the Blackfly

[smog]

Here is a build that was mostly completed late last winter. I picked up this VP Chassis Kit and Origin body out of the local classifieds. Having recently completed my Phoenix Portal, I was pretty stoked on VP quality and the price was too good to refuse so I nabbed it.

The Shock towers had been hopped up to VP clear anodized alum, a nice touch for sure. I would have preferred the body unpainted but figured I could work with what was there. I have always liked the Origin body.

I had a set of AR44's kicking around from an abandoned builders kit and popped into my local hobby shop for a sweet set of VP links. So first I built it into a slider




A gratuitous workshop pic with my slider



I threw a set of neglected old Proline KR2's on it so it could roll. Then I started high-siding the body to lower the LCG some. The plan was to cage the rear of the interior which meant I needed to get the body to its final ride height. I photographed this, so this must have been where I stopped cutting



Then I started brazing some tube. I consider myself a novice and a hack with my brazing skills. I just make shit up as I go along. The goal is always to simply enjoy myself and learn from the mistakes (there are plenty).





After I got a base brazed up to build upon, for shits and giggles I chucked on this Proline Metric Cab to see how it might look. I would be lying if I didn't say I was tempted to change directions at this point. I quite like how this fit together





...anyway, I kept going, brazing away. Took it to here and began to wonder if this was a good idea

The good news is tube is light









As you might have already noticed I decided on a set of Incision MR307's for the build. I also wanted a most aggressive tire and so went straight for a set of Flat Iron's. As you can see here, there is quite a difference in these tires. The performance gains are equally striking when the going gets rough







Here are the bumpers I brazed up using solid rod and sheet









And square stock for the rear



Decided to size her up next to my Phoenix Portal. Lotsa sweet goodness here. Check out the SSD Pro44 Diamond Axle housings...







Decided to spare no expenses and picked up a sweet clear anodized 3 gear trans from my local hobby shop. It matches the wheel and shock towers and so sooo sexy





Paired it with a 2700kv Puller Pro, looks like a stubby. Stock gearing, this thing is fast and crawls dreamily





Painted up a basic Alibaba lexan interior, complete willy Wild Willy driver and some random resin head. I wanted a burly looking dude, so I used a big head and stuck a cigar in his gob. I am not-so-slowly going grey, so I figured this guy should be too.





I then painted the body meaner to seal the deal









,,,and lit




Thanks for checking out the build, all in all was a blast. I should likely have photographed it more before I ran it. My crawlers get scratched up so quickly once I start pushing them to their limits

Yeah, it can jump...





...and it can crawl









See it jump and the rest of the test run video all edited-up at the following link

https://youtu.be/zcm35wXAZSI

[Speedy-Triple]

very nice rig, I do too love the look of the origin body... I recently picked up one of the vanquish kits and I got to say they are superb well engineered with quality components. Great details you have added.

[twade984]

Sweet ride man! Body looks great, looks to drive as good as it should!


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[B-MOW71]

A lot of sweetness going on here! Glad to see more of the Blackfly! Enjoyed watching the vid.

Brazing and cage work looks great! Body work and driver details are superb! Great choice and find on the trans. That looks identical to my Origin trans. It has been a bulletproof rockstar! These VP trans are worth every penny!


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[DirtMerchant]

That transmission is elegant. Looking at the tires, I like how clean the KR2s looks, but those Flat Irons are very fitting. They look as intense as the updated body and cage work. Nicely done..

[high plains drifter]

Very cool. Love that paint on the body. looks like a fun place to play too.

[OSRC]

Excellent brazing work! Flat Irons are pretty good tires, a bit underrated imo. They certainly look the part!

[smog]

I appreciate all of the feedback, so thanks to all of you commenting. While RCC is likely as quiet as it's ever been, it's great that there continues to be a solid group on here. Rather than quote everyone I am just gonna blather on in the general direction of the comments

I am pretty pleased with how it turned out. It's a fun one, no doubt. I have been stoked on the sensored power systems lately. It's nice to have both the low-end modulation and the high-end speed. Having such a solid driveline certainly leaves much less to be concerned about. Props to Vanquish/Incision, a small company doing things so well.

Funny thing about the Flat Irons. They seemed to get a fair amount of attention when they were first released, but since seem to have lagged in popularity (at least from where I sit). If I had to guess why, I would assume that it is partially because they fail to fit into Class 2 parameters. Out where I am I find they do really well with a mix of dirt and low traction rock. I think the 1.9 KR2's have actually been discontinued. Is that correct?

The test run video is shot in my back yard. I am on a muddy river that has a massively fluctuating water line. I have rocks and mud down there as well as features I have built up high in the yard. I used a combo of rock, wood, mud, and gravel. It ain't pretty like Smiggin's Folly, but makes a fun testing ground.

In case anyone is wondering how the body is held onto the chassis in the rear, I figured I would post a few pics. It is held on pretty crudely. I used E6000 to attach two short cuts of styrene tube to the body. there is a small loop of wire (paper clip) between them that I used as an attachment point for a bungee. I just pull the bungee snug and hook to the underside of the cage

[Sniper4370]

Lookin' good Smog. Like what you did with the body mount. I'm running the same motor in my Pro. Speed on tap is always nice.

[durok]

Excellent cage and bumper work...

Man, I need to get out of this 3rd floor apartment and into some place where I can set up a real workspace and get some edu-macation on making things like that.

[B-MOW71]

Nifty body mounting system you came up with smog! I like!!

[smog]

Originally Posted by Sniper4370

Lookin' good Smog. Like what you did with the body mount. I'm running the same motor in my Pro. Speed on tap is always nice.

Speed on Tap...is most definitely nice.

Originally Posted by B-MOW71

Nifty body mounting system you came up with smog! I like!!

Thanks guys, the body mounting for the back of the body was a bit of a Macgyver job, but it works incredibly well. I can see using it again

Originally Posted by durok

Excellent cage and bumper work...

Man, I need to get out of this 3rd floor apartment and into some place where I can set up a real workspace and get some edu-macation on making things like that.

Thanks. Yup, you do need some space. It's a fun sort of edumacation...and a great little escape from the world

[smog]

Took the Blackfly out this weekend for a slow crawl around the quarry course. One of my favorite places to put a rig through the paces. It's a nearly impossible course to run through clean but it sure is fun to dial in and try.

Here are some pics

After the day I went in to castle link and adjusted my throttle curve. It was feeling a little hot mid-band.

I also need to change out the stock foams in these Flat Irons, they just don't cut it on anything off-cambered. Need to go dual-stage.

Otherwise gotta say, I am loving this rig.





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[Goro Majima]

Some people out here would be fooled with these pictures, thinking it was real haha.

[smog]

Originally Posted by Goro Majima

Some people out here would be fooled with these pictures, thinking it was real haha.

Nice, I'll take it. Just trying to make the fantasy feel real ...lol.

But genuinely, thank you. Much sweat and many hours have I piled into those boulders

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[Sniper4370]

Still a great looking rig Smog.

[smog]

Originally Posted by Sniper4370

Still a great looking rig Smog.

Thanks Sniper!

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[indybama]

Looks like a fun day out. Rig looks good out on the rocks smog

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[Speedy-Triple]

Rig looks great ... looks mean and lean.