A Black Cat, and a White Goat: A Tale of Galactic Proportions

[Panther6834]

Let me tell you a story about a man named Jed. Oops, wrong story…my name isn’t Jed. Anyway, a long time ago, on a dark desert highway, in a galaxy far, far away, there lived a little boy. This boy loved playing with his RC vehicles (I should also mention he saw the original “Star Wars, as well as all subsequent ‘official’ SW films on opening day). Then, one day, when he was a teenager, he was told he needed to “put his toys away, and grow up”…so, he did.



Moving forward 35+ years, he started to get an itch…no, not THAT kind of itch…an “RC itch”. So, he told his wife that he wanted an RC vehicle. Her response: “I’m sorry, Dave, I can’t do that” (Ok, my name isn’t Dave, either). Well, I’m here to tell you, there’s something else…They can’t take away our freedom. So…disobeying my wife’s ‘orders’, I picked up a Traxxas Rustler 4x4 VXL…and, the RC bug bit me…HARD.



Several vehicles later (don’t ask, tho I will say most are off-road racing vehicles), something “coming soon” caught my eye…so, I looked ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light. Being the curious cat I am, I had to go take a look…and, you know what I found? A goat…but, not just any goat. This goat was unlike any other in the universe. No, it couldn’t make the Kessel Run in 12 parsecs (which, btw, is a measurement of distance, not time…better luck next time, George). And, no, it wasn’t like those droids you’re not looking for…although, they may have crossed paths. It was all white, and shiny…but it had Attitude, with a capital “A”. while this goat couldn’t use “The Force”, it could be very forceful. I thought to myself, “This could be heaven, or this could be hell.” Do I, or don’t I? obviously, I did. So, what does all this mean?



It means, I finally completed my Capra…well, until upgrades start getting installed (which I will post). The primary part of the build only took me about 5 hours (not including electronics, or filling/bleeding the shocks), but it was the detailed additions that took a lot of additional time…mostly because of my job, but partly due to the “special” interior (Well, isn’t that special.” Get lost Church Lady). It was fun building it, but this is not a ‘build thread’, nor is it meant to be (several others have posted theirs, so mine is more about the theme).



Anyway, one thing leads to another…and so, without further adu, say hello to my little friend:

~ More peace, love, laughter & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place

[Panther6834]

Not counting all the other ‘problems’ that most of us have encountered during the build, the first problem for me was deciding where to place the electronics, and how to route the wiring (which I’ll be changing shortly). I could have placed everything (except the ESC) inside the ‘fuel cell’, but it would have been awfully cramped. In the end, I decided to place the ESC behind the tranny/motor, the receiver on the ‘passenger’ side of the electronics tray (ie. the back side of the battery tray), and the Futaba CPS-1 units on the ‘driver’ side of the tray. As for the power switch, I installed it into the center console, between the driver’s & navigator’s shoulders.


Now that the electronics were in place, it was time to start working on the “theme” aspect, the first of which was the grill & headlights (as mentioned in other posts). Instead of using ‘headlights’, I thought it best to use ‘taillights’. I cut out the light buckets from the back, as well as the Axial logo on the front, mounted & removed the “headlights” (for a test-fit), painted the grill, and remounted the “headlights”.

~ More peace, love, laughter & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place

[Panther6834]

After that, I finally started working on the interior. As those who’ve read some of my previous posts already know, I cut out the driver & navigator from the Lexan interior, to be replaced with “my” choices – 1/10 scale Stormtroopers. I chopped them up, and glued them back together, piece-by-piece.


The final step of the interior was the custom steering “wheel”, for which I took a Dremel to a 1/8 scale AARMA part, and then painted it to match the vehicle’s theme.


Once all the interior pieces were chopped up, painted, and glued into place, this is what the interior looked like (before & after installing into the cage):


~ More peace, love, laughter & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place

[Panther6834]

A few photos showcasing the lighting:


So, there you have it…an Imperial Buggy. For my first crawler, I’d say. “Not topo shabby.” I cant wait to see what I come up with for my next crawlers, although I don’t think I’ll be doing another SW-themed vehicle…and, then again, one never knows. Unfortunately, for my first “run”, my time was cut much shorter than expected, so I only had enough time to cross a “log bridge over a raging river”…or, more accurately, some sticks over a very tiny creek.


~ More peace, love, laughter & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place

[Panther6834]

Coming sometime in 2020, I will build my second Capra, CAPbRAstard. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I feel the need……….the need for speed. My track vehicles are feeling somewhat “neglected”. One last thing…don’t forget, “The Rise of Skywalker” opens Dec. 20…but, before I go, Endor is calling:

~ More peace, love, laughter & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place

[Topher Builds]

First, love the look of the Capra and the way you made it your own. Nice work. The Star Wars theme fits and played out well.

But secondly, WHERE IS THIS TINY AMAZING FOREST?!!! did you build that?

[RMIII]

Wow! Very nice build, love the interior! Wow...

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

[svt923]

Originally Posted by Panther6834

Let me tell you a story about a man named Jed. Oops, wrong story…my name isn’t Jed.

...many other words....

Anyway, one thing leads to another…and so, without further adu, say hello to my little friend

4 paragraphs of random rambling to say "I bought a truck"?

I approve of this method of build thread creation.

[Panther6834]

Originally Posted by Topher Builds

First, love the look of the Capra and the way you made it your own. Nice work. The Star Wars theme fits and played out well.

But secondly, WHERE IS THIS TINY AMAZING FOREST?!!! did you build that?

Mount Hermon Adventures, located in Felton, CA, off Hwy 17, between San Jose & Santa Cruz (much closer to Santa Cruz). They have multiple zip-lines, as well as an "elevated tour" where you walk along wood, row, and cable bridges high above the forest floor. I drive a group of Google employees there yesterday, any thought it was the most incredible background for the photos...REALLY looks like Endor.

~ More peace, love, laughter & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place

[Panther6834]

Originally Posted by svt923

4 paragraphs of random rambling to say "I bought a truck"?

I approve of this method of build thread creation.

Not "random rambling"...nit at all. Technically, the wording comes from VERY well-known lines, and we're carefully selected from specific movie quotes, and song lyrics. But, glad you enjoyed it...creativity is very important.

~ More peace, love, laughter & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place

[Topher Builds]

Originally Posted by Panther6834

Mount Hermon Adventures, located in Felton, CA, off Hwy 17, between San Jose & Santa Cruz (much closer to Santa Cruz). They have multiple zip-lines, as well as an "elevated tour" where you walk along wood, row, and cable bridges high above the forest floor. I drive a group of Google employees there yesterday, any thought it was the most incredible background for the photos...REALLY looks like Endor.

~ More peace, love, laughter & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place

Ah so it’s real people size. On the list of places to check out.

Very cool.

Originally Posted by svt923

4 paragraphs of random rambling to say "I bought a truck"?

I approve of this method of build thread creation.

Haha. Nooo one does that around here. And none of us laugh the whole thread when they do

[Natedog]

Very cool build and presentation! But where's the black cat? Meow.

Nice Space Odyssey reference too with 'Dave' in there.

[Panther6834]

Originally Posted by Topher Builds

Ah so it’s real people size. On the list of places to check out.



Very cool.

Google 'Mount Hermon Adventures'.
They have an informative website, work LOTS of photos, plus pricing, reservation info, etc. And, yes, a VERY cool place, indeed. The trees aren't as big as slightly north of here...Humboldt Redwoods...where the actual Endor scenes were filmed, but Humboldt Redwoods doesn't have zip-lines.

People who've never been to California tend to have this false impression that California is "busy, busy, busy", but the truth is quite the opposite, as there are a lot of scenic, relaxing, adventurous places throughout the state. Not saying you're from out-of-state, but just mentioning it, so that those from elsewhere see the "real California".

~ More peace, love, laughter & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place

[soze]

Fantastic build! Really nice job!

Now you made me wish I painted my interior 2-tone. Ah well...

[RCBrutus]

Love it! Very creative!

[Panther6834]

Thank you, everyone. Also, thanks to all who either directly provided me with advise & suggestions, as well as to those who provided the same info for anyone to use (a few examples - shims inside the tranny case, the Element Enduro springs, 1.9 tires on 2.2 wheels, etc). Hopefully, as I learn more, I'll be able to return the favor more often. Honestly, being my first crawler, I wasn't exactly sure what to expect. I've built 2WD & 4WD off-road buggies, 2WD & 4WD short course trucks, and a USGT car, plus I have a few Traxxas vehicles...but they're all about "going fast". While the Capra isn't exactly slow, it is a "go slower" vehicle, and it's a blast. Gotta admit, I'm already booked.

The "tough decision" has been deciding what my second crawler would be...it was between the Vanquish VS4-10 Pro, and RC4WD Trail Finder 2 (for which I already have the GCM/LRT2 transmission). Initially, I selected the VS4-10 Pro, but no one had them in-stock...so I ordered the TF2 (that was last month). Unfortunately, the seller "miscalculated" their stock, and I was told it would be a week until they received more. Then, after a well, I was told there was another 2-week delay. Finally, today, they noticed me that new stock won't be shipped out by RC4WD until the end of December. Now wanting to wait that long, I told them to cancel the order, and issue a refund. I'll still get a TF2 (after all, I'm already in for $200 on the GCM tranny), but it will just be a while longer. In the meantime, I stopped by my LHS today, because the owner wanted to see the Capra when I finished it...and, in doing so, what did I discover, but that they had received a few VS4s in. So...guess what I bought.

~ More peace, love, laughter & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place

[LincolnofDeath]

Damn, dude. Think you might have a thing for tiny trucks? And maybe grew up on a steady diet of late 70s-80s sci-fi, lol...yeah I got all those references in there, too. Love the builds...and didn’t know we had such modern looking stormtroopers available to populate them. And am I right, Humboldt has the original Endor out of Arcata?

I also like your take on how Cali is a lot of things to a lot of different people. From The State of Jefferson to the OC to Needles, where I grew up...it doesn’t really fit many of the cliches folks throw at it. Definitely worth a bit of exploring, especially if you go in with an open mind and don’t make too many assumptions. There was a thread on here recently...

[Panther6834]

Originally Posted by LincolnofDeath

Damn, dude. Think you might have a thing for tiny trucks? And maybe grew up on a steady diet of late 70s-80s sci-fi, lol...yeah I got all those references in there, too. Love the builds...and didn’t know we had such modern looking stormtroopers available to populate them. And am I right, Humboldt has the original Endor out of Arcata?

Yup...70s & 80s...and, not just sci-fi...also fantasy, CHiPs, Little House, Moody Blues, The Eagles, Pat Benatar, etc. However, as I'm sure everyone can guess, I've always been a big Star Wars fan. As much as I like Han, Luke, & Leia, Vader has always been my favorite...I just knew, from the beginning, there had to be some "good" left in him. As the guy who custom-made the Imperial logo decals (actual water-transfer decals, not stickers) made quite a few, in various sizes, there's enough left over to do a few more Imperial vehicles.

~ More peace, love, laughter & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place

[Siggy]

AWESOME

EVERYONE is a fan of the Storm Trooper!

[Panther6834]

Originally Posted by Siggy

AWESOME



EVERYONE is a fan of the Storm Trooper!

Thanks...and, thread created, as promised. Also, glad to know I'm not the "only" fan...lol

~ More peace, love, laughter & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place