Hardware Shipbreakers LAV part 1

 Way back in 2015 I came across the concept art for Hardware shipbreakers a computer game that eventually became Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak. In it were a couple of interesting off road sci-fi vehicles that caught my eye as possible subjects for rc models, the Baserunner and the LAV or Light Attack Vehicle. In this old post I toyed with building a Baserunner loosely based on the original concept art and had 6 massive RC tyres set aside for it. In the end I didn't like my take on it (I prefer the concept art version) and then more recently used the tyres on my own design project the Bogger 6X6.

Base Runner original concept art.

The LAV project however has not been abandoned.  

What I like about the concept art is that it is in a very loose photographic/painterly style which I find appealing and the designs look like they could actually work off-road. Many concept artists design supposedly off-road vehicles like they would sci-fi road cars, wheels and tyres with very small gaps between them and the wheel arches. This leaves absolutely no space for suspension travel. The concept artists of Blackbird, the developer of the game, seem to understand this and their designs are much more practical particularly in regard to RC vehicles which generally have a massive amount of suspension travel.

I felt the very boxy slab-sided body shape would be readily able to be scratchbuilt.

LAV exiting the Baserunner concept art.

Early unused LAV game asset.

I started on the LAV chassis some years ago. I had 4 Imex Jumbo Maxx chevron tyres which I thought would fit the bill for the LAV. I cutout the side view of the LAV from one of the concept illustrations in Photoshop and enlarged it so the tyre diameter matched that of the Jumbo Maxx tyres then printed it out full size to get a sense of the size and scale of the project.

LAV isolated from the background

The next step was to build a custom extended chassis employing Traxxas E-maxx suspension with a traxxas Summit two speed transmission.

Two sets of E-maxx chassis braces were cut up and attached to a 3mm aluminium plate. The aluminium I had on hand wasn't quite long enough so I added a short length at the rear. The front set of braces had to be spread further apart than normal to clear the Summit transmission. The front braces were supported by another custom 3mm aluminium plate underneath while at the rear the original E-Maxx plastic plate was used. Additionally a 2mm aluminium plate joined all the plastic braces in the centre and stiffened up the chassis. The rear drive shaft was extended with some aluminium tube epoxied to the original plastic uni joints.

The suspension was beefed up with the stiffest aftermarket springs I could find as the custom body will be much heavier than a lightweight vac formed piece of lexan the E-maxx bodies are made of.

The motor is a brushed De-Walt drill motor using a cheap brushed 12v-24v ESC. It has a lot of surface rust from sitting in my workshop for a number of years. There is one steering servo and a small gear shifting servo.

Also made quite some time ago was a cardboard mockup of the body to check the proportions and see it will fit on the chassis.

That was where the project sat for a number of years until now.

More recently I have been making the body from PVC foamed sheet mostly 3mm with some 6mm.

 I have had to make some adjustments to the proportions here and there to get it to fit mostly around the front suspension, widening the nose and modifying the angles of the windscreen section a bit to compensate.

Side panel with mock sliding door.

Windcreen frame done in 2D CAD and printed out on paper fullsize.

1MM styrene window frame being cut out.

2mm perspex windscreen and side windows fitted.

Side window frame templates.

Plastic grid glued in behind slots in nose.

Solid 8mm square ABS rod glued inside as strut detail.

Half round strips glued to roof.

Thanks for looking.

More soon...

Reverse Trike Part 4 Finished

The Reverse Trike project is the third model in this latest push that has now been completed and just in time for the setting up the Supanova display tomorrow (Friday 22 June 2018).

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

It wasn't easy going either, the low tack masking was lifting the top colour from the primer which meant I had to do repairs on the paint job which was a real nuisance. I solved the problem by using a hair dryer to heat the masking tape as I slowly peeled it off after spraying the decorative markings. I'm not sure what caused the top coat to be so fragile in the first place, probably putting on one thick coat in the first place instead of lot of light coats. The trouble being that I was in a hurry to get it done in time.

I took all the photos of the finished vehicle and then decided to test out the radio control aspects, which all worked fine. After the test outside in the driveway I returned it to the bench and then stupidly turned off the transmitter first (which you should never do). It sat there quietly while I went to do something else and then suddenly when into full throttle, flew of the bench, bounced off some saw horses and hit the ground snapping off part of the right fender where the headlight is attached. Much groaning ensued and then I had to set to and do a hasty repair and repaint of the damaged area. It doesn't quite look as good as new but it is going to have to suffice.

Here are the photos of the completed project taken before the damage.

Three projects brought to completion in 2 weeks, that's got to be a record for me. I'm actually a bit knackered but I do enjoy being in the shed.
Posts will probably get back to being more infrequent again as my holidays are nearly over and I dont have the Supanova display deadline looming any more.
My priority is to continue finalising old projects with one of the oldest vehicle projects in much the same state of completion as the Explorer was. I may also then return to one of the spaceship projects as I haven't finished one of those in a while.

Thanks for looking.
More soon...

Explorer part 6

Finally after over 5 years this project is finished. Most of that time it was just sitting there, the last time I did any major work on it was 2014. All it needed was a cockpit and a paint job and finally it has both bringing it to a better late than never conclusion.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5.

I had always planned for it to have a predominantly NASA white colour scheme and I ended up going for a cream off white colour which was then heavily weathered in the usual way with one exception. This time  after the poo juice and white dry brushing I brushed clay powder over it, getting it to gather on horizontal crevices and then spraying it with iso-propyl alcohol to set it in place. I suspect it could be easily wiped off again but for now it is doing the job imparting a realistic dusty appearance.

 

The lighting is working better than I expected, particularly the cabin interior light coming from the control console. It really lights up the occupants well. I also took some photos at night with all the room lighting out so the figures are just lit from the model's own light.

If you have followed along with this project from the start the main issue has been the weight of the scratch built body. I used a lot of plywood in the structure. Now five years on I would do it differently, choosing foamed pvc sheet or even high impact styrene which can be built a lot lighter and it's easier to prime as there is no grain. The weight gain at the front once the cockpit was added meant I had to add a second extension spring to each side of the suspension arms to hold it up without sagging.

I've got one more model I would like to complete before Supanova, the Reverse Trike. I'm not sure I'm going to make it as I am having some difficulty with the low-tack masking tape ripping the top coat off the primer, which is a new one for me, usually if the tape is going to lift the paint it takes the top coat and primer leaving the bare plastic surface. The other problem is the wet winter weather here at the moment is not conducive to painting at all.

Thanks to all the readers who have stayed with this project from the beginning, its been a marathon.
Thanks for looking, more soon...