I've decided on "Project TLRampage" to name this project, as it really has no Optima heritage, but is rather a bastardchild fusion of a Losi TLR 22 and a Kyosho Rampage Nitro chassis. I hope it's a catchy enough name.
I wasn't sure what would pique my interest in a new car build...I figured I'd done all that I wanted to do with Optimas. I certainly don't want to build anything remotely resembling another Optima! I was toying with the idea of building a 3-wheeler trike of some sort but just couldn't wrap my mind around how to get a front suspension that worked half-decent, and I know that even with the best suspension I could come up with, the thing would still be prone to roll-overs (as all trikes are). It still might've been fun to drive but certainly wouldn't have been stable.
Well, as it was with OptiMutt, which started out as a vision using some sweet JPS wheels I gathered, I might have come up with something that's rather unique, and it started when I received a pair of really cool aluminum wheels of unknown make/model. They're 3.2" diameter but unlike most monster truck wheels, they're only 2" wide. I sourced a set of low-profile spike tires to fit these wheels, those would work out great for a strange-looking offroad dirt dragster or something. The rear track would actually be narrower than you'd expect as the wheels are all positive offset, so they wouldn't stick out too much more than stock Optima wheels.
Anyway, they're all over eBay so that shouldn't be a problem.The car would look stupid if it was setup on a 1:10-scale chassis, so the idea is to stretch out the front end to at least a 1:8 chassis length, with a kick-up extension plate. I intend to mount the battery longitudinally and put all the weight towards the rear wheels so a powerful motor and gearing for torque will produce wheelies.
Here are some pics of the ghost of an idea...I'm thinking maybe starting with an Optima Mid chassis plate and chopping it & extending it. I have no idea what might work for a badass buggy body. I'm thinking to keep things maintenance-free, I'll use an Optima Mid gear diff, and it'll be RWD only, like OptiMutt. Does anybody have any suggestions or ideas that might help get this car further along the design stage? I'm sure some of you guys have built custom extended chassis cars.
The big rear wheels have rusty black steel hex-head bolts in them for realism. At least I can say the manufacturer might be American because those hex bolts are SAE threads, not Metric. I plan to replace them with stainless steel or colored alloy hex bolts to spice up the looks, after polishing the wheels. The wheels look awesome, I just have to remove a bit of tire/glue residue and they'll polish up beautifully, there's no damage whatsoever to the wheels. Great buy for only $33 shipped!
I've actually got a "Scorptima" about half built. Need to cut the final round of metal parts out and do the final assembly.
I want it to be a beast with enough torque to pull wheelies, and perform satisfactorily offroad. I want it to look different from any truggy or buggy out there that you see everyday, so when I unleash it, people will go "WTF is that?!" 
