TheGizmodi 211 Posted April 12, 2021 Following on from my M03 Mini repainting, I decided to have another project on the go during the down time between painting and other jobs! I have always loved the Tamiya Beetle line up, especially the Monster Beetle, but this came up locally for sale virtually new in box and at a great price so I couldn't say no! Wanted to go in a non-box art direction for a change, it came with 2 shells, a Poly shell and the original ABS hard plastic. So technically I am doing both, box art with the Lexan and something more custom with the ABS body. I wanted a more madmax off road look so went with the AS line of paints and settled on AS-29 Grey Green: Was going to paint the wheels black and leave the outer rim orange as an accent color (still may do that!) but as of now I've left them OEM Orange with the windscreen wipers giving the same accent color on the body. I added some generic crawler accessories to give it a more offroad / offgrid look. Toying with the idea of a roof rack, but not 100% sure yet. Has anyone uprated one of these? shocks (front feels super soft!) Already has uprated sealed bearings all around, also looking for a rear louvre for the back window! Shaped3d or whatever the website is has 1 but they haven't got back to me yet after I reached out so any ideas would be great! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Killajb 1546 Posted April 12, 2021 Love the look you have on this ride!! I think it is screaming out for a roof rack with integrated lights. Mind you, it will add to the overall top-heavy addition of the plastic shell but it seems as though you are concerned with the scale looks a bit more than simply bashing around. The chassis can (and probably should) be reinforced where the front clip mounts to the main chassis tub. On my Blitzer Beetle, the front end seemed very light and I added weights to balance things out and made a big difference when accelerating and turning under power. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheGizmodi 211 Posted April 12, 2021 Thanks for that. Yeah I've been measuring the roof line for various racks on ebay so think I will order one of those. I agree it will go with the look. This shell is a shelf queen so not really worried about the weight distribution. The lexan can take all the bashing!! Lol Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Killajb 1546 Posted April 13, 2021 I'd still go about bracing the chassis and balancing the weight better F/R. The chassis was originally designed to carry a mechanical speed controller, servo and heavy NiMH battery to add to weight distribution. However most opt for a faster motor, esc and 2s pack which makes for a wheelie-prone and understeer driving experience. That may be fun for some, and I don't disagree as each has their own preference. The chassis however does have a weak point during frontal impact or a hard landing where the front comes down first. @Pintopower makes a good brace or you can make your own solution if need be. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheGizmodi 211 Posted April 13, 2021 20 hours ago, Killajb said: I'd still go about bracing the chassis and balancing the weight better F/R. The chassis was originally designed to carry a mechanical speed controller, servo and heavy NiMH battery to add to weight distribution. However most opt for a faster motor, esc and 2s pack which makes for a wheelie-prone and understeer driving experience. That may be fun for some, and I don't disagree as each has their own preference. The chassis however does have a weak point during frontal impact or a hard landing where the front comes down first. @Pintopower makes a good brace or you can make your own solution if need be. oooh that looks nice, I may have to get one of those! Is there a direct link to purchasing one? As a side note, my roof rack came today and I just starting fitting it: It was a little too big initially due to the curvature of the roof line, so I had to get the trusty Dremel cutting wheel out and do some bush fixing! Personally love how the longer more low profile racks look in relation to the shorter taller ones specifically for the monster beetle and the like. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Killajb 1546 Posted April 14, 2021 Looks good!!! I agree with the longer roof rack as well, looks more useful if things were used as such at full-scale. I think the video lists links where those braces can be purchased when viewed on YouTube. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheGizmodi 211 Posted April 14, 2021 yeah i reached out to them on shapeways! Just got to decide what color to use. Decided to black out the wheels and then sand back the rim to give a touch of color and accent after some feedback from some other members. Orange rim accents the wipers, while the black hubs match the roof rack! 6 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Exit13 673 Posted April 26, 2021 That’s a great looking buggy and I do love the falcon chassis 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheGizmodi 211 Posted April 26, 2021 Thanks, I appreciate it. I think it's time to source some new Hopup shocks and start on my lexan body to finish up the set with box art! Busy for the next 7weeks though with monster workload so not sure when I can fit it in! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites