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simensays

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Everything posted by simensays

  1. The issue is not as prominent when running huge wheel/tires, but as mentioned I want to run the icon vintage sand tires unlimited - to me, a key design feature of the WW. @Willy iine Can you do a show&tell on your photo setup? I really like how your great Wild Willys are displayed on that grey/dark background. I am planning on building a new bigger backdrop/"studio" for photographing.
  2. Most things remained the same in the transition from the SWB to the LWB Wild Willy. This was a compromise Tamiya did to make the model a bit more functional and not flip over as much. They simply moved the rear axle backwards - which improved the handling somewhat, but ruined the stance and look of the Wild Willy. This is also why so many people think the LWB looks a bit off - me included. As a designer and an art director, I really can't stand the look of the LWB WW, the proportions are just off, as direct result of an economically founded compromise. The designers did it correct (visually) with the original design. Because the wheelbase of the GF01 is close to that of the vintage LWB Wild Willy, the ugly stance can be improved upon by simply moving the body a few mm's backwards. It is more important to get the rear wheels better centred in the rear wheel wells to remedy this look, which represents the main visual challenge with the LWB WW. The position of the front wheel does not look all wrong even though it sits a little bit more forward in relation to the front fender. Much of this reasoning is from my experience with 1:1 off-roader, like with the wheel position (front/rear) on my FJ40 Land Cruiser pictured below. The suspension geometry work in such a way that the wheels move upward in a backward arch - hence why the wheels seem to be positioned to much forward at resting height. I can get the weight and comparison pictures for you, but much of my collection is boxed up in my basement, so not readily available for quick pics at the moment.
  3. Yup, that is a WR02/Wild Willy 2 indeed. I've swapped out some of the front assembly (knuckles/axles etc) from a Tamiya M-04 kit, allowing to use 12 mm hex wheels also in the front.
  4. Although it's been a couple of years since I actually designed the wheels and finally made many of the conversions I wanted to my old Wild Willy 2 (WR02), I never got around to taking any pics. Time allowed for a quick shoot today, but I will do some propper pics when I get the bumper updated.
  5. I've done some minor adjustments to my GF01 Wild Willy body spacer - shortening them by 2mm, which will move the body a tiny bit forward (compared with the first version). This is a $6 mod to position a Wild Willy 2 body perfectly on the stock GF01 chassis.
  6. Although it was based on a similar thought, I went a different direction after more than 20 original WWs - going for diversity in the color scheme, with the same individual custom details, like with this bunch...
  7. You have done an awesome job with the theme and consistency in your models, all with incredible paintwork! They present very well as individual pieces, as well as a collection indeed.
  8. Well, not true - the main body can be made to match the original body with some effort, not hard, just work. I did that for the body I used on the GF-01 WW, which was initially made for a m38 runner... I opened the mounting holes that was filled in, and used it for the GF-01. As mentioned I've been collecting, restoring and modifying the WW for 20 years now, and know the model pretty well - I have designed the full body down to every detail in 3D long time ago, so I do not use any of the WW2 parts you mention, as I want even my convertions to look like the original WW as much as possible...
  9. Yeah, Johan/Harry/Martin (dude goes by many names) work was what inspired me to pick up the my CAD work after seeing his animation on youtube long time ago, and the chassis he designed/developed for the WW based on the LOSI platform. I have since played with the idea of making a tub chassis for the original WW that is not so heavy ibn the rear... I did make my first 4x4 Willy more than 16 years ago, but I felt it was to chunky...
  10. Surprised to see that you would rather cut the chassis that Willys foot... Cost wise, visually and structurally it makes no sense in my book. I cut both the underside of Willys feet, filled them in, along with the totally unnecessary L-bit which has no function at all, and even a small part of the floor, and the body sits at the exact height on my GF-01, WR-02, all my original WWs. I also removed all the WW2 body detailing that differs between the two generations, in order to make it resemble the OG. I designed the WW steelies suitable for the vintage/repro tires for both the original and 12mm hex wheels a long time ago, so interested to see some new ideas come out of this. I have been playing with the idea of making a chassis, designed to make the WW NOT make wheelies - a feature I've in the 20 years of collecting and modding WWs, have never been a big fan of...
  11. I totally respect and appreciate your approach, very cool, and I'm looking forward to seeing this come to life.
  12. Nice CAD work, and thanks for buying my WW jerry can inserts. This pursuit has been key for my mods and work for the last 20 years, and as I have in-depth experience on this subject, I have a few thoughts. - Without even looking at the design, I can tell you that the price of a custom built GF-01 chassis on Shapeways will be more than the kit itself. - Secondly, why? Why make a new chassis when simply repositioning the body will do the job? The stock chassis is perfectly fine, and a WW2 body is cheaper than a custom chassis. I designed all the parts to convert both the WR-02 and GF-01 into a vintage looking Wild Willy years ago, including wheels to fit original tires, but it is interesting to see new ventures on the same idea - however, I can not see any reason to go the chassis route. If you want truly originality (ref. the exact wheels base in mm) go for the 58035 SWB...
  13. Never seen that mini, do you have a link to eBay or similar? Your paint skills are great, love the color scheme of your models.
  14. Of course, you are totally correct - I even double checked with two cans just now, as I can't ever seem to remember... The TS5 is the darker olive drab, over the TS28 which is a lighter shade and, as you correctly point out, closer to the box art color.
  15. They are two slightly different shades of olive drab - the TS5 Olive Drab is a little lighter in color than the TS28 Olive Drab 2. The TS5 is probably closer to the box art color (of the two)(NOTE - I got this reversed, see the correct info below). In my opinion, both works great for the WW, and the reason for choosing one or the other is simply a result of availability at my LHS. I do not use both colors on one & the same model, as there is a slight difference, unless that is a look I am after (like making a panel or part, like the Jerry Can, stand out slightly).
  16. I use Tamiya olive drabs > TS5 and TS28. I always prime and paint my models - even the underside and inside. I also prime and paint most surfaces really, like wheels and roll-bar, in addition to all the smaller details.
  17. Yup, I believe it is a mid 40s Willys, so a MB rather than the later M38/MC (or civilian CJ-3A). As mentioned, I appreciate your consistency and attention to details regarding your WWs. I initially did something similar for my WW collection also, but after several olive drab based WWs, I wanted to do something different, and now I just play around with new ideas - often going back to olive drab
  18. I stumbled upon this hardtop version while doing some design research some years ago. Check out detailed info here (bottom of the page mentions this very truck): http://www.m201.com/simon.htm
  19. Nice! The two tires visible in the pic, do indeed look correct now. I was referring to the Navy Willys I posted some time ago (copy below). The project is about 75% completed, but I am now thinking of going a different direction, making a surf WW in baby blue. I have more restored chassis wating for paint, so I might build both
  20. Very cool! Scroll down to the bottom of this page
  21. Those are the only pics I've seen (in your profile page), but it would be cool to see a few pics of each of your models. From what I can see, you do great paint work and detailing - I love the constancy throughout you WW collection, yet with subtle nuances making each and every model stand out. It would be awesome to see more of each and every model, like in a showroom or similar. Great work!
  22. Do you have a showroom, or anywhere we can see more pics of your WW collection? I've only found a couple of pics, which looks awesome, like this one:
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