3rd Gen 1/20 Toyota Ambush build

[R.Billy Rob]

Here I go starting another build, and of course it's a Toyota. I was inspired by a build by PardonMyNoob over on the SBC.
Hilux n00b Toyota Pro-Line Ambush Build-Off
I decided to basically steal all his ideas, and build one for myself. So I purchased an Ambush from Amain hobbies, and went to work. The first step was to cut the frame and lengthen it. I followed Noob's lead, and just cut the inside frame rail. I only had to drill one hole in each outer frame rail to get the spring hangers to mount up. Pretty simple and easy to do, and now the wheelbase is perfect! So far that's all I've got done.
I plan to make this one more of a work truck/weekend warrior build. I'm pretty excited about this one, I've been wanting to do this build for awhile now. I even know the color scheme. But enough for now, here's some pic's of the chassis. One before, and one after.

[R.Billy Rob]

So when y'all saw "3rd Gen Toyota" in the title, I bet you were thinking it was another Lindburg '90s Toyota, right? Nope. What is commonly referred to as a 1st Gen, is actually a 3rd Gen. There were two Hilux models before that. So yes this is a true 3rd Gen. And yes it's a 1/20 scale. I got it off my friend MGCrawler who molded and cast them quite awhile back. I'm lucky enough to have Two! Anyway, here's a pic of the new wheelbase. Perfect fit!

[MGCrawler]

Nice! I hadn't seen pardonmynoobs build before, glad to see a body being put to good use. Now my good friend started this one, can't wait to see how this one turns out Rob I'm along for the ride. I'll be sending you out some tires here shortly

[R.Billy Rob]

I've done a little bit of work on this one lately. Not too much, I've been busy re-painting the house so spare time is something of an anomaly. But I did get it put together, and ready to be mounted on the frame. Still not sure on wheels and tires, but I can still figure that one out later. I do like this combo, Ecx temper tires and fungi wheels, but I might go another route still. The stance looks good to me though. Here's a few pics to tide you over.

[R.Billy Rob]

So I decided to experiment with some cut-n-shut wheels. I cut up a stock trekker tire to mount it on a wheel off my 1/20 ford van kit. I really like the way it looks, so I'll be making up a full set to try out. They look way more scale, and fill the wheel wells perfectly. What do y'all think?

[seedburns]

Where can i get tha body? Looking good

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[R.Billy Rob]

Originally Posted by seedburns

Where can i get tha body? Looking good

Sent from my LG-H631 using Tapatalk

They're about as rare as a unicorn. My buddy MGCrawler made a mold of a very rare 1:20 model kit and cast some bodies in resin. I was lucky enough to get one (or two) from him before he stopped making them. You can still find the original kits on fleabay every once in awhile. Except they usually run around $200 though. Pretty pricey for just a body.

[R.Billy Rob]

I've been making wheels for this thing. After seeing the more limited suspension of the Ambush, I felt it would be best to add weight to the wheels. Especially since these model kit wheels are ridiculously light. So I added five feet of lead tape to each wheel adding 12 grams to each wheel. 20 feet of tape later, and I have four weighted wheels. The new wheels are each nine grams heavier than the original Ambush wheels. Now that the wheels are done I need to cut up some tires.

[R.Billy Rob]

Lookin' good with the new wheels and tires. The first tire was so easy to cut-n-shut I should have known the others would be a pain.

[R.Billy Rob]

Originally Posted by Subieboi

Great work so far !

Thank you, I appreciate that.

[R.Billy Rob]

Not much of an update, but I did manage to dig up some help for this thing! Maybe now some work can finally get done on this truck. Although it seems this guy likes to fool around more than work.