New Optima-based Build

[ROH73]

Still plodding along...

Working on getting the body fit, trimmed and mounted. I need to design and print a front mount. The stock Turbo Optima rear mount actually lined up very well.

[ROH73]

The car is about 99% done at this point, but needs some serious running to assess durability. I went with a very simple paint job, similar to my Pro Radiant, but also as an homage to the color scheme my father used when he raced Jeeps in the 1970s: silver and orange with some black accents. Here are some early glamour shots on just my workbench:

And compared to a real Pro Radiant, also with a Boost body on it:

I'll get a video running it this week and will also start to break out all the components; both custom and stock Turbo Optima.

[matt1ptkn]

Well, if it performs as well as it looks, it will be fantastic! Very impressive result!

[Mr. ED]

Nothing compares to running your own design. Fingers crossed.

[Lonestar]

That looks really, really awesome... congrats on a job well done! Will you shoot videos of this baby (please)?

All the best!
Paul

[ROH73]

Thank you all for the compliments; I really appreciate it!

Yes, I will have videos of it running. Possibly this evening...

[ROH73]

First video running in the backyard with the body, brushed Slot Machine stock motor and 2S Lipo battery.





And the first casualty from that flip:

Time to redesign and re-print! The front and rear shock towers are bent a bit too; I will probably leave the aluminum in the rear, but switch to carbon fiber in the front, as it's in worse shape.

[MrChin]

Fantastic job on this - it runs as good as it looks! It was fascinating watching the design materialize into a working original model - you have some serious skills!

[ROH73]

Thank you; that's very kind. Keep in mind, though, that I started the CAD files about SEVEN years ago, so it's more sporadic persistence than skill .

In any case, I am pleasantly surprised at how well it ran. Of course the general layout mimics one of the best chain driven racing 4wd off road cars ever designed, the Pro Radiant, so I think it should initially do better than a "from scratch" design.

In other news, I noticed that the chassis has picked up a bit of a curve. I think the four 3D printed (from ABS) top spacers have deformed. On the Radiant, they're aluminum, so I think I need to machine some aluminum ones as well. Incremental improvements!

[tintin74]

awesome work!!

[Dadio]

That's a good first run , that broken wing mount could be printed in TPU , its what i did for my dog fighter 3d printed replica and it worked well .

[ROH73]

awesome work!!

Thanks!!

[ROH73]

That's a good first run , that broken wing mount could be printed in TPU , its what i did for my dog fighter 3d printed replica and it worked well .

Thanks! That's a good idea; I do have TPU material (in white only, but that may look good). The current part is dyed Taulman Nylon Bridge, which is quite flexible, but of course not as much as TPU. I also only have one mounting point per side, which can't help things. I can change it to two per side. The Turbo Optima shock tower has plenty of existing holes to work with.

[ROH73]

A few minor changes. I machined aluminum cross braces, replaced the front shock tower with one cut from fiberglass, switched to 20w oil in the front shocks and, per Dadio's fantastic suggestion, printed a new-design wing mount from TPU. I only have white TPU at the moment, but I will probably re-print in black after some testing. I think it's going to work very well; the TPU is stiff enough to hold its shape, but flexes of course. TPU layer adhesion is phenomenal. I tried a beefier nylon version over the weekend and that one lasted just a bit longer than the first. It broke along layer lines just like the previous one.

In any case, the car is really fun to drive; I need to try it somewhere else than my back yard...

[Lonestar]

That project is so cool... Thanks for he video above, the car is much quieter than I would have expected. Congrats on a job well done.

Bit of a scary moment at 0:13 too

Looking forward to the next iteration of that car