Hirobo 44Bs and Zerda :-)

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The Racing Baja Body required a bit more of Surface modeling love...

I defined the body using this mode this time....

I used thicken command many time in order to make sure it would work

At the end is here a new bodyshell :-)

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I realized that I did not clean the Hirobo parts when I model them... I did not have the ultrasonic cleaner when I started this...

All the parts of the 3 cars are now in the bath, for a few hours...

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3 chassis (Zerda, 44B City, 44B Hilux), that makes a lot of red parts :-)

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I received today a few bodyshells from TBG, including one for my 44B-Hilux and another one for  the second 44B chassis (on which I'm still hesitating about what i'm going to do in fine).

For the 44B Hilux, I may use a Kyosho Datsun Step Side... It's quite close in spirit from the Hilux bodyshell initially on the chassis.



I may have to review the front end, the roll cage, the mirrors, and the exhaust and the body mounts as well, but I already check and it goes around the radio box. I still have a doubt regarding the radiobox lid, as it may add a few millimeters on both side, but at least, this will make a good solution for this chassi, even if I have to do adapt a radio box lid for it... But at least, I have a solution now, awaiting for another one to come later (which I can't talk now).

For the LWB chassis, it may be either a Sand Scorcher bodyshell (lexan) or a Lancia 037 touring body (which maybe slightly too large to be in the spirit of the original 037 body going on the chassis, but as I don't have the original bodyshell to compare, I won't be able to say for sure, but at least it will be able to contain the radio box)...

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While awaiting my parts arriving for the Super Wheelie, I did something pending for quite a while : review the pulley belt cover for the 44B as per my friend Andy's tests...

The pulley belt cover required some room for the motor screws...


This is now done...


And I also take benefit or being in the file to review the boot to make it easier to print... My idea is to print it in halves and to fix this by a zip tie...


This will soon go on Cults3D...

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This Hirobo project is not finished, and today I got one more reason to trigger the rebuilt of my 44B chassis...

A few months back, I did a CAD model for a bodyshell for the 44B Hilux....

I believe the 210 mm wheelbase makes room to use the body on M chassis with some axles extensions for larger width...

I still need to review the roll bar, especially the fog lights part as I believe they are out of dimensions (they should be bigger, at least, and maybe mobile to avoid breaking them too easily). Further on the bodyshell itself, there was some missing details...

And I believe I already mentioned in the past that I tried to create a mold in CAD...

I also added some details...

And I finally got a part printed for experimentation...

That was before Montluçon, in May. While there, I got the mold handed to my friend at Loisirs Creations RC for the experimentation...

Yesterday in La Vosgienne RC 2023, I met him, and he handed me some nice stuff...

Yes! It is a bodyshell... It's the first element out of the mold with a material that allows vacforming at low temperature. This will allow me to work out the accessory details and check the dimensions on a chassis... I think I have to build my 44B Hilux soon...

In the meantime, I did some picture comparison with the original damaged bodyshell...

What do you think?

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Now that I have a body shell for the Hilux, I think it is time to do something about those cars...

The parts of the Zerda and 44B were all together in one single heavy box. Luckily, I cleared some boxes recently : I took the time to separate boxes, one for the Zerda, and one for the 44Bs. The Zerda will be the last one to be rebuilt.

I will start by the 44B Hilux, and I'll print a Radio box cover for it, as it is the part I don't have... I need to check the screws as I may not have the exact number to build all the cars... But each things in its proper time.

In short, expect to see this thread moving on soon...

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The complete radio box was already printed long time back by stevar from another forum who did not have any parts of the radiobox with his own 44B chassis. And it was perfectly adjusted in length and matching the profile of the rear gearbox parts... But that was not enough to validate the top of the radio box would match the bottom of the original radio box...

Therefore, I had to print one. I printed it on one of the sides, which was what the auto orientation proposed in the slicer (I tried other orientations, but there was a lot of support for all of them... I guess I will have to post process this properly :). 3 hours print on the X1C (On my Ender 5 plus, this would be around 10-12 hours, I suspect, if not more, with more chances of failures). I printed it in PETG, and did not even played with multimaterial for the supports, so it took a bot of time to remove the supports. But the good news is that it is working on the radio box as expected...

While at it, I'm thinking about what I want for my 44B and Zerda, I may need to do a full count of what I have as I'm sure I can go for 3 cars, and there will be a good basis for a 4th one...

And while thinking about this, I can already tell that I will printed tires for both Zerda and 44B (I have the CAD models already). I just need to order resin again...

I launched a print of the final version of the pulley cover (PETG) (did try in transparent flex resin and it did not work, I may need to try with transparent non flexible resine at some point) as well. Updates later...

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44B City/Vega radio box cover printed during night. There is some issues with the print, probably linked with the way it was on the bed, as right side is not as clean as the left side (but this can be addressed easily with sand paper...

It fits the radio box, but it may require an additional millimeter in length to be perfect...

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Hirobo 44B/Zerda Pulley cover printed as well...

it matches the rear gearbox (it was already tested by Andy from tamiyabase, but it was missing some space for the motor screws, which is the modification)...

Thinking about printing some gearbox, arms, knuckles and other chassis parts...