H2Micr0's FJ45 Troop Carrier

[H2Micr0]

Woohoo!

The part I expected to have to wait a bit for came in today.

Considering I only purchased it on Ebay last Wednesday, it arrived today, all the way from China. Not a bad effort I say.

Oh, what is the part? A transfer case.

While looking for a transfer case, I look at the usual suspects, RC4WD for the Hammer, and GCM for there unit. The Hammer appealed to me more due to it's scale appearance, which is much more fitting for the Troopy.

I did a search on Ebay for scale transfer cases and was surprised to find this Hobby Transfer Case FOR SCX10 D90 RC4WD 1 10 RC Crawler 1 14 Tamiya Truck | eBay. A copy of the Hammer transfer case, with alloy mount bracket for around $58au delivered.

I thought there might be a bit of interest from other Aussie scale junkies and took a few photos as I inspected it.

















I am happy to report that it is really quite nice from a quality and finish perspective. It is disappointing that there was NO lubricant at all, and a newbie might just install it as delivered. As you can see I added some marine grease when I reassembled the transfer case.

The gears are nice and wide and there is excellent mesh between the gears. The four bearings on the output shaft is good to see also.

I added a touch of blue loctite to the screws as it went back together.

Now comes the fun part of relocating the SXC10 trans/motor forward and installing the transfer case.

This will need to wait until after this weekends comp, and for me to acquire another drive shaft.

Cheers
H2Micr0

[Honger]

Wow, love this troopy build. You managed to make that Lexan shell look quite scale.

[H2Micr0]

Originally Posted by Honger

Wow, love this troopy build. You managed to make that Lexan shell look quite scale.

Hey Honger.

Thanks mate. I am having a lot of fun putting it together, driving it, and then refining it.

Cheers
H2Micr0

[H2Micr0]

Took the Troopy to the TCP comp at Catherine Hill Bay on Sunday.

Had a lot of fun, did ok, and learnt a lot. Found the Troopy likes to do wheel stands up steep grades, and that it needed to be geared down a bit.

Hopefully what follows will achieve both.

I removed the SCX10 skid plate so I could work out how to mount the new transfer case. Much to my surprise Axial built in a recess right in the middle of the frames to allow for a transfer case and bracket to slip right in.







I just had to drill 4 holes to match the pattern in the alloy bracket, and it was done.

Then I played around with the SCX10 trans and motor and found a perfect spot for it to go.

Again using alloy stock from Bunnings I fabricated some mounts and bolted it all into place. Luckily for me the existing mounts for the rear front spring hangers could be used by swapping in some longer screws.











This setup keeps the weight forward and as low as I can get it, while still maintaining suitable clearances. I shortened the stock driveshaft and fit it between the transmission and the transfer case. I robbed a Junfac shaft from the FJ40 TT so I had all the mechanicals in place.

Next up was to mount the battery. Again the aim was to keep the weight forward as much as I could to counteract the current rear top heavy bias.





The 3s 2200mah batteries fit nicely between the fenders.

Now I can start planning out the interior and where to mount the ESC and other electronics.

I had a quick test drive on my home rock pile and so far it looks very positive. The transfer case is 1:1.5 and has made a huge difference to low speed crawling and the weight bias may have done the trick too. Time will tell.

I will have a video up later of the Troopy running around the rocks after the comp last weekend.

Cheers
H2Micr0

[Spizo43]

This is an awesome building. I love seeing new builds that aren't the same ol' type of rig.

[H2Micr0]

A mate and myself took my FJ's out on a trail run at Lake Parramatta.

Spent around 3 hours total driving and got some video of the rigs in action.

Part 1

FJ40 and FJ45 Lake Parra Oct 2013 Part 1 - YouTube

Part 2

FJ40 and FJ45 Lake Parra Oct 2013 Part 2 - YouTube

Cheers
H2Micr0

[H2Micr0]

I love my Troopy, and it was awesome fun to drive.

However, as a comp rig in Scale 1 it was far too top heavy and the rear overhang was to long to be competitive on the courses that were set.

So the Troopy body and rear bar work was carefully set aside and I stole the running chassis and combined it with the newly retired FJ45 Ute body from my Scale 2 rig, to create a more competitive Scale 1 comp truck.

To check that out, you can read about it in a new thread I will be creating soon.

But seeing as how I really missed driving the Troopy, I recently picked up a Honcho Roller chassis with out a trans or electrics. The goal is to get the Troopy up and running as a fun trail runner in full expedition/out back exploring mode, built to Scale 1 specs.

I am slowly piecing it all together and at the moment is a coil sprung rig with axial alloy links, and has some suitable wheels fitted.

Here are a couple of pics of how it is at the moment.





Look out for updates as the Troopy gets back on the rocks.

Cheers
H2Micr0

[H2Micr0]

The Troopy is back!!!!

I made the decision to return the correct chassis back to this rig.

The Green Class 1 FJ Ute has been retired and the leaf sprung chassis, with winch and bullbar will now reside where it belongs.

I wanted to finish this rig to be what I originally intended it to be, an expedition outback explorer that is self sufficient as all that is needed is either carried on the vehicle, or pulled behind it in a trailer.

I am pushing the scale level here, not to create a copy of a 1:1, but to give it that feel of realism.

I was happy to pick up a set of Yota 1 axles locally, practically brand new, for a good price. These look great under the Troopy on the leaf springs, and tuck the tyres in neatly under the flares. I also added some white sunraysia/wagon wheels to complete the look, and remounted the old RC4WD Tomahawks.

I have picked up a few scale items here and there, which I will go into more detail later.

I have also fabricated some anti wrap bars to prevent the rear leaf springs getting so bent.

I will be building an interior for this rig, which will be my first try, so we can all see how that turns out.

I took the Troopy out today for it's maiden trail run in this current configuration and grabbed some happy snaps, and some video, which I will link to when it finishes uploading.

Enjoy the photos.











Cheers
H2Micr0

[rjwalker]

Very nice work

[H2Micr0]

Well, the past week and a bit had some interesting developments.

I am very happy to announce that I have been selected as a Team Driver for The Scale Addict.

The Scale Addict is an online store specialising in Scale parts, wheels and accessories, including new and used items.

The Scale Addict


The Troopy also received some development.

But firstly I thought some pics of the scale items on the roof rack might be cool.





I have been collecting bits and pieces as I come across them for this build.

I also finally found time to install the number plates I ordered. I made up a couple of mounting frames and found suitable locations.









I recently picked up some RC4WD 1.55 Wagon Wheels and tiny Dirt Grabbers that I intended to use on a trailer, but curiosity got the better of me and I mounted the Growlers on them just to see how they look.

The size difference is quite dramatic.





I used stock foams to begin with, but the Troopy is a heavy rig and the tyres always looked flat to me. You can also see the exhaust and new mud flaps I installed.



So I played around with foams I had laying around and ended up with a triple layer of foam. Dual Stage Pit Bull Rock Beasts with the small inner foam from the Growlers on the inside. I am not running any weights.



Looks much better, and the tyre doesn't fold while turning now. The whole rig is more predictable now too and the additional clearance is useful.

I really like the look and performance of this combination.

The Growlers really hook up, to the extent this happened.



Opps. LOL.

The old Integy springs have served me well. I swapped in a pair of black RC4WD leaf springs and found they are much softer than the Integy ones. I had to add in the longer helper spring to lift the front back up and firm the spring rate. Now the rear springs are working better too.

I have more to add but will do that in another post.

Cheers
H2Micr0

[H2Micr0]

In preparation for building a basic interior, I found I needed to juggle all of the electronics to place it all down low under where the floor would be.



I also installed a cut off switch for the winch, as the standard winch controller has a case of the creeps on occasion.



And I found a way to hard mount the 'Key' plug which connects/disconnects battery power to the truck.



Next up is the interior.

Cheers
H2Micr0

[H2Micr0]

Oh, I do have another video of the Troop Carrier, this time out on the Forest Trail with a Trailer.

I hope you all enjoy and please leave comments.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gf_4lVx03wM

Cheers
H2Micr0

[LoneRanger]

video is great, have you done a write up on the trailer? it looks pretty slick!

L.R.

[H2Micr0]

Actually, yes.

H2Micr0's Tandem Box Trailer

There have been some changes to the design of the wheel and axle mount since this was done that I will update when I get time.

Cheers
H2Micr0

[H2Micr0]

Well, it appears I neglected to get any pics of the interior build for the Troopy, which is still progressing slowly. I seem to have other projects on the go at the same time LOL.

I have not however been neglecting the Troopy entirely and recently picked up a set of the Lightforce Driving lights. As these are an Australian branded product, I thought it only natural they should find a place on my Aussie Troopy.

I also grabbed some 3mm 5000mcd LEDs from Jaycar, a local electronics supplier, along with the appropriate resistors. The LEDs are wired up to run from the 3s battery and have an on/off switch. Don't need the lights running ALL of the time LOL.

Here are some pics of the finished install.









Cheers
H2Micr0

[H2Micr0]

The Troopy has been needing a servo upgrade for a while.

I have been using a Jaycar (local electronics supplier) 13kg servo in this chassis for a while, but with the weight of the rig and the sticky tyres, it was not doing a good job and always seemed slow and unresponsive.

I looked at the usual suspects from Hitec and Savox, but the price kept me from hitting the 'Buy' button.

Recently while out on a trail run with some mates, we got on the topic of servos, and one of the guys said he had been using a Tunigy branded servo for a while and said the price was right too.

So I got home and jumped on the Hobbyking website and did a bit of searching.

This is what I found.

Model - TGY- DS2509MG - Torque: 21kg @ 6v~30kg @ 8.4v Turnigy TGY-DS2509MG HV High Torque Digital Coreless Servo w/Alloy Case 30kg/.10sec/78g

Model - TGY- DS3509MG - Torque: 30kg @ 6v~40kg @ 8.4v Turnigy TGY-DS3509MG HV High Torque Digital Coreless Servo w/Alloy Case 40kg/.12sec/78g

At the time of ordering the higher spec servo was out of stock, so I went with the lower spec option.

Surprisingly I had them in my hands within two weeks, as these are international stock and not kept here at out local Australian warehouse.





Nice alloy case, with metal gears.

I installed it in the Troopy, still feeding it six volts for now, so it is operating at the 20kg spec. I plan to rejig the wiring feeding it the 8.4v later for the full 30kg rating.

As a test I decided to take the Troopy out and made a video to introduce my new FJ '40 Shorty' Trail Rig build.

Link to build thread - H2Micr0's FJ '40 Shorty' Trail Rig

Link to Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lT9LB9hMeMQ

I ran the Troopy for around 2 hours filming the video and the servo held up well. Only time will tell the rest.

Cheers
H2Micr0

[ProjectSCX10]

Long term review on that servo?

[H2Micr0]

Originally Posted by ProjectSCX10

Long term review on that servo?

Sadly it died after two outings.

Will go with a Hitec 7954sh when the cheapie I have in it fails.

Cheers
H2Micr0

[H2Micr0]

Well, the above servo lasted half way through the next run.

A bit disappointing really.

A quick change to a spare and I had the Troopy working hard out on the trails.













And some video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_fsD7MLKfk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IjILyYvt-M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PLB1z7cv1Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lsUgHw_pYY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dZGxd2p9kE


While I liked the 1.55 Pitbull tyres, I felt the were just a bit big for a scale rig. I ordered in some 1.55 RC4WD Fun Country tyres and new 1.55 white Steelies. I installed them with the stock foams.



The joys of running a heavy rig. More foam was added. Each wheel now has a 1.9 2 stage foam with the original 1.55 foam inside that.



First run with the new tyres before the rear foam upgrade.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSCNmbgTosU

Out exploring with the Shorty.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNTnaSl80es





Testing the new foam setup and dropped ride height. Felt it looked too tall with the smaller tyres on.



Went great.

The Troopy has also received a Yota 2 front diff upgrade and the recovery ramps are also a recent addition.

Cheers
H2Micr0

[northkona]

Nice work on the Troopy
I keep looking for Russell Coight in your videos tho !