Beginner's Bomber Build - What I've Learned and Help I Need

[powder4breakfast]

Updates coming soon with a major overhaul on aesthetics. Nothing new for sure ...it's been done. And I no doubt stole with two hands some of the ideas I will be implementing from Woody131's Tie bomber and the Messin With Sasquatch Yeti. None-the-less, I thought this would be a fun project and one of my kids is loving the idea so far.

Teaser pic of the first two panels:
[IMG][/IMG]


As far as functionality of the vehicle, I am loving the Roc412 and MMP. This was a hard decision for me based on $ when the vehicle already ran; but, the brushless system is awesome.

Also, I have since decided that the spare tire has to go altogether. When you take the weight of a Flat Iron XL plus SSD Rock Racer Rim plus DMG Spare mount ...that adds up to some significant load sitting up high. I have said from the beginning that this is a slow technical crawler and I have built it as such.

I could not repeat my "nemesis" obstacle I worked so hard on completing. I removed the spare on my last visit and got it after working it a bit. So, it clearly makes a difference in the negative on hard technical sloping obstacles. Sad because I love the look of the spare. It's realistic to have one. The DMG mount is perfect for getting it out of the way. If you run a spare, do yourself a favor and get the DMG. 98% of the terrain it has no ill affect; but, it can be the difference in a few sketchy places and I want this rig to be a performer.

[Carnaw]

Panels look awesom cant wait to see the finished project.

As for the spare I can deff see what you mean it being a high center weight point.

But do you feel the rear end is too light now in general?

[powder4breakfast]

I don't think the rear is too light. SS links, wheels, aluminum lock-outs and beef tubes all help keep some low weight back there.

The difference of the spare tire is probably very minimal because of it's placement centered and close to the body; but, I can't deny the number of failed repeat attempts at my nemesis obstacle followed by a success after ridding the spare. It's a very tippy and steep obstacle.

I'm sure I'm nitpicking at the spare; but, I was a little surprised at the weight when I pulled it off with DMG attached and held it in my hand. I'm just going to run without for a while and see. I'm definitely not going to get rid of it and may run it again in the future.

Originally Posted by Carnaw

As for the spare I can deff see what you mean it being a high center weight point.

But do you feel the rear end is too light now in general?

[powder4breakfast]

Since my last post I became interested to know exactly how much weight my spare tire combo was adding...

[IMG][/IMG]

More than a 1/2lb.

My car is a pig; but, 0.6lb still has to be a recognizable percentage of the total weight.

As stated, I love the look of the spare 100 times more than without; but, I am going to go without the spare for a bit and see.

[powder4breakfast]

Before I reveal the new look of my Bomber, I wanted to post a quick trip report of it's last run before the transformation.

This was one of my favorite crawls to date. I had work to do in Moab Utah and took my 4 year old with me. We arrived early evening with temps right around 30 degrees if I remember correctly. We braved the cold with warm jackets, hats and gloves in order to get a little crawling in on Moab Rim. This was the first time Van had done an actual trail ...or any real crawling for that matter.

Me and my new crawling buddy. (I'm the older dad looking one on the left)
[IMG][/IMG]

For a four year old, he did great with a light finger and good throttle control. A lot of little ones have a hard time not dropping the hammer every time they pull
[IMG][/IMG]

Follow the XJ, you're doing well
[IMG][/IMG]

Here you have to climb a little step (out of picture) into a hard passenger side turn. Then through the crack ending with a 90 degree driver side turn up the stacked rocks and out of the mini canyon
[IMG][/IMG]

Impressive little dude
[IMG][/IMG]

Good work. Keep it up and you may just pilot that Bomber at the next G6
[IMG][/IMG]

Darkness began to fall. We had lights; but, the warmth was following the sun. Time to descend
[IMG][/IMG]

Not too cold to stop and play around a few steps on the way down
[IMG][/IMG]

Part of the game. Tip it over and give 'er another go
[IMG][/IMG]

One of the last little "step" obstacles before getting back to the car
[IMG][/IMG

Thumbs up for a great crawl session buddy ...now lets go eat
[IMG][/IMG]

Fiesta Mexicana - Boom! This place is always a great finish to any adventure
[IMG][/IMG]

No pics; but, we did also run around the hotel, jump on the bed, hot tub, watch a movie, have a tickle fight and snuggle before bed ...so, it was a pretty solid adventure and a great work trip.

Next up (and partly due to Van's interest in the Bomber) ...Lord Vader's rig.

[Cocamper]

Great thread, but now I'm a little nervous... My first RC Crawler comes in the mail on Friday, it too is an RTR Axial RR10 Bomber, that I planned to keep stock

Already have the servo horn on the way with the Bomber, and numerous other upgrades in my "cart"...

I'm afraid I will end up following in your footsteps, and really appreciate all your insight, as I'm in a very similar situation, early 40's and stepping into a new world!

[powder4breakfast]

A little ridiculous that this is my 4th set of panels in a year. I had RTR, DIY Aluminum, Wrapped skins and now this.

I have wanted to do something custom for a while. I took/stole ideas from Woody131's Tie Bomber and the Messin' With Sasquatch Yeti build.

I put a picture of my Bomber into Adobe Illustrator and designed my panels there. Then I borrowed a neighbor's Cricut (DIY vinyl cutter) and printed stickers. From there the process was paint, peel some stickers, paint, peel ...repeating until all the vinyl was off and the panels were painted.

I used Tamiya PS paint. I can't remember exactly; but, I think I chose basic colors which are PS1 white, PS2 red, PS5 black and PS12 silver. This is my first body I've painted and I had to ask a bunch of questions at the hobby shop. Considering, I think it turned out well and I am pleased.

Vinyl printed in reverse, cut and applied to the inside of the panel
[IMG][/IMG]


One coat of paint applied and one layer of vinyl being removed. Normally you should paint your dark colors first and move to lighter colors. The process had to be reversed on the side panels to save me a lot of headache
[IMG][/IMG]


Heads from Pez dispensers filled with epoxy putty and drilled. Painting the storm trooper was a pain and he's not perfect by any means
[IMG][/IMG]


Lord Vader, your ride awaits...
[IMG][/IMG]


Imperial Racing
[IMG][/IMG]


[IMG][/IMG]


Why number 66? Order 66 was the order to kill all Jedis ...lead by Aniken (Darth Vader)
[IMG][/IMG]


[IMG][/IMG]


"Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering" This is the path to the Dark Side and good fuel for Vader's ride
[IMG][/IMG]

[calcagno45]

Great job on the new look! Those PEZ heads look perfect.


My 2 year has the hammer trigger finger for sure. I dial the throttle trim to accommodate for now. Great to see tho!!

[notajerryskid]

Thank you for this thread. Lots of help to a newbie like myself.

[powder4breakfast]

Vader and his Navigator/Spotter were able to get the Imperial Racing rig out on the rocks this week during a trip to Southern Utah. Everything worked well the first evening; but, a (most likely) dead receiver cut the second night's crawl short.

Vader and co-pilot getting a feel for their new ride
[IMG][/IMG]


I am totally sold on the improved performance after losing the 0.6lb weight of my spare tire set-up. I went back to my Nemesis obstacle and tackled it 3 times. This obstacle just happens to exaggerate the disadvantage any small amount of weight up high would cause.

Eventually I need to get footage of this to show how this line actually runs
[IMG][/IMG]

[dpcardoza]

I have the dmg spare tire mount as well. My first inclination was to put a matching spare tire (gearhead) but I opted for a cheap solid black glue on axial wheel I believe. Also removed the foam. That way as much weight was saved as possible. When from 0.65lbs to about 0.25 lbs.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Mikeinsocal]

Hey powder4breakfast, i noticed you popping in here and there talking about the benefits of running a sway bar in certain situations but that you have found one brand better than another. I feel that this could be the missing link to my setup. I really like doing some steep climbs and getting sideways which is where it needs some help as you've said with the front wheel lift. My question to you is what do you think the difference in the different sway bars is? Is it the design of each one or just that they each use a different thickness for the bar itself making one softer over another? I know you've done some experimenting in this area so maybe you can help me figure out which way i might want to go? I have the stock axial sway bar and feel it is too stiff and im considering finding a couple different size wires to bend and try, i think others have used piano wire with some success but that sounds like it could be kind of expensive so ill hit up the hardware store to see what they have. Any info you can think of that might help will be greatly appreciated. Thanx in advance

[powder4breakfast]

^^^Mikeinsocal,

I think it simply all boils down to stiffness and nothing more. The Axial sway bar is so stiff. I know a few people who absolutely love it ...for bashing. For crawling, it was way better after adding some notches. Once I switched to the VP Currie Anti-rock, I loved it way more. It is soft enough to allow flex and fight against side hill roll overs. It is stiff enough to keep the front end down and improve climbing ability.

I have not used the D lux; but, I believe it can be adjusted for different levels of leverage and stiffness.

If you can get different piano wires to work, and find a softer flex, I believe the Axial would be great too. One issue with the VP Currie Anti-Rock is getting the bar to not slip. The design of the Axial bar does not allow this problem.

[Mikeinsocal]

Powder4breakfast, thank you for your input. I actually found your "sway bar" thread last night so im reading through it today. I was gonna get on here today to say thanx for that info as well Its been raining here in Southern California all weekend so no testing yet but im gonna head out and see what i can find for a couple different size wires to bend up and try. Ill post what i come up with in the sway bar thread. Thanx again

[powder4breakfast]

I have a couple of quick updates:

- I masked off the trooper and Lord Vader and sprayed the interior/dash with a clear matte finish. I believe the dash has a deeper and more realistic feel now as apposed to the shiny plastic.
- I put a black wash over the fuel cell to fill in cracks and give it a deeper dirtier look. I then spayed it too with the clear matte finish. Like the dash, I also feel that the fuel cell now has a more realistic feel.
- Lastly, I replaced my broken stock bumper with a desertratrcdesign bumper from Cork.

One or two people complained of the Desert Rat RC bumper being brittle. Cork sent me one of the first versions printed with a new stronger material. Cork tested with great success before sending mine out. I then tested it by accidentally crashing my car a bunch - flipping it hood over butt this week. I have no questions about its durability at this point and recommend it to any who love the design. I also like that when the Bomber flipped over backwards, the bumper would roll it to its side.

[IMG][/IMG]

[durok]

That's great news about the new bumper​ material. I got one of the more flexible ones from Desert Rat RC as well a couple weeks ago. Wasn't sure yet on how good it would be, cause I haven't run it yet. Also good to hear your results with the matte clear, as I picked a can of that up, too.

Your rig looks better every time I see it!

[jhghah]

P4B,
Been awhile since updates.
Still running this rig?

[powder4breakfast]

Originally Posted by jhghah

P4B,
Been awhile since updates.
Still running this rig?

Yes and no. During the summer I was on a trail with my 6 year old. He was driving the Bomber and I was driving one of my SCX10 II's. The servo went up in smoke and I just never got around to sending it in for repair. Coincidental to you asking about the car now, I just pulled the servo and sent it in for repair last week.

I hope to get it back soon.

Are you part of the 801RCC page on FB? If so, I'm Shaun Moyes

[jhghah]

Originally Posted by powder4breakfast

Are you part of the 801RCC page on FB? If so, I'm Shaun Moyes

No im not. I dont do social media at all.

However I am going to have to soon, due to the fact that all the local 1:1 jeep clubs are only reachable through FB.

I am about finished with my 1:1 XJ so I will be needing to find some groups to trail with.
And also 801RCC at that point because all the footage I come across from the meets look like a blast.

[lszomb]

superb work on interior design and side panel. I am also working on my crawler and wish can go out with my son soon.