Scratchbuilding a mini-me JKU

[kornchip]

I keep checkin out this thread and it makes me want one of these. You people are relentless on making me want more hobbies... :beer:

 

[jeffro]

Both colors look cool. There's just something so sinister about flat black to me... But it's been kind of overused now. I still love it on classic muscle cars no matter what.

Keep this thread going, it's cool to see all this.

I agree on the sinister part. I'm not a big Chrome shiny guy, but yeah the blacked out look is showing up everywhere.

I will keep it going, most of the stuff I have to show is past history, but I sorta stock piled RC crap, and I need to build them, and I hate selling stuff so I have tons of RC's


I found another one I did in black, an 8x8 RC

 

[jeffro]

I keep checkin out this thread and it makes me want one of these. You people are relentless on making me want more hobbies... :beer:

Don't do it, buy Jeep parts

 

[USMC Wrangler]

Looks like a well used trail by RC rigs.

 

[jeffro]

Looks like a well used trail by RC rigs.

Wish I could say it was a well used RC trail. When the creek is low, its a great playground for quads, and they leave perfect trails in the wet sand. So I take advantage of what's available. Problem is now, the farmer has decided to make it illegal to get down there the old way, so..

My old RC playground when the creek is low. I'm standing on the bridge in the 1st one, and then from the large sandbar

But when the rains come. I would be about 5 or 6 ft under water. (I can't find the picture I want, its all the way up the bottom of the bridge, but this gives you an idea.

Now, if you've wasted your time to read this far, I thank you


I have pictures old builds, where I made my own body, chassis, such as this old beast. Would anyone be interested, for entertainment only, to show how I make hard plastic bodies and the chassis for it ?

or this one maybe.

 

[USMC Wrangler]

Sure, I'd like to see

 

[jeffro]

Sure, I'd like to see

ok then, I will see what I can do. I've already derailed this thread so far, I may as well not start a new one just for that.

I'll show a few updates on the mini me jeep, and if I get time later this evening, and I don't get lazy, I'll show you how I do or used to do my own bodies and frames. Its not too exciting, just something to babble about, I guess.

This is the ESC or electronic speed control on the left, and the 2 channel 2.4 ghz radio receiver on the right, the brain... no more antennas.

The Controller.. of the brain..

I had to move the steering servo forward a half inch so that the servo arm would clear the axle support when it rises up.

The battery will lay across these aluminum brackets

Flipped it over, just to show its belly.

That's it for now. Thanks for taking a look.

 

[LetsGoMuddin]

You have some nice looking builds! Here's a couple of mine that I built before I bought my TJ!

 

[jeffro]

You have some nice looking builds! Here's a couple of mine that I built before I bought my TJ!
View attachment 149345

Thank you !! Are those or were those Bruisers, TF2's or custom Yota Highlifts ?

I haven't bought anything RC in a few months, and its killing me, I was somewhat addicted. :crazyeyes:

 

[jeffro]

I am going off course for a bit, its all USMCWranglers fault..

I sometimes, but not so much anymore, build my own bodies from sheet styrene. I get them in 12" x 24" and various thicknesses, generally 16th, and 8th inch thick mostly. anyway

I'll use this truck for an example, a 1964 Dodge Power Wagon Town Wagon or as they call them TWPW's or Townies.

I found this one on the www 1st, and it was love at 1st sight

After some research, I found one living 45 minutes away, and there are not many in the world.

I made contact with the people that owned it, and went up and took pictures and measurements. And this is how it starts, sometimes...

I also dug this up somewhere online

Made the grill 1st, and no, its not pretty.

I will stop here, mother nature calls. I will try to put the rest up this evening

 

[USMC Wrangler]

I am going off course for a bit, its all USMCWranglers fault..

I love the fab work, so yes, I'll take the blame!

I'm looking forward to more, even if others aren't.

 

[jeffro]

I love the fab work, so yes, I'll take the blame!

I'm looking forward to more, even if others aren't.

My fab work is kind of, redneck in a lot of ways. The younger guys have done me in with their 3D printers. What I do in 4 to 5 months, they do in a few weeks or less. I'm not the best teacher or explainer of stuff, so if you have questions, please ask. I leave a lot out probably.


A couple things, I use Oatey PVC, CPVC, PVC Clear Cleaner to weld, melt the styrene pieces together. I use Plastic Metal which I think is just full size car auto body filler, it bonds, sands and flexes well on these plastic bodies, and its tough as nails so far on my little jeeps and trucks.

It requires a lot of building up and grinding or sanding down, and some carving, but lots of sanding... :crazyeyes:

This one was built in the summer, July, so I was able to use the heat of the garage to soften and shape the styrene, and good ole duct tape.

The roof

I'll explain the chassis later.


Making the hood

1st primer

Sanding back down and working on the barn doors

Did the interior all up.

I jumped ahead a little.

If you are still interested, I will put more up tomorrow when I get time, my mouse finger has gone numb and Tank (mastiff) is pestering me to notice him instead of the damn laptop..

 

[LetsGoMuddin]

Thank you !! Are those or were those Bruisers, TF2's or custom Yota Highlifts ?

I haven't bought anything RC in a few months, and its killing me, I was somewhat addicted. :crazyeyes:

The tan one is a custom Scx10 and the blue and white one is a TF2. I was totally addicted to r/c but now I'm moving on to my Jeep. They are very similar hobbies!

 

[jeffro]

The tan one is a custom Scx10 and the blue and white one is a TF2. I was totally addicted to r/c but now I'm moving on to my Jeep. They are very similar hobbies!

I understand the addiction to RC, and I'm finally beating it. I even got hung up on searching fleabay and buying 30 and 40 year old 1\8 th scale Harley Davidson models, duplicates of what I had built back when I was in my early teens, 1974, 75, 76.

I went from packages almost every day on the front porch these last few years, to none at all, my bank account is growing , for the Jeep.

Anyway, I know most people like pictures. I am down to 4 Toyota 80's HiLux's and 1 Tundra, 2 of the Hilux's are the re-re's Bruiser and Mountain Rider. The other 2, Turd brown is a TF2 and the cream is a bit of hybrid.

 

[jeffro]

Back to the tiny Jeep

I have a few new pictures if anyone is interested. It will have to sit for a week or two after this, it depends on when I get back from vacation, plus I caved, and ordered a couple parts for it, so that slows it down, and now I see that my favorite RC ordering site has the Rock Hard 4X4 front bumper for my little Jeep. I wasn't going to spend any money on this, but I want it to look right, mostly.

The pics tell the story so far.

 

[USMC Wrangler]

Lookin' good!

 

[jeffro]

Lookin' good!

Thank you !


I picked up a Rock Hard 4X4 front bumper for my little jeepy, Thanks to Rock Hard 4X4 and RC4WD


EDIT = I won't get to see it till I get back from vacation.

 

[TeamFaust]

Wow, pretty cool. Love the RC stuff. Thanks for sharing.

 

[maxcustody]

Very cool! You have great skills.....

 

[jeffro]

Thank you guys, its much appreciated.


A few pictures before I leave for a week or more. I did buy a rear and front bumper, only the rear bumper is here. I picked up a set of sliders, but they are to wide at the moment. I cleaned up a set of old beadlocks.

My other Jeeps