RC-related things you'd love to do (but probably won't)

[Busdriver 6664]

On 6/27/2023 at 3:19 PM, Mad Ax said:

So I've been watching Vice Grip Garage's coverage of Power Tour over on Youtube this week, and it got me thinking about this thread again, and how we could do some kind of similar event for RCs.  As I pointed out before, most RC fans don't want to spend a week road tripping their 1:1 cars to chain up a number of different race tracks, and the whole "your race car must survive all the journeys as well as the racing" kind of doesn't make sense when the journey part is done inside a 1:1 car.

But something else started the wheels turning a few weeks back.  Someone posted up some footage of an Axial event which had a dirt track laid out for RC crawlers, and the winner was the one who got around it fastest.  There were different classes for different tyre sizes and rig types.  It looked like a lot of fun, although it was a formula that needed some work.  A local Facebook contact is looking at organising some friendly scale truck racing in the same vein.

But, while I was watching Derek completely fail to get to Power Tour, I started thinking about a multi-discipline competition, where you enter one car but have to compete for scores in various different events, with the total scores taken to find the overall winner.

Crawlers immediately felt like the perfect vehicle class since they can do other stuff without too much modification.  And that got me thinking about possible stages:

Technical Crawl - A technical crawler stage, with marked gates and difficult climbs.  Penalties for rolling, touching a gate or using a winch.  No scores for finishing fastest, but perhaps a penalty for exceeding a certain time (to encourage people not to spend all day on the stage).

Timed Crawl - An easier, shorter crawl, this time against the clock - fastest time wins.  Time penalties for hitting or missing gates, rolling or winching.

Sprint Stage - Less a crawl, more a scramble over mixed terrain - fastest time wins.

Circuit Race - 6 trucks line up on the start line and race (either timed or total number of laps).

Rally - setting off at timed intervals, competitors must follow a stage map to collect stamps at various points around the venue.  I'm thinking a real big venue would work here (like at the Scaler Nationals) to reduce the chance of people following each other.  Stamps don't have to be gathered in any particular order, to encourage trailblazing and mapreading.

Drag Race - a scale 8th mile, maybe.  Exactly what it sounds like.

Tug of War - Exactly what it sounds like.  Pull your opponent over the line to win.

There's probably scope for various other things in here, too - feel free to suggest others!  And exactly how trucks are drawn against each other for the contest stages would have to be thought about too - it could be lucky dip, or could be done based on current standings, or whatever.

I was also thinking about the rules.  Obviously, you must run the same truck for every event - this forces competitors to think about their builds, and whether they want to compromise one stage to get a better truck in another, or build an all-rounder and try to win on aggregate.  Competitors may be allowed to change diff and gear ratios between stages - this would allow those who don't have 2-speed transmissions or lockable diffs to compete against TRXs and the like.  However, I think a truck would have to run the same motor and steering servo in all stages, to avoid people throwing in fast motors for the races and torque monsters for the crawls and tugs.  To allow for breakages, each competitor could hand over a spare motor, ESC and servo to the scrutineer at the start of the event (before any lottos are drawn for stage order), and can only get them back if the part breaks during the competition.

Competitors must run the same tyres all day.

Trucks must be the same weight and same F:R balance all day - to avoid people ballasting for the tug and lightening for the racing, or moving weight from the wheels into the chassis to balance for different stages.

Springs and ride height can be adjusted between stages.

I think something like this run over a couple of days would be epic fun.  I don't know how many other people would agree with that!

Any other crazy ideas out there?  

CES crawler enduro sprint!!

[Mrowka 497]

Become a better 3D helicopter pilot.

Rig up a helicopter for FPV.

EDIT: become a better buggy driver.

[Tamiyastef 3073]

I just re-read the first post and an RC road trip would be epic. Just pack all my cars in the camper and go from one TC member to another. Comparing collections, go drive together. Would be very nice I think and an unforgetteable experience. 

[Busdriver 6664]

Re bombing your thread again here is my alivebolt!!! 

It needs suspension work to make the power usable but with an 18t pinion, Silvercan and 3 s lipo it flys.It has open diffs front and rear.  It has a few issues that need ironing out. The Spektrum esc seems to have an over active brake. The jumper is removed to disable the drag brake but it still stops real quick on a trailing throttle. I’ve mounted the battery along the centre above the rear axle which stops it doing Rolly pollys. The suspension needs playing with. Also the Ijora front axle that I bought has the panhard linkage on the wrong side. I can’t find a way of changing it but in the spares that come with the RTR is a spare upper front link so it’s now got 4 link suspension!!!

 

Sorry posted in wrong thread!!!!

[ad456 551]

In 1993 we were in London and got to go to the RC exhibition at the Olympia(I think that’s where it was) and I’ve always wanted to go back to something like that now I’m a lot older and would understand it better. 

[Nikko85 4404]

Stop buying cars I dont need. 

[Britaff 28]

I wish I could pluck up the courage to sell a few vintage kits I’ll never build/use on eBay. I’ve never sold on there before but bought loads of times

[Wooders28 5120]

On 3/31/2023 at 2:21 PM, Mad Ax said:

I've absolutely love to do a Drag Week-style RC race tournament, where we hit a different track every day for a week and have to hit certain checkpoints and complete every event to qualify. 

I've tried to organise something similar north of the border, but just got met with blank looks...

Ayr is an indoor track ,in an industrial park, so suggested we meet at 4am, start racing for 5am, finish the round for 8am, then head to the Glasgow track, for a round, then Dunfermline, then the trek back to Ayr ,in the dark, for the final round.......

 

On 3/31/2023 at 2:21 PM, Mad Ax said:

(try that in the UK - there's no way those cars would be road legal over here!) 

The first one has just been done! 

The fast guys have all passed an IVA! 

Over a long weekend, but started at the Pod, upto Melbourne (York), then back down to the Pod. Not quite Drag week, but still epic, with great feedback, so looks like it'll happen again (maybe adding Crail in Scotland or Spitfire in Cornwall!) ,just need to pull my finger out, and finish building something to run.....

 

 

[Wooders28 5120]

On 3/31/2023 at 6:22 PM, ThunderDragonCy said:

The Tamiya Junkies thing are RHR is super easy to organise. We just agree to pay James the track owner for the day when the track is free

Still trying to get a Vintage/Tamiya day organised for Glasgow.

The "When the track is free" seems to be the stumbling block...

The track can't be used if a regional is on, or if a club meet is on, well,  maybe....

Its been suggested we have our own 'round' tagged onto a club meeting, but that turns it into a race event, requiring PT's and stuff ,and even I can't be bothered swapping PT's over into a lunchbox, then a Bullhead, then the Boomerang etc etc, and pretty sure 'Tamiya people' (usually just want a relaxed day ,essentially having a track to bash on) won't travel for a 5 min run every hour or so.....

[Mad Ax 11388]

On 6/27/2023 at 9:13 PM, TurnipJF said:

I'd like to organise a local equivalent of something I saw on YouTube: RC Overlanding.

In essence, it was simply a group of people going on a shortish walk in the countryside with their RC scale offroad rigs, stopping halfway for a picnic and photos (for which they set up little naturalistic camping dioramas with their rigs and accessories) then packing up and returning to their point of origin, either via the same route or a different one.

We used to do this a lot before the lockdowns, and I think people are still doing it on an ad-hoc informal basis.  We never did the picnic (but we generally carried snacks and drinks in our rucksacks, and sometimes someone would cook burgers on a barbie when we got back), we never did the diorama stuff, but we'd usually descend on some quiet woodland or country park and head off for a drive along the trails.  People of all shapes and sizes and backgrounds arrived, with rigs of all types and capabilities - the walking was mostly fairly easy and something a CC01 could keep up with.  Those who wanted more of a challenge went off piste.  Organising one was as easy as saying "I'm going for a crawl at [venue] on [date] at [time], anyone want to join me?"

Once or twice I went out with just one other random stranger who I'd never met before, sometimes there'd be 20 of us.  It's a great way to see new countryside and meet new people.

[SlideWRX 1067]

On 6/27/2023 at 10:19 AM, Mad Ax said:

Technical Crawl - A technical crawler stage, with marked gates and difficult climbs.  Penalties for rolling, touching a gate or using a winch.  No scores for finishing fastest, but perhaps a penalty for exceeding a certain time (to encourage people not to spend all day on the stage).

Timed Crawl - An easier, shorter crawl, this time against the clock - fastest time wins.  Time penalties for hitting or missing gates, rolling or winching.

Sprint Stage - Less a crawl, more a scramble over mixed terrain - fastest time wins.

Circuit Race - 6 trucks line up on the start line and race (either timed or total number of laps).

Rally - setting off at timed intervals, competitors must follow a stage map to collect stamps at various points around the venue.  I'm thinking a real big venue would work here (like at the Scaler Nationals) to reduce the chance of people following each other.  Stamps don't have to be gathered in any particular order, to encourage trailblazing and mapreading.

Drag Race - a scale 8th mile, maybe.  Exactly what it sounds like.

Tug of War - Exactly what it sounds like.  Pull your opponent over the line to win.

The vehicles that compete in all events would compete for the ironman style trophy, but you could also let individual vehicles compete in individual events.  Don't know how complicated you want this to get.

[SlideWRX 1067]

On 3/31/2023 at 9:21 AM, Mad Ax said:

OK, peeps of TC, what would you love to do?  What's out there that you haven't tried, or what project would you love to build, or what rare car or transmitter do you wish you could find..?

Model railroad clubs have modules that each person can build independently and they can be connected together in whatever order, because the ends are standardized.  This means each person can create their own section, of whatever scenery they want (desert, forest, city, even mountain), and it gets stitched together into one huge layout.  They can integrate it into their home layout, and pull it out to take on the road to the club or events.

I think crawlers in particular could start building modular crawler sections for indoor crawling events.  Start with a ~2 foot wide (60cm) standard connection on each end, and make it 4,6 or 8 feet (1.2, 1.8 or 2.4m) long and put whatever crawler challenge you want into that section.  Make sure you have an easier bypass and trail runners could go along too.  Fab up terrain like the model railroaders do, but durable enough for crawling.

[Mad Ax 11388]

4 hours ago, SlideWRX said:

I think crawlers in particular could start building modular crawler sections for indoor crawling events

ooh, I like this idea

Southern Scale Trail has started a scale town thing, where anyone can bring along some 1:10 scenery like houses, workshops, stores and the like.  I've thought about doing it, but I'm stacked out with other projects and don't have space to keep a 1:10 scale house.

[Busdriver 6664]

On 7/3/2023 at 8:24 AM, Mad Ax said:

We used to do this a lot before the lockdowns, and I think people are still doing it on an ad-hoc informal basis.  We never did the picnic (but we generally carried snacks and drinks in our rucksacks, and sometimes someone would cook burgers on a barbie when we got back), we never did the diorama stuff, but we'd usually descend on some quiet woodland or country park and head off for a drive along the trails.  People of all shapes and sizes and backgrounds arrived, with rigs of all types and capabilities - the walking was mostly fairly easy and something a CC01 could keep up with.  Those who wanted more of a challenge went off piste.  Organising one was as easy as saying "I'm going for a crawl at [venue] on [date] at [time], anyone want to join me?"

Once or twice I went out with just one other random stranger who I'd never met before, sometimes there'd be 20 of us.  It's a great way to see new countryside and meet new people.

I was talking to @Grumpy pants about this earlier. Where I live I have a wooded area about 1/2-2/3 of a mile long with several trails with steep inclines up and down from the sides. Also a couple of Bomb craters , some gravel tracks a green open space and a moor of about 50 acres. I can walk for over an hour and only cross the road from my house!! It would make a great venue for  trail meet and picnic. I might put some ideas together and post them in the near future!!

 

oh I forgot also a river and a canal so boaters welcome as well

[Pylon80 4281]

Re-opening that thread from March, if I may

As of late I have been looking at the manuals and threads for the Tamiya 1/14 trucks, the scale ones with the 3 speed gearbox. I do not have any interest or appeal towards trucks and trucking in general, however, I do think that truck racing is one of the coolest motorsports! And I used to watch it with my dad 30 years ago too. I am well aware that Tamiya has precisely 1/14 racing truck kits, based on TT-01's with nice scale looking wheels and tires (at least if you look from the side...) and nice scale cabs. But that would not be quirky enough me thinks. So here is one idea that fits the fuzzy definition of something RC related that I would love to do but probably won't:

How about an approximate scale model of a racing truck based this time on a Tamiya 1/14 scale, 4x2, 3-speed, dual rear wheels truck kit?

It could be equipped with the right turn motor to make it go just as fast as scale speed. Also it would not be used anywhere close to the curbs/boards that indoor tracks have, as any contact would damage these expensive machines. The idea of shifting gears while going around a track and trying to drive it realistically is something that definitely appeals to me.

I remember when @Re-Bugged took his Grand Hauler (no less!) around one of the postal tracks one time, just for kicks  and perhaps that was what planted the idea.

This is what the 1:1 race truck from the Tamiya TT-01 kits look like in real life:

 

 

And the 3-speed truck kits are available too, for example:

https://www.amainhobbies.com/tamiya-nya-1-14-volvo-globetrotter-semi-tam56312/p664921

Food for RC thoughts.

 

Edit: if you can't be bothered watching the video, at least skip straight to 4:52, then try not to smile!

 

[ImALlama 1675]

6 minutes ago, Pylon80 said:

Re-opening that thread from March, if I may

As of late I have been looking at the manuals and threads for the Tamiya 1/14 trucks, the scale ones with the 3 speed gearbox. I do not have any interest or appeal towards trucks and trucking in general, however, I do think that truck racing is one of the coolest motorsports! And I used to watch it with my dad 30 years ago too. I am well aware that Tamiya has precisely 1/14 racing truck kits, based on TT-01's with nice scale looking wheels and tires (at least if you look from the side...) and nice scale cabs. But that would not be quirky enough me thinks. So here is one idea that fits the fuzzy definition of something RC related that I would love to do but probably won't:

How about an approximate scale model of a racing truck based this time on a Tamiya 1/14 scale, 4x2, 3-speed, dual rear wheels truck kit?

It could be equipped with the right turn motor to make it go just as fast as scale speed. Also it would not be used anywhere close to the curbs/boards that indoor tracks have, as any contact would damage these expensive machines. The idea of shifting gears while going around a track and trying to drive it realistically is something that definitely appeals to me.

I remember when @Re-Bugged took his Grand Hauler (no less!) around one of the postal tracks one time, just for kicks  and perhaps that was what planted the idea.

I think that'd be fun to do. I like the racing trucks but didn't care to add a TT01 to the collection, and I've been wanting to buy one of their semi trucks for awhile now but wasn't sure how much I'd actually use and enjoy it. Cant believe I didn't think to get one and make it into a racing version to take around a track.

So gotta say Thank you @Pylon80 for your idea, hope you don't mind if I make one, I'm a huge fan of the idea... my wallet is not, It hates it , but I like it so I'm gonna try (It'll most likely have to wait till January though, to busy over the next month or so ).

[Pylon80 4281]

6 minutes ago, ImALlama said:

hope you don't mind if I make one, I'm a huge fan of the idea... 

Not at all actually, I would absolutely love to see one being built that way 😃 This is what this forum is all about.

I have somehow managed to blow this year's budget plus next year's 😐 and most importantly I have too much of a backlog right now... but I hope to join you at some point. After the RC motorcycle. And the RC submarine. And the... 🤣

[ImALlama 1675]

40 minutes ago, Pylon80 said:

After the RC motorcycle

And another thanks for reminding me about my backlog , bought one of those awhile back and some hop ups for it so I can make it match my real bike,  almost bought another one cause I keep forgetting I have it.

Which reminds me of something that fits the thread perfectly, I have a few 1:1 vehicles I’d like to make rc copies of, or something close enough. But due to different parts needed to make them being hard to find, more expensive than I’m willing to spend, or just not existing, I’ll prob never get around to making them all .

[Re-Bugged 12018]

Sounds great, the idea of a more scale Racing Truck @Pylon80 & @ImALlama 👍🏻

I did really enjoy the build of  Knight Hauler, you get a heck of a lot of bits to put together. They are worth it for the build even if you hardly ever run them. It was more a light run than a race when I did a Postal round with it, I’d put to much work into to have go over on its side. It’s surprising how fast they are in top gear with a silver can, I’ve put a 55t in mine and that’s enough for me. If another circuit that’s big enough comes along I will probably run it again, especially if it’s a night stage 😃

@Mad Ax was putting together a Drag type racing Truck a while ago, hoping to see it finished one day 😉

 

[Mad Ax 11388]

2 hours ago, Re-Bugged said:

 

@Mad Ax was putting together a Drag type racing Truck a while ago, hoping to see it finished one day

Drag King was heaps of fun to work on, and it kind of got shelved when I was too busy with other stuff, and couldn't work out how to do some of the more intricate steps.

I really want to get back into big rigs and I'd love to get this one finished.  Oddly enough someone on Facebook posted photos of a King Hauler with a jet engine mounted over the 5th wheel, and I literally went straight onto ebay to find out how much an RC jet motor costs.  Hint: too much to make it a worthwhile project.

Still, it's reignited my passion for the Drag King, and I think it needs to come back out for another round of updates this winter  

[ADRay1000 744]

I casually thought of wanting a Bruiser. I’ve always thought that they were cool, but over engineered and expensive. My thinking has been, “for $1000+, I could buy something that I could actually ride on”… but after building a CC02, and seeing the difference between the quality of it and the buggy’s and touring cars I’ve built before, I’m interested in Tamiya’s higher quality kits, like a High Lift or Bruiser derivative. 

[Mad Ax 11388]

I had another idea last night.  Actually it was based off an idea I had last year, which was based off someone else's idea, but...

6x6 Race Buggy

The genesis of this idea came from @Bwaaatch's awesome Agante-gator build based on the G6-01 chassis.  As soon as I saw the idea, I wanted to do one of my own.  However I've put it off for some time and looks like 2024 might be tighter on funds than originally planned, so there's less opportunity to start new projects like this.

I've also had a hard time accepting the G6-01 as the right chassis for the project.  It's definitely the easiest, since literally everything is there, but it's also top-heavy and with awkward geometry.

Last night I was supposed to be watching TV with my wife, but instead my brain was running away with the idea of adding a second pulley to the back end of a belt or chain driven 4wd buggy so I could power a second front gearbox mounted behind the rear gearbox.  But, while this wouldn't pose significant problems for a machinist, it's a bit beyond me - and besides, I don't own any belt or chain driven buggies to look at and get inspiration from.

So of course the easier solution is to use a buggy with the motor mounted in the rear gearbox (e.g. Top Force) and mount a complete second gearbox behind the standard one.  That would mean a twin-motor setup, but there again, extra drag needs extra torque, right..?

So, here's another idea to commit to the crazy ideas thread for someone to pick up, if they have time: shorten a Top Force using custom chassis plates and propshaft, and stick an extra transmission on the back for full 6wd traction.

Then try to sneak it past the scrutineers at the Iconic Revival...

[Badcrumble 4432]

I've had an RC dream since I got into the hobby. 

Well, actually I've had many project ideas, most of which never get past the planning stage and too many which get to the 'all the bits in the garage but never assembled' stage.

I bought a TB-05 Pro in 2019 to work on my 'dream' project. It has sat unbuilt in the box ever since.

The last time I had an idea like this it was for a Tamiya Trophy Rat. I got all the bits and then Associated brought theirs out and the wind disappeared from my sails. 

So I'm keeping schtum this time.

[Bwaaatch 630]

10 hours ago, Mad Ax said:

I had another idea last night.  Actually it was based off an idea I had last year, which was based off someone else's idea, but...

6x6 Race Buggy

The genesis of this idea came from @Bwaaatch's awesome Agante-gator build based on the G6-01 chassis.  As soon as I saw the idea, I wanted to do one of my own.  However I've put it off for some time and looks like 2024 might be tighter on funds than originally planned, so there's less opportunity to start new projects like this.

I've also had a hard time accepting the G6-01 as the right chassis for the project.  It's definitely the easiest, since literally everything is there, but it's also top-heavy and with awkward geometry.

Last night I was supposed to be watching TV with my wife, but instead my brain was running away with the idea of adding a second pulley to the back end of a belt or chain driven 4wd buggy so I could power a second front gearbox mounted behind the rear gearbox.  But, while this wouldn't pose significant problems for a machinist, it's a bit beyond me - and besides, I don't own any belt or chain driven buggies to look at and get inspiration from.

So of course the easier solution is to use a buggy with the motor mounted in the rear gearbox (e.g. Top Force) and mount a complete second gearbox behind the standard one.  That would mean a twin-motor setup, but there again, extra drag needs extra torque, right..?

So, here's another idea to commit to the crazy ideas thread for someone to pick up, if they have time: shorten a Top Force using custom chassis plates and propshaft, and stick an extra transmission on the back for full 6wd traction.

Then try to sneak it past the scrutineers at the Iconic Revival...

Hehe! My Avante-gator remains almost finished but not made time for it. But InDID just tidy my workshop ready for my next build … Top Force Evo ….

Love you idea, but evidence suggests I should stay away from another custom build at this point, and focus on a straightforward project. Hope someone picks this up though! And it’s given me a boost to get back to my 6x6 too.

[Mad Ax 11388]

Another idea came to me this week, while I was sitting in my studio in the dark, looking up at my G6-01 Truck of Many Wheels.  So many of my crazy ideas seem to be based around this chassis!

In the shadows, the sloping roll bar on the back of the Truck of Many Wheels looked like an angled front screen - a bit like a Tesla Cybertruck.  That meant that the two rear axles were actually towards the front.  And that gave me an idea about running the G6-01 in reverse.  Technically possible, with a zero-timed or reverse-timed motor.

It's even more possible because the chassis already has provisions for rear steering, so it would steer from the "front" anyway.  Except, with the middle axle being to close to the "front" axle, steering would likely be very lazy, so it would need "rear" steering on the opposite axle.  And the geometry would probably mean it needs more steering at the "rear" than it does at the front, in order to not drag the middle axle.  All technically doable with pretty much zero effort, except that geometry is likely to make it very roll-happy.

Then another idea came to me.

How about we make both "front" axles steer?  In other words - a G6-01 running in reverse, with a pair of front steering axles, like the Tyrrell P34!  I'm not sure what provision the chassis has for mounting a servo on the middle axle, but with a bit of ingenuity it's bound to be possible.  That should give it incredibly responsive steering without making it unstable.  Combine that with either a modified buggy body (a la Avante-gator) or a custom-built truck body and you've got a unique and radical new approach to the G6-01.

There, you can have that for free :)