nicherotors

Conviction remains high but progress has been thwarted - was hoping I was nearly there but found a number of subtle changes were required. Am starting to wish I’d invested in a 3d scanner to model all the little obstacles on the inside of the Bullhead body (plastic posts and screws). The chocolate box card will be used as templates to cut diamond plate (painted silver) for the dash and door cards. The renders reflect a lot of design tweaks and a complete set of parts have just been ordered from Shapeways and are due just before the festive holidays. I’m looking forward to seeing the illuminated dials in the dashboard. Designing the cabin for the Clod Buster next should be a lot easier.

Have picked up where I left off with the Bullhead interior; made lots of little adjustments that I want printed and tested before completing with the rollcage.

I thought the same with this pic from an old guide book in the back of my mind (the one with the Hotshot on the front).

Great job @Yoshisaur. You should be very proud. To prevent the body clips scratching the paint when being fitted or removed you might want to consider cutting a little bit of thin card. Or, as in this case, two bits of Tamiya masking tape stuck to each other. When cut to this type of shape it can be put around the post before the body clip is fitted to avoid scuffing the paint. And don’t forget to slide the template under the pin before removal. Mine has been used for years and might be a bit tatty but as long as it’s clean it will work fine. Driving (or lifting by the roll bar) can leave a witness mark but the pin often hides this when still in place. It’s the scratching I try to avoid when the pins are being fitted or removed. A lesson I’ve learnt the hard way from experience!

Hi @Dan1891, same concept for both - but because the shape of the Willy chest cavities is slightly different we designed a different servo mount for each so that the bearings sit flush and are in line for the serrated cap head to pass through.

I use the HiTec HS-55 and just checked the dimensions: 23 x 12 x 24mm They work really well. To mount the head I use two 3x6x2.5 flanged bearings. The silicon fuel tube acts like a universal joint which is forgiving if alignment is a bit out. Hopefully this pic of the Wheeler driver also helps. Obviously a number of different ways of doing it - all a lot of fun given the driver is so prominent on this model.

Thanks for sharing @Yoshisaur - I’ve found it a lot of fun for folks young and old to see Willys head animated. Looks like I used the same servo as you - only difference was that I decided to mount the servo inside the chest cavity using a 3d printed bracket (@Willy iine has a great memory) - as illustrated here: I liked the concept so much that on subsequent projects, namely the Wheeler and the Bullhead, we designed a cutout to accommodate the space for the servo to avoid and cutting. After fitting bearings and dampers it’s always the next thing I upgrade on a Willy based project.

Have now completed the WR-03 project and loaded pics into a showroom here. Has been a lot of fun and have learnt a lot about the different 3d printed materials. The Shapeways shop has been updated - with no premium added: - the lowered chassis parts can be found here - the optional engine accessories can be found here - and the body accessories (inc. the blank dashboard, blank tailgate, front spotlights etc) can be found here.

The design and development of the faux V8 for Wild Willy is now complete. The 3d printed radiator has a pocket that allows a cut down version of the plastic spare radiator grill from the kit to be dropped in from above (once the fan has been slid onto its axle). Its obviously a compromise that the body posts come out of the rocker covers on this model but on the next project the body posts will be relocated and the majority of this design work will be leveraged and reused. Just having another chassis printed with some final tweaks before moving onto the next adventure.

Appreciate the encouragement @Chewie75, you got it and I look forward to you sharing the progress you make. Here is another picture of some paint caps!

Thanks @Chewie75, yes, as per the instructions on the TS-83 cap I used TS-14 as a base - the same for all the diamond plated parts too. From experience it’s helpful for the base to be dark but more important that it is smooth. So after a coat of TS-14 I apply a light coat of TS-83 straight away and don’t touch/ key the black in between. Your mileage may vary but it works for me and worth every penny of the extra expense. Bizarrely it becomes less reflective with more coats - bit of a knack required - but a single warm light coat that just covers the parts is best. Have fun - TS-83 is a great product.

Thanks and good spot @Willy iine, I used TS-82. In a slightly unorthodox way I paint the fire extinguisher first - this way I get a sharper edge around the two straps. Because the widths of the narrow areas I want to mask differ I find it convenient to cut a thin strip of masking tape and then mask each edge and then the two overlap. There is a small moulding seam that needs to be sanded and this is easily sanded smooth once the masking has been done thus protecting the natural gloss black plastic. TS-82 responds well to the white snow being added for shading - I typically use the same recipe on the windscreen rubber surround and the rear wheel arches.

Have now completed the design of the blank firewall which like the blank dashboard and blank tailgate needs to be skinned with patterned styrene. These three parts have proven best when printed in PA12 with glass beads to maintain their flat structure. This firewall includes the drivers footwell which has been painted the same colour as the body and is held in place by the locking nuts to the front roll bar and the two screws that hold the dashboard in place (just 2mm longer than standard).