A suitable 6 wheel crawler kit?

[Gebbly 771]

I was at a military museum the other day and saw a "Leyland Hippo" and it looked so cool.

http://www.classicmilitary.co.uk/leyland-hippo-mk-ii/

I have always liked the WW2 6 wheelers but assumed there were only American and German versions. I immediately started flirting with the idea of finding some sort of 6 wheel RC kit and converting it into a Hippo. My first thoughts are something based on the G6-01 chassis or perhaps trying to convert one of the Tamiya trucks. But I'm not sure the trucks that were 6 wheel would quite fit larger chunkier tyres like a Hippo would have.

Anyone got any thoughts or suggestions? 

[Grumpy pants 5251]

I’d say look up @Mad Ax or @Busdriver

https://www.tamiyaclub.com/forum/index.php?/topic/92468-truck-of-many-wheels-g6-01-king-blackfoot/

[JimBear 862]

@OoALEJOoO and @Busdriver put some photos of their DynaMog builds in the above thread, and then I was thinking of the truck cab in this thread too:

Maybe you'll get some ideas there - to me, it looks doable - go for it.

[Badcrumble 4417]

There are more 'scale' trucks out there than Tamiya but most of them are quite / very expensive. Things like Cross RC

Greens models

Or even Traxxas

Traxxas 5x6 Merc

Slightly cheaper are the Chinese versions

Ebay Austar

Tyres could be key - a scale model doesn't look right wearing the wrong boots.

A look at the Scalebuildersguild forum should also provide some inspiration - some fantastic scratch builds over there.

[OoALEJOoO 3256]

@Gebbly Tamiya's G6-01TR can be made to be quite a capable crawler & trial car. Its advantages are the massive traction and being virtually immune to obstacles touching the bottom of the car. Suspension travel is not that great, but more than offset by its advantages. Add weighted wheels and you get a very stable vehicle.

More details on this build:

G6-01TR Mercedes Unimog 406 - Tamiya Club

[Nikko85 3774]

G601 would work but the wheelbase would be off? Perhaps eschew the rear wheel steering and flip both rear arms for an added 10mm wheelbase?

The wpl b36 might be a good scale base but might cost as much again in hop ups to work solidly.

 

[Mad Ax 10141]

I personally think you need to decide where you want to sit on the realism scale.  Do you want a fully scale build with the right axles and suspension?  Or do you want something really capable off-road?  Or do you want a quick and easy hack that's going to bash really well?

I agree with @Nikko85 that the wheelbase of the G6-01 is completely off if you want to do a scale build.  Plus, the suspension is wrong, too.  That said, it's a fantastic chassis for bashing and if you can find or fabricate a shell, it would be the quickest and probably cheapest way of completing it.

At the far end of the spectrum, the Cross RC stuff looks like a great donor.  They're proven off-road chassis and they have the right suspension, or close enough.  If you want to be 100% true you'd swap out the front driven axle for a non-driven beam axle from a Tamiya big rig, as the Hippo was 6x4, not 6x6.

With that in mind, a 6x4 big rig could also be a good starting point.  A fair bit cheaper than a Cross RC and you'll have loads of parts you can sell on.  Just eyeballing some photos, a wheelbase somewhere between Globe Liner and King Hauler looks about right - although I don't know what wheelbase options the Hippo was available in.  The MkII Hippo had dual rear wheels, so the Tamiya big rig axles and duallies will be a good starting point.  You can get various off road tyres to fit the big rig wheels now.  The wheels themselves will look wrong for the build, but you can't find an aftermarket duallie that looks right you can probably 3D print a hub cover that will make it look right.

If you wanted single rear wheels then you could use TLT axles.  Getriebedoktor sell TLT axles, including an axle with uninterrupted drive, so you can power both rear axles.

Those would be my suggestions, anyway.  Will be interested to see where you go with this

[Nikko85 3774]

4 hours ago, OoALEJOoO said:

@Gebbly Tamiya's G6-01TR can be made to be quite a capable crawler & trial car. Its advantages are the massive traction and being virtually immune to obstacles touching the bottom of the car. Suspension travel is not that great, but more than offset by its advantages. Add weighted wheels and you get a very stable vehicle.

More details on this build:

G6-01TR Mercedes Unimog 406 - Tamiya Club

This is still one of my favourite builds here. 

[OldSchoolRC1 1073]

Looking at the pics of the Hippo (cool truck!!) I think you're in Traxxas Hauler territory with the wheelbase. The TRX6 would be a decent option, though the overall length might be a bit off. 

I've been wheeling an TRX6 for a while, and it's a very fun trail vehicle. Locking/unlocking the diffs comes in handy and makes for a very realistic trail drive. Not to mention it's as tough as old boots.   

I've run next to Cross RC stuff quite a bit, and while it's very scale looking, there always seems to be an issue of some kind. My friends HC6 has chewed out the center axle gears several times. Some shimming helps apparently, but it has been downgraded to "light duty" trail runs. 

A Tamiya Semi kit would be a good start as well, though if you want to go 6 wheel drive it can get pricey pretty quick. 

[OnTheTrail 1170]

If you want scale military, take a look at the King Kong 6x6.   Amazon here in the US sell the chassis only which would be perfect since you want to do a scratch body.   

https://www.amazon.com/Kingkong-RC-ZISL-151-Soviet-Chassis/dp/B08BHT95MS/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=2Laoi&content-id=amzn1.sym.3c3990c3-513c-4686-8d92-a42b4095cecb%3Aamzn1.symc.8b620bc3-61d8-46b3-abd9-110539785634&pf_rd_p=3c3990c3-513c-4686-8d92-a42b4095cecb&pf_rd_r=5XRNMRJT8EJGG96KHYZZ&pd_rd_wg=LwGhh&pd_rd_r=030927d7-c101-471f-9d4c-ba4c0e06b37a&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mr_hp_d

That said, unless I'm missing something, from what I can tell from the link you provided, the Leyland is a not a 6x6 but rather a 6x4. 

 

[Gebbly 771]

Lots of great advice so far. Thanks everyone. Thats a lot to reply to so....

On 4/4/2024 at 1:51 PM, Grumpy pants said:

I’d say look up @Mad Ax or @Busdriver

Thats a very skilled rejuvination. I think a G6-01 is certainly something to think about as a starting point.

On 4/4/2024 at 3:16 PM, JimBear said:

I was thinking of the truck cab in this thread too

Another lovely looking G6-01. The G6-01 definitely gives me vibes of a Tamiya "Comical" series 6 wheel truck which I think looks really fun.

On 4/4/2024 at 4:42 PM, Badcrumble said:

Things like Cross RC

The Greens Models Cross RC kit looks lovely but at over £700 I would have to think long and hard about that one. Maybe just dont tell the missus. I am less drawn to the Traxxas and Austar purely because I really want the fun of the build so I get less excited about RTR vehicles.

10 hours ago, OoALEJOoO said:

G6-01TR Mercedes Unimog 406 - Tamiya Club

Oh that looks an absolutely amazing creation. It looks so realistic. The weighted wheels sound like a clever idea for stability.

10 hours ago, Nikko85 said:

eschew the rear wheel steering and flip both rear arms

Good advice. I think I am less worried about the rear wheel steering so if I went the G6-01 route I would adopt this suggestion.

10 hours ago, Nikko85 said:

wpl b36 might be a good scale base

Ooh thats a good spot. Even with the suggested metal and electronics upgrades its certainly within my price range. Whilst looking at the WPL website I also saw the B16 model, same chassis with different body parts and it already has a stowage area behind the cab for the spare wheel which is what I saw on the Hippo at the museum.

9 hours ago, Mad Ax said:

a fully scale build with the right axles and suspension?  Or do you want something really capable off-road?  Or do you want a quick and easy hack that's going to bash

I'm not looking for a quick hack and bash. The longer the build takes, the more enjoyment I'll get out of it and I like the idea of it being a crawler more than something to whizz around at high speed. I'd like to try and strike a balance between something that looks fairly to scale but I would like to be able to drive it off-road without having to overly worry about damaging it rather than just a shelf queen.

9 hours ago, Mad Ax said:

swap out the front driven axle for a non-driven beam axle

Thats a tougher call. I feel like that sits right at my crossroads of looking realistic but also being a capable driver. I'd have to think long and hard about that.

9 hours ago, Mad Ax said:

MkII Hippo had dual rear

I'm not sure of the model of Hippo but I'm pretty sure the one in the museum had single wheels on each axle. So given that and your suggestion that dual wheel rears could cause complications, if going for one of the lorries I think I would with single wheels on each axle and follow your suggestion of the TLT axles especially with your advice on powering both rear axles.

5 hours ago, OldSchoolRC1 said:

The TRX6 would be a decent option

The TRX6 certainly looks like some lovely engineering but as I wouldnt get the enjoyment of the build I think it doesnt quite tick my boxes.

5 hours ago, OldSchoolRC1 said:

Cross RC stuff quite a bit, and while it's very scale looking, there always seems to be an issue of some kind

Thanks for the first hand experience. Thats a bit worrying given its price tag which makes it one of the most expensive options. Maybe I'll slide this down my consideration list.

5 hours ago, OldSchoolRC1 said:

Semi kit would be a good start as well, though if you want to go 6 wheel drive it can get pricey

I'll have to do some more research then I thought perhaps the Semi kits came with 6x4 or 6x6 drive as standard. I wonder what sort of prices I'd be looking at...

4 hours ago, OnTheTrail said:

King Kong 6x6

This looks like a really nice truck too. The price seems about right and the metal chassis is nice.

[wolfdogstinkus 1966]

Tamiya 6x6  wild dagger running gear joined with a custom frame rail.

How it was when I first built it.

It climbs

It runs.

 

[wolfdogstinkus 1966]

Then, there was this,....

Some say that my Clodbuster is so powerful that when you push the throttle, it doesn't travel forwards, it actually pushes the world backwards. All we know is that it's called the Clodbuster.

[Gebbly 771]

So to sum all that up where am I at the moment? It must be a kit rather than RTR, building is my favourite bit. I think the more realistic detailing the better but not so much it creates a shelf queen or I might as well get a static kit. If the Hippo was designed as a 6x4 and I end up with a 6x6 RC, as long as it looks about right, I will be happy. And I am still pretty inexperienced so I am under no illusions about creating something as impressive as the other creations that have been mentioned but I will enjoy building whatever I end up with. Current short list (which could shrink or grow if there are any more suggestions  ) :

1. G6-01 to create a "Comical" series version of the Hippo - flip the rear arms for the longer wheelbase.

2. WPL B16 - Make use of the provided spare wheel stowage, replace the cab and cargo area. Go with "KM" kit for the metal components and also the all-in-one electronics package. (Maybe other hop-ups?)

3. Tamiya Semi truck with TLT axles powering both rear axles.

4. King Kong 6x6 - Looks like I can get a version from China to here in the UK from ebay.

[Gebbly 771]

7 minutes ago, wolfdogstinkus said:

It climbs

How on earth did he get it up those steps?!

Good grief look at all the shocks on that Clodbuster! Looks cool

[wolfdogstinkus 1966]

1 minute ago, Gebbly said:

How on earth did he get it up those steps?!

Good grief look at all the shocks on that Clodbuster! Looks cool

The boys a pilot, lol. How on earth did he not flip it over when he had it up on 3 wheels. Lol. He was only 6 back then. Kids are quick. 

I couldn't control that machine as well as he did. 

[Gebbly 771]

1 minute ago, wolfdogstinkus said:

He was only 6 back then.

His middle name wouldnt be Stig would it?

[wolfdogstinkus 1966]

1 minute ago, Gebbly said:

His middle name wouldnt be Stig would it?

He was running a 50mph Dt02 before he could walk. Lol

[Nikko85 3774]

I should say I've only flipped the rear arms of a GF01, but I assume you could do the same for a G6-01!

[wolfdogstinkus 1966]

2 hours ago, Gebbly said:

His middle name wouldnt be Stig would it?

I totally missed this stig reference, I mean I saw it and read it but didn't make the connection until now, I suppose I must have a reputation for making loads of corny Stig/ Clodbuster introductions, 😂

Some say that I will be parking my Clodbuster for a full 24 hours on Monday the 8th April which will cause a partial solar eclipse due to the Clodbuster being bigger than the sun. 

All we know is that it's called the Clodbuster.

😆

 

[Gebbly 771]

2 hours ago, wolfdogstinkus said:

I totally missed this stig reference

I shall keep an eye on your postings on these forums for the day when we see a home video and your son has traded in his R2-D2 cycling helmet for an all black visored helmet

 

[Busdriver 6281]

If I was to do it again I think I would have used the Austar chassis. The Tamiya is as has been said is  a great trail truck and if you use the portal axle version it climbs really well. Mine is fitted with Austar wheels and tyres but not weighted, which is a really good call as one its faults is that its top heavy!! And does roly poleys on side hills and steep inclines. The other issue if you want a scale look is twofold. One is the distance between the front wheels and the rear pair and the second is the sticky out motor!!! I enjoy building but I still think there’s enough challenges using a pre built chassis. You could always strip it down and check, re grease and rebuild. That way you get a feel for the chassis.

[Gebbly 771]

I think I am going to go for the WPL B16.

I really like the design of the G6-01 but I've decided its not the vibe I'm looking for this time around. I like the fact that the WPL B16/36 and the KingKong 6x6 have several things closer to accurate from the start like the clearance and the leaf spring suspension. I also like the fact that you can get a single circuit board for the WPL which acts as receiver, ESC and soundboard which would help trying to fit everything in discretely. The WPL also feels a bit more like a kit because the KingKong has things like the axles and leaf springs prebuilt and you just bolt them on.

And of course for just £87 for the metal component version of the WPL kit its a relatively cheap experiment. I now need to do some homework to figure out if there are any extra components I need.