Grasshopper Refresh

[speedy_w_beans 4272]

Last summer I built a Grasshopper for running at the beach, and after a few runs in the sand it's been sitting on the shelf since then. We have another vacation scheduled in a few months, so I wanted to refresh this model in preparation for the trip. This is about all I've been able to do over the past two months...

The main change to the chassis compared to last year is I drilled two holes in the battery tray to expose bullet connectors on a shorty LiPo pack. Some bubble wrap takes up the extra open space under the steering servo, but that will be replaced with a wood block soon. The Castle ESC now has bullet connectors on it to connect directly to the pack. To compensate for the lighter battery pack, I plan to stick some weights to the back of the chassis tub so the rear suspension still (kind of) works. In its original configuration it actually drove pretty well in the sand, but it was almost unusable on asphalt and dirt. I just want to maintain the drivability in the sand.

Last year I didn't even bother painting the shell; the box art stickers were simply applied and that was good enough for the beach. This year I decided to customize the shell and make it more my own. Some primer, some paint, and a mixture of homemade decals and leftover Parma decals, and here is what I have now:

The steps for the homemade decals include the following:

- Print on matte sticker paper and use as paint masks.

- Spray the shell yellow.

- Remove the masks, exposing white underneath.

- Print on clear label sheets using a color laser printer.

- Apply over the exposed white areas for accurate/correct color presentation.

Since the decals are using fused toner and not inkjet ink, I think they'll last ok even when exposed to moisture. Previous tests turned out ok.

I hope you guys like it. This is just a refresh on one of my beach runners.

[shenlonco 1156]

watch out lipo and salt water not good make sure you seal it in a bag or something so it don't get wet.

O and the grasshopper looks GREAT!

[mongoose1983 3335]

Looks awesome. You did a great job with that GH!

[mr crispy 2293]

Great work with the paint and decals. Did you seal them in with a varnish? That'll help them and reduce the wear on the paint. Don't forget the driver

[Axeboy 297]

Love it, that looks great both inside and out.

Never had a grasshopper but thats tempting me

[i_am_scarecrow 913]

Lovely looking car! I love my grasshopper, it gets used almost every day and has many battle scars but it keeps coming back for more!

[Fruitfly01 596]

That's a nice and tidy little buggy. I bet it's a handful with Lipo power.

Tell me, what is the point of filling up the space under the servo with Bubblewrap or wood or anything at all? I thought that bit of space there helped when getting batteries in and out of the chassis (not in your case, of course).

[Skottoman 306]

Really looks great in that color scheme, and the decals are a nice change to see.

Bet it is a real monster in the sand with that Castle motor in there!

Tempting to get one, as I had one as a kid, but have not purchased a Re-re...

Great work!
Cheers,

Skottoman

[speedy_w_beans 4272]

Thanks, guys, for the compliments.

The bubble wrap is only there to keep the shorty LiPo from sliding back and forth in the battery tray; with a normal stick pack the space would be completely used.

Last year I ran the same brushless system but used some 4200 mAh stick packs. It was plenty fast. The buggy would initially understeer when coming into a turn too fast, scrub off some speed, and then steer as expected. Hitting the throttle late in the turn would make it fishtail some, which was a lot of fun. Just setting up a couple ocean rocks as markers made for some fun lapping and power slides in hard packed sand. With the LiPo I'm expecting a little more top speed. The chassis needs another 200 grams of weight to make up for the lighter battery. It should still be a lot of fun this year.

[JeepnMike 150]

Maybe you could use the same foam in our B4s to fill the shorty LiPo gap?

http://www.hobbyking.com/mobile/viewproduct.asp?idproduct=51607

$1.99 too

[speedy_w_beans 4272]

That foam looks perfect. I'll check with my LHS first to save shipping and time.