A different ff-02 build

[XV Pilot 1936]

Those are the very ones, yes!

 

Swap addresses via PM?

[i_am_scarecrow 913]

Works for me 

[XV Pilot 1936]

And thus a deal was struck! Posts for posts.

 

[XV Pilot 1936]

Posts arrived in the post today!

Thanks Mr Scarecrow!

[XV Pilot 1936]

With the front posts trimmed and mounted, the shell can go on:

I know not won't be to everyone's tastes, but I really like how it looks with the Fiat shell. Wide, rugged and slightly bonkers, with plenty of ground clearance under a rounded shell with a happy "face", it puts me in mind of some of the more extreme Baja conversions I admired in my Beetle-modding days.

 

 

[Grastens 2795]

Looks good from here! It might benefit from some ostentatious stickers and/or a brightly-coloured shell, though  

[i_am_scarecrow 913]

That is brilliant, completely mad, but brilliant!!!

 

Glad I could help out a little 

[Effigy3 1267]

That looks pretty cool.  Do you think you might post a running video of it?  I'd love to see how it performs on loose dirt.

[XV Pilot 1936]

I am very interested to see how it performs on dirt too. It isn't quite a runner yet though - the receiver is still on backorder, and I have yet to install the servo and ESC. I'll certainly try to make a video of it once it is finished!

 

[twisty 8]

No time for sleep,is it done yet?

[XV Pilot 1936]

Sadly no - the receiver is still on backorder.

[XV Pilot 1936]

Not only is the receiver on backorder with Muddlesport - it is also on backorder with their suppliers apparently. I guess I won't be seeing it anytime soon...

 

I don't like the "robbing Peter to pay Paul" approach to modelling, nicking parts from a finished model to complete another, but sometimes impatience gets the better of me, as it has done in this case. With the weather looking good and the park looking inviting, I doubt I'll be using my drift car for a few weeks at least, so I have "borrowed" its receiver to get the Trophy Fiat running.

 

Here is the chassis with all its gear on board. 

 

I am quite pleased with my solution to switch mounting, far more secure than the double-sided tape suggested in the manual. I don't know why I never thought of it before!

[XV Pilot 1936]

A close-up of the switch solution:

 

[XV Pilot 1936]

The front posts are a bit short in stock form, so a TL-01 post extender is employed for a bit more height:

 

[XV Pilot 1936]

Took it for a short test run in the street earlier - very pleased with its performance! Video will follow shortly.

 

In the mean time, here is a "recipe" of parts required should anyone else want to build one like it:

 

1 x FF-01 or M-03 donor car

1 x 13485068 U-shaped shaft 

2 x 10005688 C-parts sprues (TL-01B suspension arms)

1 x 10445572 uprights (2 come on the 1 sprue)

2 x 12500023 threaded shafts (optional - you could use the fixed length tierods on the suspension sprues)

1 x 51283 reinforced adjuster (optional as above)

1 x 19805551 dogbones (2 in a pack)

1 x 53056 metal hexes (4 in a pack, optional but recommended especially in colder climates)

1 x 51238 M-03M F-parts (for the medium wheelbase chassis extenders, not required if the donor car was a M-03M)

1 x 50793 M-03 C-parts sprues (2 in a pack, for the body posts, not required if the donor car was a M-03)

A pair of pieces for extending body posts - can't remember what sprue they came on but it was part of the Stadium Raider kit.

Wheels, tyres, shell and electrics to taste.

[XV Pilot 1936]

54604 body mount extenders would also work in place of the mystery pieces I used.

[XV Pilot 1936]

 

 

[Effigy3 1267]

Did you choose that location because there was a 1:1 Fiat parked right there?  It seems to motivate quite nicely and you even got a little bit of drift/slide action going on.  Nice!

[twisty 8]

That`s ace,it looks very sure footed,i wonder how long it will take to eat those front tyres? what with all the wheelspin  

[XV Pilot 1936]

8 hours ago, Effigy3 said:

Did you choose that location because there was a 1:1 Fiat parked right there?  It seems to motivate quite nicely and you even got a little bit of drift/slide action going on.  Nice!

Not so much the location as the time - I waited until our neighbours' car was parked up in its usual spot.  I am quite pleased that it slides rather than rolling - makes for a fun drive and hopefully a long-lasting shell.

 

6 hours ago, twisty said:

That`s ace,it looks very sure footed,i wonder how long it will take to eat those front tyres? what with all the wheelspin  

The tyres are CC-01 "hockey pucks" that have a reputation for being virtually wear-proof, so I think they will last well. I am pleasantly surprised by how easily it lights up the tyres considering how tall the gearing is -the Torque Tuned motor is certainly living up to its name!

[XV Pilot 1936]

I finally had an opportunity to take the little Fiat to the park earlier today.

 

At first I was running Super Grippers on Stadium Raider wheels. However I found them a bit too grippy. With the Super Grippers installed, the combination of short wheelbase, forwards weight distribution and good brakes resulted in GF-01-style forward rolls when braking hard - not too good for the bodyshell. I was running on grass so no damage was done, but I think I prefer the CC-01 "hockey puck" BFGs as they don't result in this behaviour.

 

I popped the hockey pucks back on for the rest of the run, and had a great time with the car. The combination of light weight and relatively undemanding motor give excellent performance and runtime - it was darting around my wife and I as we walked all the way around Hartsholme Lake, and still had enough charge left to scamper around on the open grassy area near the carpark for a while. And that was on an inexpensive 3000mAh NiMH!

 

The Torque Tuned motor is quite impressive for a glorified silver can, able to be geared ridiculously tall without overheating or bogging down. I am running what are effectively buggy-size wheels on a gearbox designed around 60Ds, and still lighting up the tyres. Not bad at all!

 

[XV Pilot 1936]

 

 

[Badcrumble 4201]

Cute!

I do wish it were yellow though....

You have inspired me for a future Fiat-based project. Perhaps that one will be yellow.

[XV Pilot 1936]

I kinda wish it was yellow too. The blue and black shell was one I had painted up previously, before seeing the picture that inspired this build. If I were to start with a fresh shell, it would be yellow for sure. 

[XV Pilot 1936]

And here's another version of the video, manually edited this time without all the silly effects: