Outdoor scale crawling: how tiny?

[Isna]

I recently got back into RC cars and chose to go tiny. Unfortunately, the smaller it gets, the less info you find on the Web (at least when, like me, you don't speak German). I settled on 1/43 scale since die-cast models are wildly available and it is large enough to be easy to convert with modern electronics.
I finished my first conversion and am so pleased with the result that I wonder why there aren't more of these on the web:
https://vimeo.com/392796009
Is there any of you into 1/43 or under scale crawling? Why is it that micro rc has so little success? Anybody willing to try?
It sure is lots of fun!

 

[high plains drifter]

That suspension articulation is incredible. Not to mention the clean detailing of that body. Working with some of the smallest hardware involved in 1/10 scale rigs can be pretty aggravating for me... bad eyes and shaky hands. So I can't even imagine building/ modifying stuff this small. Fantastic video... very enjoyable to watch.

 

[Isna]

That suspension articulation is incredible. Not to mention the clean detailing of that body. Working with some of the smallest hardware involved in 1/10 scale rigs can be pretty aggravating for me... bad eyes and shaky hands. So I can't even imagine building/ modifying stuff this small. Fantastic video... very enjoyable to watch.

The smaller it is, the simpler the mechanics get. The rear axle is fixed and the front axle is a simple rocking axle with no shocks. There is no way I could build all the elements for a 1/10th scale but on these tiny cars, the mechanics cannot get any simpler (I was inspired by pictures of German 1/87 scale builds). I will post pics of the mechanics tomorrow (it is past 1 am on my side of the pond)... As for the body, it is a re-painted used Solido (French maker) die-cast model to witch I added sand plates and fuel canisters.

 

[Brake Weight]

Coolest thing I’ve seen in a long while. Amazing.

 

[bolo79]

Nice job.I like it a lot?

 

[ProjektONE]

The fit and finish looks AMAZING!! Ive always had a thing for Micros but my sausage fingers,lack of patience and partial blindness prevent me from working on them.

 

[Isna]

A few pics of the underside and how I fitted everything inside. There is actually quite a bit of room left inside!

 

[Brake Weight]

LOL. Impossible.

 

[jonnywachter]

these are cool I've always been fascinated by them. There was a company making a kit that was 4wd on here somewhere. I too have always been in the same boat of not being able to read german so I never pursued the scale.

 

[Isna]

these are cool I've always been fascinated by them. There was a company making a kit that was 4wd on here somewhere. I too have always been in the same boat of not being able to read german so I never pursued the scale.

I did end up finding some info in English. The most helpful source was the work done by gilesengineer. He is on British model railroad forums and has a youtube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/user/gilesengineer/videos
I would also be happy to answer any questions if you want to give it a try. I will build another one once I find the right car and will try to take pics of the build.
Dasmikro has some 4wd kits but in 1/87 scale. That is slightly too small for my fingers and eyes. 1/43 is much easier. I do use Dasmikro ESC and RX. With these tiny electronics, a 2.2g servo and a N20 motor, there is plenty of room in a 1/43 truck. I probably could fit a small sound unit if I remove part of the casing of the speaker. I did deliberately choose a box truck to make it easier.

So far, I haven't found any other videos of these micro scales used outdoors but I proved it does work. One thing I learned from trial and error is that you need to have maximum weight on the back wheels for traction.

 

[high plains drifter]

Isna- Thanks for posting up all the detailed information. Really cool and pretty simple. I'd love to have one or acquire body/ electronics/ chassis to build one but I can't find anything that I could buy rtr or even piece together. My searches are just bringing up cheap plastic toy grade stuff... not scale. You're fortunate to have such a cool and unique ( and truly micro) crawler!

 

[DeoreDX]

Pretty cool build. Matchbox makes a Unimog with a covered cargo area that might work well to package the electronics and be something at home crawling outdoors.

 

[Brake Weight]

Banggood has a few DasMikro kits. Well beyond my patience level. A covered back UniMog and some sort of crawler.

 

[Isna]

Isna- Thanks for posting up all the detailed information. Really cool and pretty simple. I'd love to have one or acquire body/ electronics/ chassis to build one but I can't find anything that I could buy rtr or even piece together. My searches are just bringing up cheap plastic toy grade stuff... not scale. You're fortunate to have such a cool and unique ( and truly micro) crawler!

Indeed, all the rtr 1/43 I've seen are toys that are useless for crawling and really not scale. Nevertheless, as you said, it is pretty simple. Once you find the die-cast model that suits your project, all you have to do is build the front axle, find a pair of bevel gears for the rear and file away what is in the way on the chassis. Since it is small and slow, parts can be glued or soft soldered and it holds up fine. The only tricky bit is the front axle but the youtube channel I posted earlier shows plenty of useful tips. Being low on funds, not having to buy an expensive hobby grade kit is one of the things I like about these. I purchased the electronics and a used car but the rest only took a few pieces of brass, a paper clip and gears from a 1/32 friction toy. Since many collect 1/43 models, no other rc car can compete in terms of choice of bodies.
I will be quite busy during the next few weeks but will eventually build another one and will write a build thread to show how simple it can be.

 

[Isna]

The Unimog was my first idea. Plenty of room and large wheels. Dasmikro offers a few other kits such as a 4wd Defender but 1/87 is really small and, to me, building such a tiny kit is much harder than making the few parts needed for a 1/43.

 

[Stormin2u]

Your truck is amazing, excellent work!!! I have a Losi Micro, fully modified and it is amazing. However it doesn't get used all that much anymore. I'm currently building in 1/10 scale. I keep the 1/24 Losi my truck and occasionally put it to use when I find interesting rock configurations during my travels.

 

[Isna]

Your truck is amazing, excellent work!!! I have a Losi Micro, fully modified and it is amazing. However it doesn't get used all that much anymore. I'm currently building in 1/10 scale. I keep the 1/24 Losi my truck and occasionally put it to use when I find interesting rock configurations during my travels.

Traveling is one of the reasons I leaned towards small scale. I have a utility mini-van I modified and turned into a mini camper and always take a micro rc with me. One of my pending projects is to make a 1/43 replica of my camper but, since I customized the real one, the replica will take quite a bit more work than the dodge. I also take my cars hiking. It happened to be also a great opportunity to start to learn how to make videos. I'm still learning but really like it.
I never had the opportunity to try the Losi Micro since they are now impossible to find on my side of the pond but my three 1/32 Orlandoos (A Defender, a home made buggy and a 6x6 Jeep) get plenty of use. Regarding 1/24th scale, I would really like to try the Geko 24 but I could build six 1/43 scale cars for the price of one Geko 24...

 

[Mike Flea]

Your truck is awesome. I had entertained the idea of selling off all my SCT's and 1/10th crawlers for 1/24 scale to go along with my Large Scale backyard RR

 

[Brake Weight]

There’s a thread of converted Hotwheels and Matchbox cars. These are way beyond my skill and patience levels.


https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?2636061-1-64-1-87-scale-RC-cars-conversion

 

[Isna]

There’s a thread of converted Hotwheels and Matchbox cars. These are way beyond my skill and patience levels.


https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?2636061-1-64-1-87-scale-RC-cars-conversion

I had seen this thread a while back but had forgotten about it so I just read it again. Thanks for posting it. THAT has pretty amazing builds but also way beyond my current skills. The convertible hard top is just incredible.

With my build, I tried to find the easiest solutions, not only to fit my skills and patience but to encourage others to try. I do hope my skills will improve over time: the Dodge has a 8ch receiver so there are plenty of possibilities. I would especially like to find a solution for a tiny winch but my lumberjack hands and aging eyes don't help.

I could probably make a slightly smaller car but I also want good ground clearance for outdoor use since I get bored after a while indoors (although I'm back indoors since we got 8 inches of snow yesterday).