"Angel of Death"

[wouterb]

Lol. Sorry. ;)
Didn't mean to ruïn your day. Haha.

[GiJoe]

Originally Posted by wouterb

Lol. Sorry. ;)
Didn't mean to ruïn your day. Haha.

Day not ruined! Inspired! Thanks for the ideas! Changes have been made!



Before I begin any of the pretty work, I wanted to power up and run a pack through to check suspension travel / interference, see how the outrunner behaves, etc...

Took to the backyard course and a local spot for some test & tune.










Some shaky raw video. Testing out some ESC settings in a high traction / bind scenario

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byRHH8g07Ok

[GiJoe]

Cutting up some PitBull RBII's...Just doing a haphazard sipe pattern for now. Figured this random method will yield best results on varying terrain. I am considering removing every other tread row, but want to try this way first.








Due to some previous inspiration (), I was able to mount the MMP and Castle UBEC under the Hearse Cargo area. A floor/lid will be added above the electronics to hide them. Utilizing what was going to essentially be "Dead Space" will now allow me to utilize the casket as a Lipo container!

[Raceaholic]

Looks sweet. Can't wait til KOG 2015 to see it in action

[GiJoe]

Thanks Ryan! I cant wait for 2015 Comp season in general!


Speaking of K.O.G. (King of the GURUS Comp) Big Thank You to Rick @ SuperShafty for the sweet Method Wheels! They were a prize for 2nd place in Class 3. Been waiting for this build to use them!





What do you all think? Too much flex???







No worries! I got it covered! Lol





Just need to do a little more esc and suspension tuning...then its on to the detail work. Interior, Metal Panels, etc...
Until then, a little inspirational music to get in the mood! This body is going in a little different direction from what you all are used to!

[gsrcivic]

I ran that brand battery in my airsoft gun except it was a 3s ran in series they never got hot and worked awesome

[sam63]

So what does the t-case do other than take up space and add weight?

Looking to do a PTO winch?

[GiJoe]

Originally Posted by sam63

So what does the t-case do other than take up space and add weight?

Looking to do a PTO winch?

Well, my original plan was to attach a flexible boat prop-shaft and spin a realistic motor up front. But space won't allow. The only function it performs is that of a carrier bearing. I can still use stock Losi Comp Crawler shafts with this setup.

As soon as I can get my hands on a Holmes Revolver S, um gonna ditch the T-Case and order proper length MIP shafts.

[GiJoe]

Got a trans tunnel made and the little lipos mounted. A floor will cover these up nicely!





Took the rig out to Copley Park today with some buds! Did really well and had a lot of fun!






Also got a little video. All areas in these videos have given me trouble in the past. Never being able to climb without a winch. New rig??? No Problem!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFKsMlfQkSU


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3AT0SSWSgI

[GiJoe]

Getting started on the interior.

Began by cutting some styrene floors...The lipos are underneath.
Also used some sheet aluminum for the top of the dash.





Using some Model Magic to make my seats. Once it hardens, I am going to cover in red velvet. Will use sewing pins through the velvet to simulate buttons for a diamond tuck pattern.






Here is the velvet I will be using. Along with one of my crew members!





Some more mood music and back to work!

[GiJoe]

Some more arts and crafts.

Stage one of "weathering" my crew!


Started with 5 clean, shiny and new skeletons.

Sprayed with Spray Glue from about 18" away to give some texture and a sinewy look. Then dumped in a bucket of ashes.

Made a few "washes" of black and red paints, then covered from head to toe. Left to dry overnight.

Even after 1st stage, what a difference!

[GiJoe]

Complete and total noob when it comes to working with fabric!

But the only way to get good at it is to do it! So I did it!

Wrapped the red velvet and secured to seat pieces. Used hot glue to join seat bottoms and backs. Then inserted my "button" pins.





Also completed Step 2 of my skeleton detailing...

Made a muddy water bath out of very thinned brown paint. Ashes mixed in as well for a loose slurry. Dunked the skeletons in the bath, dusted with more ash, and done!

[GiJoe]

Now that the suspension and drivetrain are working well, Its time to move on to the exterior!

Ive got something pretty unique in store for this rig!

For those that have been following this thread, I've edited quite a bit....
Originally, this rig was going to be a Rock Bouncer / Hearse Hybrid... but after seeing a picture drawn by johnnyh66, I couldn't help but realize the resemblance was uncanny. So much so, that the entire theme of my build has changed!


I hate to use this photo, but its the only one I have...

johnnyh66 created the dragon on the left (The right pic was a tattoo from someone who stole his artwork...)




When I saw that pic (on the left), I immediately said WOW! My tube chassis looks just like Johns Dragon!!!





So.....With a head full of new ideas, time to procede!

The entire cage is being covered in a thin aluminum skin...But that's just the beginning!

[Hoosierdady]

So what's the game plan on the skins?

[TakeOffYouHoser]

Oh now you see, YOU are some kind of wicked evil scaler, dude.

2015 will be the year of the scale zombie crews in many rides all thanks to you.



Looks AWESOME! Very interested in seeing where this continues.

[GiJoe]

Originally Posted by Hoosierdady

So what's the game plan on the skins?

Haha James! Let's just say I plan on redefining the image of a "Scale" Crawler!

[GiJoe]

Well, I'm not gonna spill all the beans just yet, but I will tell you this.

The skin of this vehicle will be done using all Old School methods...

No wraps, No Hydro-Dipping, hell, No Airbrushing for that matter!

Its all going to be tradesman techniques I learned from my Grandfather. He was a well respected Coppersmith in the Cleveland area. Specialized in copper roofs, steeples and spires. He passed away in 1995, but his work stands to this day atop many Cleveland landmarks! I wish I could have learned more from the old man, he passed while I was overseas in the ARMY, but I still picked up a few tricks growing up with him!


Its no secret now that I will be working with Copper...
Mixed up a home brew of household chemicals to start the distressing process. When sprayed on the copper sheet, this will jumpstart the patina.

I have several "recipes" of his for different colors. The one I will be using for this build is a blue/green patina. Similar to our little smiley friend here!








After 24 hours, the patina is already showing through!

[GiJoe]

Well, The cats out of the bag now!


I am using this copper as "Scales"!

After the copper sheet reached the desired patina, I sprayed with clear laquer to protect and preserve it. Then, I layed out and cut HUNDREDS of individual scales!






I am layering over the entire body for a snake, or "Dragon Skin" effect!

I am simply attaching with hot glue. Its almost done! I got about 3" of the hood left and ran out of copper! I gotta go through the entire distressing process again!, But I think it will be worth it!

[GiJoe]

With the new exterior color direction, red seats are all of a sudden no bueno.

Fabric paint to the rescue!

I used Black, but it actually changed to a very deep purple / red... I'm digging it!





I have to trim the seat bases...sitting a little too high, but those are easy fixes. Got my Death Squad all tucked inside!

[derrick.johnston]

Originally Posted by GiJoe

Well, The cats out of the bag now!


I am using this copper as "Scales"!

After the copper sheet reached the desired patina, I sprayed with clear laquer to protect and preserve it. Then, I layed out and cut HUNDREDS of individual scales!






I am layering over the entire body for a snake, or "Dragon Skin" effect!

I am simply attaching with hot glue. Its almost done! I got about 3" of the hood left and ran out of copper! I gotta go through the entire distressing process again!, But I think it will be worth it!

I still love this build! if there isn't 1 in the 1:1 work there should be!