlane figure arrived, cheap as it was missing a few bits but I wouldn't need them anyway.

If I use him it'll be a total chop job and a good few hours with the milliput! I might just used him for scale references and attempt to sculpt the figures, we'll see how that goes once the Shapeways bits arrive.

Speaking of that, got an email from them this morning confirming the first batch of items are done and on their way via UPS!

Mmmmm ok your choice of figure is a lot better than mine. I still think a Combat Stewie could be interesting though :lol:

Nump.T

[mr crispy 2293]

Goodies arrived!

Detail is amazing if a little grainy. I bit of filing and a few coats of primer should sort that out. Didn't expect the main gun body to be hollow!

Quick test fit and the proportions look spot on to me. Great work Toykid!

I know what I'll be doing this weekend then

[JennyMo 3526]

The Mcfarlane driver figure intrigues me, could it possibly be a certain Family Guy "Combat Stewie"?.

It could happen...

"What the deuce Brian?!"

Jx

[mr crispy 2293]

Got some work done on the Shapeway items. They take a lot of filing and still have quite a rough texture even after a few coats of paint with sanding in between. I started with the roof mounted gun. It's amazing how much detail can be created in a single item. I decided to seperate the 50cal body from the roof mount for 2 reasons. It'll allow a certain amount of freedom with posing but mainly so it will survive the rigors of running and hopefully any rollovers it encounters. I took almost an hour to carefully saw and cut it away from the base.

This plastic is tough stuff! I then drilled out the base of the gun carriage and superglued a neo magnet into it, and used filler to smooth over the upper surface. I also glued 2 magnets into the underside of the roof mount.

That's more than enough to hold the gun firm but will allow it to rotate on the spot and be pulled apart without doing any damage.

The cocking handle was nicely detailed but a little too thin to hold its shape so I decided to cut it off and drill and pin it in place with a bit of brass rod.

I also trimmed the end of the barrel section as it's visible through the shell ejector port. The yellowing stain was from a test of liquid poly glue, it didn't work so you'll need super glue or cryo glue to fix this material. So far it's all held up very well.

Trimmed the bonnet post mounts to fit the side bins onto and cut the notches out of the bonnet sides. I found it's also a good idea to file the posts on the underside of the bonnet to make room for the side bin tabs.

Everything rubbed down and given a few coats of black.

Fitting the upper roll cage and roof mount I encountered the only real issue with the kit. The rings that are intended to slide over the main metal FAV spacer bar are too small. There was no way I could slip them over it even with sanding out the inner surface with a dremel. I decided the best thing was to slit them and carefully pop them over the bar instead.

Not the best look but it holds fine and will be painted and covered so it won't notice on the finished kit. It's more of a PITA that it meant there was no need to dismantle the whole FAV rollcage and rear axels to "unscrew" that main spacer bar

Refitted it all back together and it's looking pretty good to me

There isn't room to mount the rear lights inside the cage as normal but I think they look ok outside.

I realised after taking these pics that I should've removed the side plates that bookend the battery compartment. Keeping them on pushes the side bin bars out which leaves a 4-5mm gap where the upper bar meets the body. You could add a spacer but I've since removed the plates and drilled a 3mm hole in the body to screw the bars tight.

[mr crispy 2293]

Did a bit of testing earlier and decided to go with a ROXX 50x2 turn motor I have & the FAV kits 15 tooth pinion. It's about as fast as I dare go with all the goodies loaded on the chassis and I can always retard the top speed via the digital controller settings. Here's a quick garden clip with this motor & pinion set up using a 3300nimh.

Looks good to me and the 50cal survived the ride although it does spin around a bit. I'll use a scale bungee cord to keep it facing forward but allow a little movement.

Next job is to fit the Axial gunners seat and copy it for the driver and passenger.

[SteveU30 1011]

Looks great matey, definitely needs the Knight Customs wheel covers to finish it off though!

I'm in the process of fitting lights to my Shark Mouth FAV and I've had to fit them on the outside because of the KC engine/exhaust. I think I prefer them that way though.

[Toykid 596]

Looks great. Thanks for sharing the tip on mounting the roll cage. The magnet fitment is a great idea. Really cool to see this come together.

[mr crispy 2293]

More goodies arrived

Shapeways do send everything in large boxes but they're well packaged.

The whole front bumper is outstanding, really a work of art!

Following Toykids build thread as a guide I removed the original FAV bumper and trimmed the excess plastic at the shock mounts.

I used a cutting disc in my Dremel to do this and tidied up with a flat needle file. After a quick coat of Matt black I refitted the front axle mount and the carbon fibre plate underneath.

The AT4's are very well detailed and have good proportions. Here's one that I've sprayed in olive drab compared to a 1/6 scale version I have.

Painted the mounts and details in Matt black, I added a little red on the switch to give it a bit of colour. I might have a rummage through my old plastic kit water slide decals to see if I have anything like the printed instructions you see on them.

All fitted together and it's looking great!

I've replaced a few of the more obvious Tamiya cross head screws with hex head bolts just to improve the scale look. They'll get painted black once I've finished. Next up I'll paint the wheels and fit the new wheel covers. I also have the scale front shock posts but I won't fit them yet until I know what I'm doing with the shocks.

All the parts were a direct fit and looked great. I found the less you sand or file this plastic the better it is, so I kept it to a minimum.

Big thanks to Toykid for doing such a great job on this conversion kit

[Toykid 596]

Looking great so far and I can't wait to see what you do with those figures. In regards to the instruction labels for the launchers, I was going to make a set of art up and share it so you could print it on water label or sticky back paper to add to the launcher.

It was great to see the comparisons to the 1/6 launcher you have.

keep those updates coming, this is fund to watch.

James.

[SRB Bloke 237]

Mr Crispy, you are doing an absolutely stunning job on this build. The vehicle looks amazing. But more importantly it's a superb thread.

I too have in vested a lot in one of Toykids amazing sand rail kits. Which I have big plans for but I'm embarrassed to say I haven't touch them since they arrived.

Work and family life have consumed my life recently and seem to continue doing the same 'if you're reading this James, my apologises my friend, it's the first thing on my to do list when I get a moment.'

Back to Mr Crispys build. Keep up the great work, I'm following this thread with great interest. :)

[SteveU30 1011]

Looks really nice matey, it will be nice to see one of these in winter or similar camo if someone is brave enough?!?!?

[Grastens 2795]

Looks really nice matey, it will be nice to see one of these in winter or similar camo if someone is brave enough?!?!?

Brave enough to operate a light-strike vehicle in the winter, perhaps? I mean, maybe they can be used for winter operations, but at the same time I would have imagined that we rarely hear about winter camouflage for these because other vehicles fill that role.

Nonetheless, if somebody is brave enough, a Fast Attack Vehicle outfitted for winter operations would be neat.

In the meantime, that is one awesome buildup of a brilliantly-conceived kit!

[mr crispy 2293]

Winter camo... in the desert? Actually maybe not as strange as it initially sounds. Afghanistan has some pretty grey areas and there are plenty of deserts around the globe that arnt the typically sandy yellow beach colour. Of course deserts are surprisingly cold places to work once the sun goes down (in the 91 Gulf War it snowed during daytime in Western Iraq) and that's when these vehicles come into their own during night operations.

These military buggies are usually kept black and then painted quite crudely if at all once they're in the area of operations. No point painting them before as you won't know the best colour to use. The US found out the hard way in the 1991 Gulf War that their chocolate chip desert camo, which had been developed in the arid North American deserts didn't blend in so well in the Middle East Iraqi battlefields. That's why they swapped to the Tri colour camo so quickly. By the time of the Somalian operations & Black Hawk Down (1993) the uniforms were pretty much a 50/50 mix of choc chip and Tri colour.

[ChrisRx718 4470]

Your buggy is looking amazing, you're making me want to rebuild mine with some Toykid parts! Argh must resist temptation...

[SteveU30 1011]

Er hello!

[bromvw 744]

Winter camo... in the desert? Actually maybe not as strange as it initially sounds. Afghanistan has some pretty grey areas and there are plenty of deserts around the globe that arnt the typically sandy yellow beach colour. Of course deserts are surprisingly cold places to work once the sun goes down (in the 91 Gulf War it snowed during daytime in Western Iraq) and that's when these vehicles come into their own during night operations.

These military buggies are usually kept black and then painted quite crudely if at all once they're in the area of operations. No point painting them before as you won't know the best colour to use. The US found out the hard way in the 1991 Gulf War that their chocolate chip desert camo, which had been developed in the arid North American deserts didn't blend in so well in the Middle East Iraqi battlefields. That's why they swapped to the Tri colour camo so quickly. By the time of the Somalian operations & Black Hawk Down (1993) the uniforms were pretty much a 50/50 mix of choc chip and Tri colour.

Your 100% correct about the choc chip camo - your stuck out like a boil on a backside . i did see some winter like camo used in 1991 but mostly for night ops - long range recon . As the lads laid up in the day under sand covered nets it worked quite well . All black actually tends to draw the eye at night in the desert as the ambient star light is a lot brighter then you would expect . Adding some white / gray to break up the outline does make sense .

[mr crispy 2293]

I was always quite partial to these early 90's US night camo jackets bromvw

Right, Axial distractions put away and back on with the build!

Stripped down the wheels, prepped and painted with Halfords Matt black primer, then reassembled with the Knight Customs military covers.

I've also fitted the Wraith drivers seat on to a plasticard plate that will be screwed onto the top of the FAV reciever box. Without the extra height of the standard cover this brings it to a good seat height for the rear gunner.

Which reminds me I got the McFarlane Coast Guard 50cal gunner figure off my brother to work into the rear cage. Him and the other driver figure should be enough to crew the buggy I think.

Their kit isn't strictly correct for early 90's era but it's close enough and fortunately this isn't a modelling rivet counters forum I've decided to chop them up and pin their arms and hands in the positions I want them. I'll then fill in the gaps with milliput. I also got a nice pair of resin fuel cans for stowage.

So here's where I'm at.

Those wheel covers make quite a difference

While I had the paint out for the wheels I touched up a few of the screw and bolt heads as well as a quick coat over the shiny bits on the motor so it doesn't stand out quite so much.

[Toykid 596]

Looking great, I can't wait to see how those drivers look mounted.