Willy's Rocker (revamped) - Budget Cager Crawler MkII

[JennyMo]

So with an impending trip to the USA planned (and the opportunity to buy lots more great RC parts cheap!) I thought I might revisit this little project...

You may recall my original 'Messin' in the USA' thread, where I helped my friend Lisa build a crawler using a budget RTR Mad-Gear Cliff chassis and fitted a Proline Jeep shell to make it more scale... and then subsequently crated a tuber style cage body for it using modified Vaterra Twin Hammers parts - Messin' in the USA part 2: http://www.tamiyaclub.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=71383&hl=

I was so impressed with that RTR chassis that I bought myself one to bring home to the UK, and subsequently fitted a modified Midnight Pumpkin shell to it to create 'Willy's Rocker' (in my showroom: http://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom_model.asp?cid=118153&id=25648)

Similarly, I have ultimately decided to junk the 'conventional' body, and turn my own crawler into a tuber too - although having also fitted four-wheel steering to mine, it was going to need a slightly different (shorter) cage so that that the wheels would clear on full steering lock and articulation...

Fortunately Vaterra came to the rescue again with their new 1/18th scale Slickrock crawler... while the chassis tubes are correspondingly thinner than a 1/10th scale vehicle, the overall proportions fitted the Mad-Gear metal box chassis well I thought?

Vaterra Slickrock cage set:

Offered up to chassis:

All that was really needed was to trim the lower sections/side panel parts of the stock cage so it fitted over the metal chassis, plus cut a little of the lower tubes away to fit over the battery holders on each side.

Repositioning the stock rear shocks one notch (which will ultimately be replaced with something smoother/softer anyway) allowed the cage to bolt to the metal chassis through two existing holes - result!

While I love the raw open cage look (like Lisa's cager), at the same time, I also really like the metal (aluminium) panel kits you can get for the Axial Wraith and Twin Hammers for example - so thought I might have a go at making my own...

First up, in true Blue Peter style, some templates out of cereal packets:

I then traced these onto 0.5mm aluminium sheet, and cut the pieces out with some tin-snips:

Fortunately, the aluminium is so thin, that you can make the necessary mounting holes with just a bradawl (rather than have to drill them) - again, a result!

Test fitting to the cage, and fold line marked:

Upper triangle of side panels needed a slight fold to follow the line of the cage:

Test fitting - I was particularly pleased with the bonnet (hood)... all the edges were rounded and sanded too...

Willy at the wheel - you'll notice that because of the limited height of this particular cage, I've had to sand his torso down approximately 5mm so he fits in... and I designed the side panel to scoop low and reveal more of the cage inside:

A few stickers - these are not necessarily the finished design, the panels are still a work in progress, but I wanted to see the overall effect:

Spotlights are from the Axial lighting set - these will be wired in together with the existing headlights - only it turns out you can't run two individual sets of white lights out of the Axial 'simple' controller, only front white (albeit 2 or 4 lamps) and rear red - so I'll have to make up my own loom and daisy-chain all the four white lamps together...

Out in the wilds! - First test run, and the articulation is as impressive as ever!

Ultimately though, the shocks I have on mine (compared to Lisa's) seem stiffer and sticky, even without any oil in them... so I think I'll have to spring* for some better quality alternatives, and quite fancy the internally-sprung design such as the Gmade G-Transition shocks... these have the benefit of being able to be set in droop mode, so the static ride height is lower but they will still extend (to 107mm) to allow full articulation...

*aha, see what I did there?!

I knew this thing would end up costing me more money!

Hope you like the progress so far?

Jx

[MadInventor]

Very impressed with the job you've done on the aluminium body panels. Nice smoothed corners and you didn't crease the panels cutting them out with the snips. I used the same thickness aluminium for the body panels on the nose cone of my half track and mine looks like a dogs breakfast by comparison. Well done.

[Grastens]

Excellent work! You did a wonderful job on the panels; that front bonnet/hood in particular looks professional!

[zomboided]

That's ace! Love the cage buggy look

[JennyMo]

Thanks guys - and yes, I was particularly pleased how the bonnet turned out!

I've decided to mess around with a mk2 version of the side panels - I've got just enough aluminium left over to make another pair of a slightly simpler design - hopefully they will come out nice and smooth too!

Jx

[IBIFTKH]

Very cool! In the third pic where the cage is just sat on top of the chassis it looks like a non-starter. But now it all looks made to measure. Very nicely done.

[JennyMo]

Very cool! In the third pic where the cage is just sat on top of the chassis it looks like a non-starter. But now it all looks made to measure. Very nicely done.

Yes - I missed out a photo yesterday (now edited the original post) showing how it looks once the lower panels of the cage were cut off, and how it fits very neatly around the metal chassis...

I hoped it would work, so took a punt on this cage - and since it cost less than than a tenner (from the USA) I felt it was worth the risk - in fact the postage was more than the cage!

Jx

[JennyMo]

OK, so following on from above, I decided to try and simplify the side panels - making them a bit deeper (and without the lip that folds under the cage), and removing the upper triangle - obviously Willy needs as much over-the-shoulder visibility as he can get ;o)

So this is where I am now:

Close up - I'm sure some stickers will find their way on there in good time...

And showing off the four-wheel-steering:

The stock crawler has a pretty limited steering radius to be honest, especially with everything locked up the way it is... fortunately the rear axle is exactly the same as the front, and the various spare parts are all available online in the USA, so I just bought a second servo, servo brackets, steering links and a few odd screws, and bingo! Of course the only other thing I had to incorporate was a servo Y-lead that had a reverser circuit (so the two connected servos turn the opposite way), otherwise all it would do is crab sideways of course!

For the moment, the cables are loose up front, but ultimately once all four lights are wired in I'll tidy everything up... I also really want to change the shocks for something softer...

Oh, and I'd better get the paints out on Willy's suit too of course!

More soon!

Jenny xx