Jump to content
Kingfisher

1/12 pan car body on M-chassis - Trial and errors

Recommended Posts

I intend to use this body for speed runs. This body will eventually get destroyed. I am not going for perfection or master modeler status here. I got the body from SabulaTech on eBay. It was listed as an error body, and only cost $7.99 USD. The error on the body was at the bottom of the shell in the back, and I planned to cut that part off anyways. So, at that price, I figured why not experiment. I picked up two of this body and one of another style. My idea was to make it fit an M-chassis with a heat gun, and see what happens. Maybe there's something to learn here about reshaping poly-carbonate bodies. I may make a second attempt at this using a mold that I am working on from a block of wood. I do have plans to get an RM-01, so I may save the other error bodies that I got for that.

 

Here's how the body sat on top of the M-05. The body is resting on the top of the shocks.

 

25994211947_b68e42896d_b.jpg

 

I screwed the back of the body down to a board. I used random objects as spacers to keep the chassis from rolling backwards, which also kept it lined up with the wheelbase.

 

25994210817_54183944a2_b.jpg

 

I rested a somewhat heavy book on the uncut part of the shell. My idea was that the weight of the book would pull the body down as the heat gun softened the body.

 

40158070614_4eae29a68d_b.jpg

 

I used a damp towel to keep the heat from going where I didn't want it to go. I used the heat gun on a low setting and now know that this step was unnecessary because the heat wasn't that extreme. 

 

40158066714_e668bac350_b.jpg

 

I made a video of the heat gun process showing the body coming down. The entire video was 12 minutes long. I shorted it down to about 3 minutes. The audio is off, but it's just the sound of a heat gun. 

 

 

When I was finished, the shocks were not too hot to hold. They had some heat, but nothing that would cause damage to the chassis. As I said, the heat gun was on low, which is rated at about 350 degrees. For the last few seconds, I did run it on high, but over a larger area. 

 

Here's how it looked afterwards. 

 

26996139098_6b8bcdcc5b_b.jpg

 

40825043852_be3a8840c9_b.jpg

 

It now looks like a Sting Ray, which was the decider of my color choice. I expected the body to sit lower than it did once trimmed. I now know to pull the body down further if I am to attempt this again. I also expected it to melt down and bubble out in a much bigger area. I did not expect it to take the exact shape of the top of the shocks. I've started carving away at a block of wood that I may use as a mold for the second attempt. My thinking is that this will give a much bigger spread, rather than taking the shape of the parts around it. 

 

Trimmed:

 

26996138188_549ee448eb_b.jpg

 

40825042932_c9e18ce299_b.jpg

 

M-05 rear body mounts did not clear the body. I has some extra body mounts on hand, and drilled and screwed them into the rear bulkhead for the droop screws.

 

39056593920_ce09192fab_b.jpg

 

The front mounts are M-05.

 

26996136498_c6f4ebc167_b.jpg

 

And a quick spray of Tamiya Gun Metal paint.

 

26996136148_853d224f91_b.jpg

 

26996135798_7712888964_b.jpg

 

I'm going to run it like this and see how it does. If I can improve on it by making a front spoiler to get rid of some of that ground clearance, I may do so. 

 

 

 

  • Like 3

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Neat result with the heat gun!  I bet you could take it to the next level too...

In all seriousness, the heat gun did work pretty nicely.

 

  • Thanks 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Um...err.... your car has sprouted some boobies! :lol:

In all seriousness that looks awesome.

What about the underside of the she'll? Have you thought about whether ground effects might make a difference? (Although you'd need a surface to run on flatter than a snooker table...)

  • Haha 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

If you're thinking of continuous high speed running... I think that shell has much more downforce at the front & windscreen than at the tail; the rear downforce is what you need to keep it planted & going in a straight line. Pans usually clip on a rear wing. 

Also the bodies need extra support - as a minimum an extra post at apex of roof plus a proper shovel bumper to keep the nose off the ground.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
10 hours ago, WillyChang said:

If you're thinking of continuous high speed running... I think that shell has much more downforce at the front & windscreen than at the tail; the rear downforce is what you need to keep it planted & going in a straight line. Pans usually clip on a rear wing. 

Also the bodies need extra support - as a minimum an extra post at apex of roof plus a proper shovel bumper to keep the nose off the ground.

Thanks. This was a trial. If I am to do it again, I'm going to try to pull the shell down further so that the body sits lower on the chassis. The roof just behind the cockpit sits right against the top rails of the M-05 chassis. There's no space between the body and the chassis right there. The servo and rod just barely fits into the dome of the roof.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Thsts does look cool,  good job with the heat gun.... hope it works out for the speed run we need some more M Chassis on the board ;)

  • Thanks 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Cool! You weren't kidding about the stingray resemblance either:

stingray-ocean-floor.ngsversion.14114041

Would that inspire the rest of its paint work, I wonder?

In any case, it seems you have quite a unique entry into your local club's M-chassis class!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On 3/18/2018 at 3:48 PM, Grastens said:

Cool! You weren't kidding about the stingray resemblance either:

 

Would that inspire the rest of its paint work, I wonder?

In any case, it seems you have quite a unique entry into your local club's M-chassis class!

Yep. That's why I chose gun metal as the color. Unfortunately, no local clubs here. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Oh well on the clubs... Are you thinking of additional decals, or going with the stingray's natural camouflage? ;)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×
×
  • Create New...