Bouncer Beetle - part 1
Model: (Click to see more)
47201: TLT-1 Rock Buster
Status: Extra info
Date: 20-May-2019
Comments: 0
Status: Extra info
Date: 20-May-2019
Comments: 0
So a week ago I went out for a drink with a mate. We were planning our trip to the G6 Recon happening in just 5 days time. He has a TRX-4, I have my SCX10 and my Budget Bruiser home-brew. He was hoping to buy a second rig, but cash hadn't worked out, so we only had 3 between us. 4 would be nicer, as the G6 venue (Blackrocks in Derbyshire) can be tough on cars, it's a long day of hard running and it's 3+ hours drive from home - that's a long way to go to suffer a breakdown on the 3rd gate of the 1st course and be carless for the weekend.
I said I probably had enough parts to build a Class 3 scaler but I doubt I had the time or inclination to actually build it before the event. But the appeal of having 4 rigs between us was too much to ignore.
The following night I jumped up into my storage area and started pulling out everything I could find. I knew I had some TLT axles (actually I had some built, unlocked axles that I wanted to use on my Project Ringbearer rebuild, and the built and locked axles on Project Ringbearer would be just right for this, with their 4-link servo mounts and sump guard, so part 1 of the project was stripping down Project Ringbearer to get at the good axles, and leaving the other axles in the Ringbearer box for another day). I found an Axial transmission that I forgot I had, a pair of Axial chassis plates, some random Maverick Scout bits and even some Proline 2.2 wheels and tyres that I bought for just this sort of project, over a decade ago. All I needed was a body, but despite having several very bashed hardbodies and a brand new and very detailed Jeep from Asiatees, nothing really stood out.
Then I found it - my old Monster Beetle body! This was another random TC trade acquisition from many, many years back, and it's been on all manner of things since then, from a shortened TL01 autocross car to a Brat re-release to a TA-03FS drift car. It came to me with an original nosecone, unpainted and quite battered. I gave it a coat of Halfords matt black and some Hotshot decals around 13 years ago and it's never been repainted since. It suffered a big impact at a bash in South Wales probably 10+ years ago, splitting it down the middle, and the shell was stitched up with cable ties. I've always loved its crazy looks, but I've never had anything to run it on.
Until now.
Originally I'd planned to build a pickup-bodied 2.2 rig, but I didn't have a worthy pickup shell and the Axial chassis plates lent themselves more to a rock bouncer than a proper pickup. So here it is - a collection of parts that will go to make the finished rig:
And a rough idea of how it might look when it's all together:
If you liked those pictures, you should see these...
Bouncer Beetle - part 2
I said I probably had enough parts to build a Class 3 scaler but I doubt I had the time or inclination to actually build it before the event. But the appeal of having 4 rigs between us was too much to ignore.
The following night I jumped up into my storage area and started pulling out everything I could find. I knew I had some TLT axles (actually I had some built, unlocked axles that I wanted to use on my Project Ringbearer rebuild, and the built and locked axles on Project Ringbearer would be just right for this, with their 4-link servo mounts and sump guard, so part 1 of the project was stripping down Project Ringbearer to get at the good axles, and leaving the other axles in the Ringbearer box for another day). I found an Axial transmission that I forgot I had, a pair of Axial chassis plates, some random Maverick Scout bits and even some Proline 2.2 wheels and tyres that I bought for just this sort of project, over a decade ago. All I needed was a body, but despite having several very bashed hardbodies and a brand new and very detailed Jeep from Asiatees, nothing really stood out.
Then I found it - my old Monster Beetle body! This was another random TC trade acquisition from many, many years back, and it's been on all manner of things since then, from a shortened TL01 autocross car to a Brat re-release to a TA-03FS drift car. It came to me with an original nosecone, unpainted and quite battered. I gave it a coat of Halfords matt black and some Hotshot decals around 13 years ago and it's never been repainted since. It suffered a big impact at a bash in South Wales probably 10+ years ago, splitting it down the middle, and the shell was stitched up with cable ties. I've always loved its crazy looks, but I've never had anything to run it on.
Until now.
Originally I'd planned to build a pickup-bodied 2.2 rig, but I didn't have a worthy pickup shell and the Axial chassis plates lent themselves more to a rock bouncer than a proper pickup. So here it is - a collection of parts that will go to make the finished rig:
And a rough idea of how it might look when it's all together:
If you liked those pictures, you should see these...
Bouncer Beetle - part 2