158 replies to this topic

[Percymon]

The R1 gearbox and motor mount allows 9T to 19T pinions which gives gear ratios from 53.65 to 25.42. R1 portal axles are geared 2.76.

[bromvw]

I've managed to find some good ref photo's that will be a big help with the build . The actual Actionman GPA seems fairly true to the original and even has a prop and rudder so hopefully making it funtional won'nt be that hard . I can only hope so . Most of the stuff i need seems to be available from either after market crawler sites ie RC4WD or scale boat sellers . Hopefully i'll be able to build a real one off .http://www.american-.../43fordGPA.html

[bromvw]

Postman Pat has left a card through the door while i was sleeping ( night shifts this week) so l'll have the hull/body in the morning when i pick it up from the sorting office on my way home . Then i can make a start and really see whats involved .

[bromvw]

Well its now here . It actually looks as if this is going to be easier than i'd thought . I'll most likely cut the top 'deck' off to allow access . Then it will be a case of building wheel arches ect ect . My past experiance in building scale boats is going to come in handy . One or two bits missing ie steering wheel and a passanger seat but thats easy to sort out . Not sure how far i'll go in detailing but i'd like it to be as scale looking as possiable .

EDIT 'deck' section cut off and i have a nice 'hull' to work with . I now think that this will be a lot easier then i thought . Even the position of the existing prop is good in terms of mounting a functioning drive .

[bromvw]

can anyone recomend a suitable glue for use on the soft plastics as used on actionman vehicle's ???Is there anything other than loctite all plastics superglue that i can use as this is rather expensive ?

[bromvw]

I have a 380 in a scale boat that is ideal size wise ie correct prop and shaft length , question is could i use this on a twin brushed esc without risk of causing damage to the unit ?no idea how many turns it is .

[bromvw]

I'am still at the drawing board and design stage . Top deck has being removed and i'am now working on the wheel arches ect . I'll start a build thread when i'am a little further along . I'll be adding bulkheads to pervent any water swamping the electrics when entering the ponds/rivers and adding some foam just in case it ever decides to become a submarine

[bromvw]

i've being giving this a lot of thought and i think i'am going to do all the internal mods ie wheel arches , bulkheads ect in a composite of 3mm marine ply and fiber glass epoxy . The plastic molding is a PITA to get anything to bond to so i'll give this a go .

[bromvw]

I've done a few test pieces and i'am beinging to think that to correct way to go about this is to use the existing 'hull' as a mold . Theres no reason i can'nt have a fiberglass lower section and use the existing deck .

[bromvw]

This is still very much a work in progress . Obviously i'am having to design and source everything and this is taking time but i'll not give up on it . I have 90% of the running gear figured out so its more a case of fabrication now . Once done i'll be fitting Dragon USMC 1/6 action figures and perhaps a 50cal browning . IMO to get away from its actionman beginings it needs loads of detail to pull it together .
Its a long term project but i'am keeping a good photo record and have a file of all the bits i'am using so i can do a detailed build thread once its further along .

[30YrsL8r]

IMO to get away from its actionman beginings it needs loads of detail to pull it together .

There's no shame in it... I think you should install an AM as the driver

[bromvw]

There's no shame in it... I think you should install an AM as the driver

i've thought of that but the Dragon action figures are far better detailed . Hopefully i can fit a small servo and having the steering wheel turning through his hands .

[bromvw]

There's no shame in it... I think you should install an AM as the driver

EDIT while looking for scale parts i've come across this e bay store . OMG if i buy some bits from here it will save me hour and hours of work .
http://stores.ebay.c...sid=p4340.l2563

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[bromvw]

http://stores.ebay.c...sid=p4340.l2563 . Think i've found a great source of jeep parts that will save me many many hours of work . As a example - all i did was enter jeep in the product search .

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[bromvw]

and another item .

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[30YrsL8r]

And you're going to drive all this cool stuff into a pond?

[bromvw]

And you're going to drive all this cool stuff into a pond?

Yes . the more detail the better

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[bromvw]

windscreen is very well detailed. I was getting down hearted over this project but now i can see some light at the end of the tunnel . Ok so it will cost me to finish it but a one off is never as cheap as a bespoke item .

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[mr crispy]

Check out www.armorpax.com for more 1/6 detail bits. I use to collect 1/6 figures, Dragon are a good company and their line called Dragon in Dreams will give you a lot of great details kit to fill out the jeep.

Got any pics yet?

[bromvw]

Some good stuff on that armorpax site but as their white metal i dont think i use them .The 1/4ton 4x4 truck (jeep) from Dragon is a good scorce of parts as its basically a jeep and the jeep shared many parts with the Ford GPA seep . I have to keep the all up weight in mind . No photos as yet because all i have to show is a 'hull' that is very rough and cut about . As soon as i get somewhere i'll post .One design choice i have made is to not have a chassis and to use the hull as the chassis instead . Its very strong and i can simply bolt through it .

[bromvw]

I hope to start making some real progress on this over the next week or so . I have a lot of parts on order but while they arrive i'am going to start laying up all the internal hull mods and bulkheads in 3 mm marine ply and fiberglass . If anyone happens to know the distance between the leaf spring mounts on rc4wd T Rex 60 Axels that would be a huge help so i can make the wheel arches .I belive their interchangable with the Bruiser ? so if you can measure for me ?

[Skottoman]

Center of leafspring mount to leafspring mount on my T-Rex 60 axle is 82mm.

Cheers,
Skottoman

[bromvw]

Center of leafspring mount to leafspring mount on my T-Rex 60 axle is 82mm.

Cheers,
Skottoman

Many Thanks Skotto
Cheers,

Arron

[bromvw]

i've come up with a very simple way to switch from the wheels drive motor to the prop drive when entering the water . I'am simply going to wire a float valve switch and a relay to the prop drive motor supply so it can only operate once i enter the water and cut the supply to the wheels motor . that way i can use a 2 Channel set . Simple but effective .

[30YrsL8r]

i've come up with a very simple way to switch from the wheels drive motor to the prop drive when entering the water .

What about leaving the water? Aren't you relying on the prop to push you far enough up the bank to drop the float and start the wheels?