Graupner/Mugen Mercury CAD model...

[silvertriple]

That's looking really good. If you do get some bodies off it I would be interested in one as I want to keep racing mine.

The bigger body does look like the prototype body, the prototype had a flat alloy plate to mount the electrics instead of the plastic covers and needed the extra sides to cover it.

I may be able to model the prototype body at some point ... And I would need as much details as possible of the Prototype itself, to be able to do the model of the flat alloy plate and potential additional mounting points...

[silvertriple]

The new wing mould was printed last night, and it looks good...


And another view. It won't be exact copy (I still have some limitations in CAD), but it would be good enough to get a body in the spirit of the original to run the car...

[terry.sc]

That's really impressive work.

Prp did a replica of the world's prototype, so you can see what the new chassis plate looks like. It looks like he started with the exact body you have
https://www.rc10talk.com/viewtopic.php?t=28434

[silvertriple]

That's really impressive work.

Prp did a replica of the world's prototype, so you can see what the new chassis plate looks like. It looks like he started with the exact body you have
https://www.rc10talk.com/viewtopic.php?t=28434

That was the Graupner box art...

Edit, I just noticed that @prp is from Lyon, France. This car is not mine but is from a friend, who is likely to know prp. I will ask him, because it looks like it is actually the same body...

[prp]

The prototype car have a différent body for the wc 87 than the production car

[silvertriple]

The prototype car have a différent body for the wc 87 than the production car

That I know, and there is pictures of the prototype body on the previous page. It would be great if you can provide some information on how you fixed the plate to the chassis... I intend to model the prototype, now that I have finished the normal car model...

[prp]

6 screws drill in the châssis with nuts

[silvertriple]

6 screws drill in the châssis with nuts

Not the most elegant solution . I'll have to find a better one...

[silvertriple]

New renderings following the updated wing...

[silvertriple]

Following @prp mention of screws and nuts, I did more reasearch...

I've see this picture in the past in quite a few occasions...


It's a bit difficult to see but there is some indications from the picture itself...


I believe the chassis plate was fixed with simple tapping screws. We can see the rear sway bar, and there is a screw on the front shock tower that let me think there was a front sway bar. What I don't know about is the link between the rear arm and the chassis plate : toe-in adjustment? Something else?

It would be great if I can find more pictures of this prototype, idealy of better quality...

[silvertriple]

A quick visualisation of the chassis components of the Mercury 4Xi using Fusion360 web visualisation tools. This looks quite well organized (compared to the same view for other cars)


This morning, I got some news from down under (Australia), where my friend Johann did some test and put some nice report on Tamiyaclub...


It is much better than what I expected (ABS printed mould, PETG sheet 1mm)

[silvertriple]

New renderings following the updated wing...

Two of my friends got the mould. Johann, my friend from Australia printed one and did some tests. My own mold was sent to a friend here in France, and he made some bodies for me out of it... And he also showed me a body which he thought to be an Academy Mercury body. It was actually the same bodyshell than the prototype from the Worlds 1987. He made a mold of it, and he sent me some bodies I received today... I'm very happy, and this car will be rebuilt at some point (I need to slot it in the crowded rebuilt planning - have quite a few cars in it already)...

[terry.sc]

I took the Mercury racing again, it ran well until the spur gear exploded. It is great to drive so I'm going to try and get a pair of gears cut for it to continue to race it as I don't think 3D printed gears would be capable of handling a 10.5T motor.

A crash also cracked the original body at the front so that's going to have to sort out a replacement as well before it hits the track again.

[silvertriple]

I have my doubts as well, looking at how thin the material is right there : the ball bearing installed inside the small gear makes the material is quite thin there, giving it no chance to survive, and I'm doubtfull on the possibility to 3D print it in metal...
CNC might be a better solution, either Aluminium or Nylon.
I can provide the file if needed.

[silvertriple]

I took the Mercury racing again, it ran well until the spur gear exploded. It is great to drive so I'm going to try and get a pair of gears cut for it to continue to race it as I don't think 3D printed gears would be capable of handling a 10.5T motor.
PXL_20240720_133122783~01.jpg



A crash also cracked the original body at the front so that's going to have to sort out a replacement as well before it hits the track again.
PXL_20240706_131209119~01.jpg

By the way, what wheels axles are you using?