My new re-re Monster Beetle build!

[vtgrrrs 4]

I decided to treat myself to a new Monster Beetle being one of the kits I always longed for as a kid.

It arrived early this week - an early Christmas treat for me!

[vtgrrrs 4]

I actually made a start on this yesterday and got this far.

[vtgrrrs 4]

And today I tried to move on to the next stage by adding the second chassis brace and attaching the switch. This should have been a 5 minute job but disaster struck and has taken about 2 hours!

I couldn't find the part despite looking for ages. This resulted in me trying to make my own out of metal rod I had to hacksaw to size and then using 2 cut down rawlplugs, superglue and solder to secure it whilst protecting the chassis. Pics are below.

And from the side.

Looks pretty tidy. Of course tonight I have found the missing part down the side of the sofa. Grrr! Thus followed another 30 minutes of trying and, eventually, succeeding in removing my fix and fitting the correct part. At least I know my DIY fix would have worked - it was a swine to remove!

Hopefully the rest of the build will be smoother and I can get another update before the weekend is over.

[Pablo68 1049]

I'm pretty sure the instruction book in mine didn't say to put the second support strut/shaft thing in. So I left mine out.
Seems ok so far.

[vtgrrrs 4]

Yeah, the picture for that stage wasn't perfect but it was the and since I found the part I felt I should do it properly.

I've made a bit more progress so now have the chassis built, the steering and most of the electrics done. Next up is the gearbox which might be tricky. Hope to have it done between Christmas and New Year. Hasn't been too difficult so far apart from losing lots of fiddly bits and then spending ages trying to find them!

[vtgrrrs 4]

Also my ESC seems to have 3 motor connections but the motor only has 2. Any ideas what the 3rd one is For?

[TeaMonster 506]

Third one(orange) is for a brushless motor 👍

[s howell 28]

It is a great kit but im not a fan of extra unused bits so put a different esc in mine, the body will be fun to paint saving mine for the christmas break.

[vtgrrrs 4]

Thanks for the info about the extra wire. I've made slow progress with it being be Christmas period. However I have finished the gearbox and rear axles. Mind you that silvery anti wear stuff you put on the axle parts is horrible to use. Anyway it's starting to take shape now. I'd guess I'm well over half way now.

[Rb4276 803]

I had a monster beetle in the late 80s. Does it still have the plastic motor mount to attach to the gear box? I remember that used to be a pain. Also the steering blocks used to break very easily and Parma made an almost indestructible blue plastic set. I also,had a thorp diff and dog bones. Probably one of my favorite Rcs I had growin up

[vtgrrrs 4]

Yeah, it still has it. I've managed to make a bit more progress. I've actually got past the stage pictured below

I've got the wheels on too and tried to run it. My battery wasn't fully charged and the ones in the control were also low, but when I turned it on the steering turned to the right and wouldn't respond. Also, the buggy began to move forward slowly despite me not pressing anything and the radio being set to neutral. It wouldn't reverse either.

I'm hoping it's the batteries and I'll change them tomorrow to find out. If its not sorted I might need some advice!

Also, I seem to have lots of spare bits in the kit which is a bit concerning although I'm sure I've followed every step. And there doesn't seem to be a rear window in the kit! Is that right?

[vtgrrrs 4]

Well, I've changed the batteries and it all seems to be working well. Hooray! I've got some photo's of the truck with the wheels on, the body and driver and then the whole thing finished.

I also decided to take a photo my collection (all 4 of them! - small I know) with their boxes.

[XV Pilot 1936]

4 isn't a bad size for a fleet. I went for years with only 2 in my fleet (FF-01 and DF-01) and I was quite happy.