project: LITTLE SLEEP, BAD MATH

[JohnRobHolmes]

i started out wanting a little more from my VMG. it is so easy to mod, and i had already cut the sideplates up and remounted the shocks for travel and low CG. then i rewound the motor to 90 turns. it would literally climb up a wall untill only one tire was on the ground, and within a centimeter from the wall. servo mod came next with some scrap 1/4 inch delrin.

thats all good and fun, but what about the little piles of clothes in my room? the wheelbase was just a bit short for my taste. so i decided to lengthen it to 7.5 inches and add some radio shack tires to up the ride height.

i went to the hobby shop to buy oil shocks, and ended up getting some 2.2s as well. so i glued them up.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2.../100_02551.jpg
new chassis, new links, new tires. oops!! my math is wrong and its a bit long. i thought i had trig down!!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2.../100_02581.jpg
this is with a tenth scale body on, next to my clod. errr, i thought this thing was supposed to be shorter?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2.../100_02601.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2.../100_02641.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2.../100_02631.jpg
this is what i end up with. nice articulation. 9 inches from axle to axle. now it needs to be wider. but there is more.....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2.../100_02621.jpg
whats this?? is that a mini-t tranny in the middle? do you mean that it is the same width, shorter from base to top of the motor, and puts the motor in the middle of the chassis, plus it has lower gearing and a wide range of options?? additionally i dont have to worry about a weak tranny?? sign me up!! i used brass tubing and soldered the dogbones together. quick and easy.

to come.... metal geared servos. i have blown through way too many to count as i dont have any servo savers. also, body mounts. and can anyone suggest a way to mount my darn antennae tube? its bugging me. sorry for the length, this project has been under wraps for quite a while.

[MGCrawler]

Like the mini-t tranny in there. I'm going to get one...

[Plays_with_Toys]

Your sick.... plain sick.....

How do the axles cope with those 2.2's? I've never modded a motor before, but it seems like the best thing to do to grab some power out of these mini motors.

[rbgerrish]

That is awesome! A couple of us have been thinking of a mini-t center tranny to VMG axled crawler, and it's nice to see someone actually do it successfully!

[Team-FSU]

let us know how it holds up! i might have to do this!

[SR5Dave]

You can see what kind of guys we are by the response to your poll...

THERE IS NO TOO FAR! That is awesome man!

Oh, care to give any motor winding tips? I've never done it but I've got some armatures and cans that are just lying around... Got a writeup or anything?

I think we're really going to enjoy having you here John You've got the disease as bad as any of us!!

[Team-FSU]

yea im lovin it almost all the fun is building them up! only thing i dont like is the body 8O it makes it look like a radio shack truck because it's so huge lol! but good work man!

[trapt1011]

that thing is sick and i like how the motor says stock ha thats a laugh

[JohnRobHolmes]

thanks for the replies guys. lets see..

How do the axles cope with those 2.2's?

we shall see how they hold up over time. my bet is that they will wallow out because the carriers are so small. but, the tires flex a lot so it might not wear so bad.

That is awesome! A couple of us have been thinking of a mini-t center tranny to VMG axled crawler, and it's nice to see someone actually do it successfully!

ive been keeping it under wraps for a while. i hadnt heard of anyone doing it, and i wanted to be special!

care to give any motor winding tips?

hmm. ill work on that, look in the electrics board. i have wound many motors in my life. its time consuming, and can be frustrating. but, with time and spare motors you will get one right eventually. low wind motors are harder than high wind motors, because they spin faster and will spin apart if you dont balance them.

i know those bodies are both whack. what is in between a mini t and a one tenth? tlt? i want a nice truck body, or a jeep body.

[BlackMagic]

The project is impressive! Great work!

But you really need to just step that on up to TLT Axles. You have lost the entire scale of the VMG.

There is no way you could enter that into a 1/18 crawling class, too big. And it might not do very well in a 1/10-1/8 crawling class.

Don't get me wrong, the work is outstanding and pusing the envelope. There are also things learned that everyone can benefit from such as the Mini-T tranny. My compliments.

[JohnRobHolmes]

but i already have a tlt crawler, and its even bigger! i might downsize after a while. the laundry piles are too easy to get over. that and i just went through my third servo in a row.

yeah, i totally lost the scale of the thing somewhere between the 5" wheelbase and the 9" wheelbase.

[JohnRobHolmes]

i broke down and got a second VMG the other day. and two metal gear servos. i think im gonna make the wheelbase just a touch shorter. plus im a little worried about the axles with those big tires. they are not very solid at all!! looks like radio shack or a toy store will be my only option for new tires. has anyone noticed that the VMG tires fit nicely on the mini-t, rc18T size wheels?