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JennyMo

ebaYJeep - aka. "Daydream B'leafer"

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cont.

Lights! - action!

Rather than try and fabricate my own custom LED loom (or find someone stateside who could make one for me), I took a punt on the RC4WD loom for their Chevy Blazer hard-body, as it had all the requisite size lamps, plus I factored would be about the right size to fit without too much modification...

Of course now I know why it took Richard and Nick took months to wire up Project Binky correctly - using a mix of chopping the existing loom and custom run extensions... arrrrrrgh!

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photo. The Blazer loom seemed perfect - a pair of 5mm White LEDS (headlights), two pairs of 3mm Orange (the front indicators and wing repeaters), and two pairs of 3mm Red lamps for my four rear/tail lights...

 

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photo. the initial test-fitting went well - and if I'm honest, there was only a couple of minor adjustments needed as the tail light strings were slightly too short for the routing I wanted to use.

 

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photo. with space at a premium under the bonnet (and around the bulkhead particularly) - I took my time to bundle everything neatly, secure the loom with zip-ties, before finally hot-gluing the wires into place.

 

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photo. One thing I realised once the headlight buckets were wired up, was that I'd need to trim the corners off the engine bay to allow the wires to clear and the body to fit on and off easily...

 

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photo. ... similarly, it turns out there was so little room in the transmission tunnel (for the primary prop-shaft), that the wiring loom needed to be recessed as far as it could into the tunnel - ultimately it all fits like a charm!

 

The other thing I had to do was slightly extend the string/s to the rear lights - as I wanted to run them up the middle of the rear battery compartment, and then out to either side behind the rear bumper... and ultimately decided to simplify the layout, so that rather than have four individual pairs of wires (one for each rear lamp), the two lamp feeds were joined together (under the floor in the recess between the rear bumper and inner wheel-arch liner), and then each side joined together again once inside the battery compartment too - meaning just a single [pair of wires] extension was required between the front and rear sections...

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photo. Is this a flux capacitor?

Ah - I should have realised that the rear lamps would have these little diodes on too (the front pairs did you see)... however, I took a punt, and because I now had a pair of LEDs on each string, plus they were ultimately all joined together before connecting to the rest of the main loom, it appears that all the lamps are working correctly without the need for these additional widgits (resistors?)* after all.

*It's worth noting that some of the LED strings you can buy [that plug directly into the receiver like these do], such as those I've had made up by Model Lighting Solutions in the UK don't appear to have any resistors in anyway - they just work directly off the voltage from the Rx.

 

cont.

 

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cont.

So, just a few more minor details before the final big reveal!

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photo. With all this messing around underneath (and the body being upside down on the workbench and my lap), once again my open-top design revealed a potential weak spot - this window joint keeps breaking, and although I've made it look like a rusty/welded repair with glue, ultimately it's going to need a hand I fear...

 

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photo. ...and here is that hand! - a checker-plate brace (an off-cut of aluminium plate I'd been using) - complete with 'rivet' heads created by stamping the alloy with a nail punch*

*Note originally I had intended to do this with all the interior door panels too, but in practice it didn't look as good/consistent as I'd wanted, so simply glued those panels in place (as I had with the exterior). It is, after all, still only a model... ;o)

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With the body finally screwed to the chassis, it was time to fit the seat belts, and also get Ozzy secured behind the wheel at last!

 

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photo. I'd hoped the Yeah Racing belts would be long enough to reach the tops of the rear shock towers, and they are with these neat brackets attached - note. these are actually spare shackle mounts that I had left-over after changing the longer Chinese spring shackles for the shorter RC4WD versions. 

 

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photo. currently I've elected to cover the dashboard with aluminium tape too - although I consider this a temporary measure for the photos, as my plan is to ultimately have a wooden dash as well - either in matching Cherry (if I can find some 3/4" wide strips), or even Walnut or something similarly retro! The Jesus handle is made from a length of the same aluminium rod used in the rear floor - again, whether this is the final version, I'm not sure yet...

One other thing I'd realised when trying to fit Ozzy initially was that his left leg/foot was actually slightly too long to fit with the new upper section of bulkhead now glued in place - so I had to trim the back of his leg and bend it (using a heat gun) and glue it (using Araldite/JB Weld) into more of a right angle, and touch in the denim paint too of course... although in the interests of moving this thread along, I've spared you the surgery photos ;o)

Finally, I took the opportunity to add a few more stickers prior to the big reveal:

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photo. I got a selection of RC4WD stickers with one of my [many] orders! note. the Cherry wood deck has been sealed/polished with linseed oil.

 

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photo. on the front wing/scuttle panels, I thought it appropriate to add a few 'sponsor' decals - particularly as I like the scale size and detailing of these that come with the respective RC4WD components.

 

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photo. a little rusting to the winch-bumper, and a dusting on the winch itself too.

 

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photo. Ozzy's watch is running on empty (a dash sticker from the Wild Willy decal set) and Moon Eyes in the centre of the steering wheel boss 8-)
 

cont.

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cont.

And finally for now - a few more details:

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photo. "Don't shine that light on me!" - Yeah Racing seat belts, repaired window frame.

 

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photo. RC4WD Hi-Lift jack, Axial Racing wipers (modified), and dirty windscreen.

 

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photo. DJ Designs fuel filler recess and cap (plus Tamiya decal), Axial Racing mirrors.

 

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photo. Ozzy's fuel-gauge watch.

 

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photo. Cherry wood (and aluminium) load-bay, RC4WD cooler/cubby. Yeah Racing 4-point seat-belts mount to rear shock towers.

 

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photo. RC4WD Warn 8274 winch (needs remote control to be fitted), Stinger style front bumper., CChand LED front indicators.

 

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photo. custom made blue shop-towel rolls (two in cellophane, one unwrapped ;o) in 3D printed milk crate.

 

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photo. Load-bed can carry full-size spare wheel [horizontally]...

 

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photo. ... or loads of junk! (DJ Designs Jerry cans, ProLine welder and tool tray/tools, milk-crate and towels).

 

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photo. cabin with cooler (contents to follow), and another milk crate full of old oily shop-towels (real old engine oil!) and worn grinder cutting discs (used Dremel discs), RC4WD torch on passenger seat, ProLine fire extinguisher, AMPro Eng. door furniture and gear levers.

 

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photo. 2nd battery location - note. winch remote will fit inside the seat-box, and 2nd battery can be connected to either the winch or to extend run-time of the motor.

 

Right, I now have to go and buy (or at least assemble) and extension cable for the battery connectors, as currently the routing does not allow quick-changing of the battery without removing the body, and I really want to avoid that in general!

Other things still to be added are a shroud for the steering column (I have a rubber gaiter from a Sand Scorcher steering assembly that should be perfect), some contents for cooler (including ice, beers and a bottle of vodka - rock n' roll!) and some other scale nic-nacs for the cabin too. Some of these parts are in the post, while others I have in my stash of spares that is currently in transit from the UK to US, so will take a few more weeks to arrive.

However, the most pressing issue is that once the vehicle is running, it is almost inevitable it will fall over at some point (although I have to say I'm impressed with the capabilities of the leaf-spring chassis in general, other than the limited wheel travel compared to a 4-link coiler - it has great ground clearance and the cheapy tyres appear to offer plenty of traction too), and I fear that Ozzy is going to suffer a serious head injury the moment that happens, not least since should the whole vehicle turn turtle, then the shear weight of it will mean the windscreen and especially the door frames are going to be [to paraphrase by Noel Fielding] "Crushed like a Twiglet"...

So I fear for this to be considered more than a sunny day cruiser - and indeed I built it to be a trail runner and casual crawler - then some sort of roll cage is going to be necessary after all... Fortunately (as I've mentioned previously) there is an off-the-shelf option for the Tamiya Wrangler [from RC4WD/CChand] that, while not exactly a competition style cage in that it is bolted to the body-shell and not the actual chassis, ought to provide sufficient protection to both the windscreen surround and the tops of the doors/Ozzy's gargantuan cranium*

*yes, he married an Axe Murderer too ;o)

 

More soon as they say, but for now, I need a little rest...

Toot toot!

Jenny x

 

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I have enjoyed every update in this build, and it has been a treat to watch it develop into this fabulous rig :)

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Thank you everyone!

I'm hoping to be able to sort my battery connector later on today, so with any luck I'll have some lit and running outside photos to add very soon!

Jx

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Another fantastic build! I have been silently following your builds since I joined the forum and it has been great to see how your skills and destinctive style have developed. I have to say that your builds have inspired me more than any others and I am hoping to follow in your footsteps to some degree if I can. I really like the way you show us things that go wrong as well as right, it has really encouraged me to try stuff and keep working on things until I figure it out. I am doing my first hard body at the moment on a lowride Pumpkin, and trying to make it my own with some wooden running boards, load bed and fences. Without your detailed and beautifully photographed build threads I don't think I would have had the guts to try my own things, but you make it all sound so fun and achiveable that it has encouraged me to try, and I am loving it! So basically, thank you! Only thing I could ask for is a photo of the different ends you use on your dremel, so I know what to get for which jobs! 

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Thank you for your kind words Bdongyface - that's what I love about this forum and the community as a whole, the sharing of ideas for inspiration, and the support of the club members in general!

As for my Dremel - I have the drill chuck mounted on mine as it's easier to quick-change the tips and it means you can also use a series of small drill bits in there there too of course (up to about 3mm, so ideal for RC work)...

I've ordered the tips from left to right, based on the most frequently used:

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1. thin cut-off wheel (you get a tube of about 36 of these discs as I recall, and you need them because they can snap regularly) - I prefer these really thin ones for neat cuts to plastic.

2. sanding drum - large, (they also offer a smaller diameter version which I also have for certain jobs) with replaceable sandpaper drums.

3. flat (cylindrical) reaming tool - this is good for nibbling out holes and rounding internal corners etc.

4. ball-end reaming tool - useful for creating texture for the rust/deterioration areas when weathering.

5. wire brush - I don't use this all that often, but used it for removing the paint on the steel wheels, and also for cleaning up metal like the winch-bumper welds etc. 

6. cone shaped grinding stone - this is great for making smaller holes in plastic slightly larger - for example: the side indicators on the Jeep - I initially drilled a 5mm hole, then increased the diameter to 8mm smoothly and neatly, without the danger of a larger drill bit mashing the plastic. 

7. flat (cylindrical) grinding stone - this works better on harder/metal parts than the sanding drum (and you can use it on plastic too) - there is also a larger diameter disc version too.

So there you go, my 'Magnificent Seven'!

Hope that helps...

Jenny x

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A few more scale bits and bobs arrived in the post this weekend:

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...and were duly installed in the Jeep:

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photo. voddy and fags close at hand... (still waiting for my ice cubes to arrive before filling the cooler with beer ;o) note. I attached the cigarette packet and torch with a small square of servo tape, to stop them sliding around and potentially getting lost when driving.

 

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photo. crisps and a big Yeah Racing cardboard box for the load-bay...

 

I also wired up a battery extension cable, so that either battery can be connected to the ECU and/or the winch controller (wireless remote still in the post) which will be mounted under the seats:

i-fCn23dz-XL.jpg

 

I have to say, the gearing with the Tamiya Torque-Tuned motor (25T) and the 5:1 gearbox, plus these axle differentials (not sure what ratio they are) is almost perfect as a trail-runner - still nice and controllable/torquey at slow crawling speed (although the cut-off/brake is almost too abrupt on the tall squishy tyres), but also with enough pace at full throttle for just above walking pace driving if needs be.

I need to get this outside now!

Jx

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Thanks so much for the dremel pic and breakdown, it really helps. There are so many different attachments available, it's good to know where to start! A few of those parts came in the starter pack I bought, it's great to know what I can try and do with them now! Thanks again 

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"Oi! - Ozzy! - Outside! - Naoooow!"

So let's take this outside eh?

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Photo. the inaugural run (with the body on) on the rockery... just after this photo was taken, he turned turtle and all the scale accessories fell out - lesson 1 learnt: take the 'dressing' out before running in future!

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photo. articulation is surprisingly good for leaf springs I thought - turns out those RC4WD guys know what they're doing!

Certainly crawling it around on the rocks, and also up and down a few curb stones (around 4" high), I was impressed how the Jeep dragged itself up and over stuff... yes it wagged a wheel in the air quite regularly, but the weight down low, coupled with what have turned out to be soft and sticky tyres means this is actually pretty capable as a crawler after all! I also really like the way the springs are already softening up and allowing the vehicle to walk over undulations in a realistic way.

 

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photo. good job I made those rear arches as wide as I did!

 

Finally for now, a few photos in the garage to show off the lights:

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One thing this run confirmed is that during that roll-over on the rocks (and again off one of the kerb stones), the window frame on the drivers side broke much as I'd suspected it would, so I'll be ordering a roll-cage from RC4WD after all - lesson 2 learnt: open-tops are cool for the beach, but not on the rocks...

More soon!

Jenny x

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Dedication, patience, attention to detail and brilliance in the extreme Jenny ;)

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You know that feeling of anticipation you get when you buy something online and you're not sure it's going to be perfect, or a bit of a disappointment...?

Well, my Wrangler cage arrived in the post yesterday:

i-pCPLCHH-XL.jpg

photo. Not as 'heavy metal' as Ozzy might have liked perhaps?

...and while the fit and finish seems pretty spot-on (I expect nothing less from CCHand to be honest, and especially for that price ;o), the tube diameter itself is perhaps a little more skinny than I would have preferred - being around 3.5mm (so 35mm in 1:1) diameter rather than a pukka 50mm cage.

Still, technically it's a 'roof rack' and not a 'roll-cage' anyway, and it ought to be correspondingly lighter of course (a good thing for centre of gravity on this open-top vehicle); and at the end of the day, it's meant to be functional - so as long as it protects Ozzy and the door-frames, I'm going to be happy enough with that off-the-shelf solution.

 

One good thing was that the rear mounting tabs appeared to offer enough real-estate so that I could drill a second mounting hole and fit the cage in conjunction with the existing side-rails - something I thought I might have to forfeit now - although a bit* of drilling and Dremel work would be required...

*how much, I can't begin to tell you! - something I thought would be a two-minute job turned into a two HOUR job just to drill a couple of 2mm holes - seems the metal they make this cage from is the same stuff Iron-Man uses for his suit!

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photo. Looks like tin-pot Chinese metal doesn't it? - turns out it's actually more like titanium!

After a lot of cursing, and a trip to Home Depot for some fresh drill bits, I finally managed to buzz a pair of extra mounting holes through the tabs - using a punch, a drill and a round file - seriously, this stuff is out-of this-world! ...actually it possible since the joints are welded, that the effective heat treating is what made it so difficult to drill with the small diameter bit required.

i-K9n5MRg-XL.jpg

Ultimately trimming the tabs down to a single mount meant they not only lined up perfectly with the holes (and buried nuts) I'd already incorporated in the side panel of the Jeep body, but meant they can mount together with the existing side-rails too as desired:

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photo. What do you think Ozzy? - "Erm, yeah, turns out it's pretty good actually... maybe it needs some spots or a light bar now too?"

I have to say, that was a bit of luck that everything lined up so well after all, as I really thought I'd have to forfeit the original side rails and get some shorter ones instead.

Furthermore, while the rack/cage may only be narrow diameter tube/rod, it seems incredibly strong - certainly enough to sit the car on it's roof now when working underneath - and I took this opportunity to fit the pair of 3000mAh batteries that also arrived earlier this week:

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photo. fortunately these Tenergy batteries have longer leads, so my extension cable is no longer required - and either battery can connect to the ESC lead (or winch control when it arrives) as required... Result!

 

So, in an effort to hide the slightly skinny nature of the tubing, I thought I'd have a go a wrapping the cage in some real foam 'lagging' - held in place with strips of electrical tape:

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photo. this is self-adhesive foam tape, cut into strips and wrapped around the tubes.

It's not perfect (looks a bit home brewed, but then this sort of thing often is of course!) - and ideally I'd find some actual tubular 'pool noodle' style foam in this dimension, but overall the effect is pretty authentic I thought?

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photo. Yes, OK Ozzy, maybe we'll get you an LED light bar after all then ;o)

The other thing is, the whole cage assembly can be complete removed with just four screws (although the dash ones are a bit a fiddle to reach each time), should I wish to display the car without the cage... so it's win all round really!

 

Oh, and I finished off the undercarriage with some shock boots (again, RC4WD) - so now I'd say Ozzy is finally ready for the trails!

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Wish me, and him, luck!

More soon!

Jenny x

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My wireless winch remote arrived from ebay today, and it's...

AWESOME!!!

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I had to wire it up - and the good news it's literally plug-and-play with the RC4WD winches (although interesting the red and black wires on the plugs are opposite way round, not that it really matters as you're reversing the current for the motor in/out anyway of course), and that 8274 is incredibly strong!

This was genuinely the first time I tried it (so forgive the rather clumsy filming - phone in one hand, swapping between remotes in the other!) - and it was too good not to share!

Richard Hammond eat your heart out!

 

I also tried it with my DJ Designs ground anchor/pull-pal, and that works too!

However, it's not all been good news today - with the opportunity to bed the vehicle in a bit more by driving it around in the garden, it turns out that the front diff has either worn or stripped teeth already - yes it's a heavy truck, and those are some grippy tyres - but it is disappointing that the moment the front wheels get any resistance now, the diff essentially spins and all front drive is lost, despite the prop still turning...

Now I know these are ebay cheapy axles - but they look suspiciously like the pukka RC4WD Yota II axles, and I'd be disappointed if the RC4WD ones had done this too after so little running... I'm going to open them up and see if there is a fix and/or see what other people have done to beef up the internals on the RC4WD version or otherwise, and see if I can't get things working again without resorting to some Dana 44s already!

Oh, and I snapped one of the wing mirrors off on a garden chair leg too, superglue to the rescue!

More soon,

Jenny x

 

ps. and interestingly, the two rear lights on the left side seem more dim that the right side, even though they are ultimately all wired together?

Still, it all adds to the scale authenticity I guess...

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"Daaaaaaaad, you've broken it already!"

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...having stripped the axle down, actually the build quality itself isn't so bad - rather it appears to be an assembly issue in that there is a lot of play between the diff and the two half-shafts, so that it moves side to side a good 1mm - enough for the teeth on the pinion to start skipping under duress.

My plan is to by a 5mm (I/D) shim kit and shim the differential on the half-shafts - plus put a rubber donut in each drive cup, so that the dog-bones snug up against the ends of the shafts too - hopefully eliminating any play that might occur when a wheel is loaded.

I'm also going to swap the [mistake?] 1050 inner bearings for some 1150s in the inside of the steering knuckles*, to see if eliminating the play there also helps to keep things properly aligned.

*For some reason, the 1150 housings have 1150 bearings on the outside, but 1050 bearings inside - presumably to give some extra 'play' in the steering on lock (unless it was a mistake) - but the effect is the stub axles wobble!

Jx

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"Daaaaaaaaaad! - your rider has arrived!"

i-zPWGq95-XL.jpg

The Volvic and Jack Daniel's bottles are particularly well detailed - and interestingly the Jack Daniel's label (which you also apply yourself) reads: "Jank Danini's" (presumably to try and avoid any US legal infringements) - although you really have to squint to see it's anything other than the pukka logo ;o)

Right, time to party - and celebrate we managed to fix that front diff by shimming the input shaft and diff bearings!

Jenny x

 

 

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The sun came out today, so I thought I'd have a go at rigging up my GoPro Session to the roll-cage:

(note. this picture is a still not a video ;o)

i-44LqKSk-XL.jpg

I think Ozzy and I are going to have a lot of fun with this in future!

Jx

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I managed to unpack some of my RC spares and tools that arrived from the UK this week, including of course some ice for Ozzy's fridge!

i-SGN9Z63-XL.jpg

It's thirsty work this trail driving... (on private land of course!)

Jx

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This is great! Are you a member over at Scale Builder's Guild? You should post this build over there... they'd love it!

Awesome work, although your driver is currently on my "you-know-what-list" for falling down the stairs and having to cancel his tour...

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On 4/22/2019 at 8:32 AM, markbt73 said:

This is great! Are you a member over at Scale Builder's Guild? You should post this build over there... they'd love it!

Awesome work, although your driver is currently on my "you-know-what-list" for falling down the stairs and having to cancel his tour...

Hi Mark - thank you for your kind words... yes, I've been a visitor to the SBG for a while now, and recently joined - primarily as I wanted to get their new sticker sheet with the 'One Wife, Livid' bumper sticker on for this build (as you say, Ozzy is always in the bad books for one reason or another ;o) - but they've sold out - denied!

I may well now put together a gallery style thread (with a few notes - rather than a full and detailed build thread) for this particular build over there too - as you say, it's the kind of thing that forum was designed for really!

Thank you again,

Jenny x

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