Hirobo 44Bs and Zerda :)

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There was a lot of work to trim the Hilux custom bodyshell, for which there is still a lot of work...

But here is a preview...





I've checked in my parts and I have everything to complete the Zerda, so it may be next, before I get back to the 44B Hilux bodyshell...

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The Zerda got its steering servo installed. The motor has been replaced by a Tamiya Torque Tuned, which is going to be largely enough to invoke belt skips with the high flexibility of this chassis...


For the shocks, I have plenty of options, and I just need to decide which one I'm going to use...

I don't plan to use the original tires and rims to run the car (I do have to clean the rims, however). I'll use some Tamiya Off Roader tires (thunder shot): they are very close in spirit from the original tires, and the inside diameter is slightly larger. I will print custom rims within the same design than Zerda original rims and with a different diameter and some rings to avoid gluing tires on the rims...



The custom rims are currently printing...

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Rims are printed... As usual, I went for a dual color schema, and it is likely the tires are going to get replaced by printed at some point (run out of resin, I have to reorder some).

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Some work on Zerda and 44B for today... And it is clearly slow, because I will not be able to complete that right now as I'm missing some self tapping screws (they are incoming, but it is slower than expected).

Shocks. FOr the Zerda, I decided to reuse some of the Hirobo shocks I have and went for some cleaning using ultrasons...
The Two Zerda Fronts were black, while the others are aluminium (44B). As the black anodization was not good on the 2 front shocks I decided to remove the anodization and used my dremel for this. Beside ultrasonic cleaner and this, there was nothing much I could do, as the o-rings are sealed...


Back on 44B, in my search for 44B rod ends, I found some cheap aluminium ones that could fit. Unfortuntaley, there is too much play involved with those rod ends: That would probably do the job for a shelf car if you don't mind the non ISO build, but for a runner, it's not good...


Then, I remembered that I had a few additional shocks that will be of no use as damaged, but the rod ends are the same than the upper arms on 44B. That will solve one of my problems... I cut a M3x30 screw to replace the 24mm missing rod, and I was able to put the arms on the 44B. Shock wise, the set up is planned to be the same as the other 44B. I will need to find rods for the steering (they were missing, but I think I have somewhere what I need to solve this).

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Back to Zerda this afternoon... I decided to move forward to see where I could go with the remaining self tapping screws. As said, I'm missing some...

First the radio plate... It adds somewhat rigidity to the flex chassis, and the room around the servo saver is really really tight, as expected...


You may notice I replaced the printed part by a genuine pulley belt cover : the reason is that holes were already in place on the center belt cover, and they are not in good position, and therefore the pulley is rubbing against my printed part. I may review the design for this reason (and it makes it a bit unrealistic to put the file on Cults3D as it works only if the holes are in the right position (and they were user's activity)...

Next I trimed the driver, and I still need to work out the holes position for the driver and the radio plate...


To finish the build, I need to remove the paint from the 3 remaining parts of the roll cage... I've put them with the rims in the magic sauce (aka Glanzer)


And additionally, I'm thinking that Zerda was probably thought at the same time than the 44B chassis... The Pulley Belt cover option with the Zerda manual page is a possible hint, and a second one is the cut in the rear shock tower that really makes sense only in the case of the Zerda (I can't help thinking about those details when building a car, sorry for this )...


We'll have to wait the magic sauce bath to finish in order to finish this car. Still to be done :
- ESC, RX
- Shocks
- Wheels
- driver figure position and paint

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Focus is back on the 44B chassis...

First, I decided to do a support super easy to print... Tires are now 1 mm over the ground...


Next I review the roll bar. The target is to have something that can be used when running (with search lights in a very Marui way). I may do another version more in line with the original one...


This being done, I prepared some cluster for nice MJF prints...


I printed some parts in PLA to be able to check it is good and also to be able to show the bodyshell the way it is... Here is. I need to do some paint next, because here it is too white...







The bodyshell maybe a bit large for a M-chassis, but I'm quite sure it is definitely an option, with extended arms...

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I had hope about some MXL pulleys 18T I found announced to be for high torque/high speed usage...

Unfortunately, they did not sent the right one (bore is 6mm and not 5mm), and further, for the rest, they are exactly like the one I mounted on the Zerda, so I guess it won't last long... I reported the delivery issue to amazon and the reimbursement was promptly done...

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This morning I completed the Zerda...







I did a quick run in the living room to set the trims... Clearly the servo saver is touching the upper deck. Similarly to the 44B, the steering angle might not be enough, and it is missing some symmetry (an ackerman would help). The chassis flex is clearly visible when you go from front to back on the remote. It might require to be run tighter to aboid belt skips, and then it would plague the autonomy and life span of the belt... Not sure I'll run this car a lot. Any case, I'll still need to take care of driver's paintjob, but that will be for later...

I may work on the 44B LWB this afternoon, but that might require me to find a specific set of parts I have in one of the box below a pile of boxes behind another pile of box under the desk which is currently not accessible because there is two piles of boxes before it. And I also need to retrieve the Lancia 037 (non 44B) bodyshell that was planned for this chassis (I may need to reorganize this at some point ).

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I was full of hope to be able to close the rebuild of the 44B LWB chassis today when starting the afternoon... First, I went to battle with the boxes to extract the two parts I needed for this...


When I received the 037 touring bodyshell from TBG, I did not notice there was a wing with it... And additional parts as well, which I'm not sure where it is supposed to go...


With enlarged arches for the wheels, that should do the job, awaiting I find a 44B City or I decide to buy a 44B Vega bodyshell repro... But at least, this 037 body would be in the spirit of the rare Hirobo Lancia 44B...


I was having some motivation. But them something happened : I still need to mount a motor in this car. And unfortately, the 3 motors I have at hand currently are slightly too large for the right of the gearbox, and it is even worse than on the Zerda, where it was not a new part.
That broke a bit my motivation, I will need to source a 540 silver can urgently...

In the meantime, the 44B Hilux custom bodyshell went for some silver paint... More later or tomorrow...

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The 44B Hilux paint is done. Silver, then some darker vinyls for the windows and some black lining around the front window...






I'll have to check original stickers next, they would arrive at some point within the week...

In the meantime, I took some pictures next to the Zerda...





Considering the starting points for both cars, the result is not bad...

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This morning, I finished the 44B long chassis... I did not have the original steering rods, so I adapted something using piano wires...


Then shortly, I added the shocks... (same principle than for the 44B hilux at the front, on the rear I had to change the screws as the arms where mounted before with 3mm self tap screws for the shocks...


I printed the bodymount (the Lancia 44B should use the same as the Hilux, or the lower version, I'm not sure yet).


Here is the 3 chassis together




While I was at it, I printed a second set of 44B Hilux bodymounts, so I can have both bodyshells mounted properly on chassis...



I will have to trim the Lancia 037 touring bodyshell and add some electronics in the 44B Long wheelbase chassis at some point...

In the meantime, I could take some pics of both 44B Hilux together (there is a lot of work on the second 44B Hilux chassis, and I have no clue what is under the black paint of the red parts).







It's clear that I would do some stuff diferently now... Not all is coming from the modelisation, though, as the first Hilux came with an incomplete bodyshell, but I believe that with the knowledge I gathered later on doing the 44B Racing Baja body, I would do better. That will be for my next projects, maybe...

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This morning, I reconfigured the long chassis in 44B City form for some reasons

And I also did a quick print to add a brace on the front between the shocks upper mounting point. This is an easy to do and quick reinforcement... I've applied it to both 44B chassis.



I will also do a minor modification of the rear shocks ro remove 1 or 2 mm of range as the upper arm is touching the belt on the rear side, and I don't like this.

Once done, and electronics added to the 44B LWB chassis, the chassis will be completed and there will be only remaining work on the bodyshells...

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I did some support, and one french guy I'm in contact with has asked if I can do a batch for him as he has many 44B chassis... I'm willing to jump on the opportunity to refine my support and make it slightly more meaningfull...

I modeled Hirobo logo to try something...


And then I tried to print it in black and red as this will go good with the 44B chassis colors (I may have done the Hirobo logo in blue, but I did not have blue filament available).


I may need to do it as well for the Rock'nCity, Rock'nVega, Lancia, Racing Baja, Zerda and Alien (and why not Bearcat SS, Bearcat and Tomcat)... This could be either set on the side of the chassis support, or anywhere else...

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As mentioned in the post thread, I received today a bodyshell I was no longer expecting to find, and it is in very nice state... I was not long to put it on its second half (previous owner told me "I have abodyshell who is bored and searching for its second half" ).



I'm questioning myself about keeping it the way it is or paint it (Always had a preference for same body in black), but I guess I'll need to order stickers first and then decide...

I also finished to print my sample signlaetic plates that will go with the chassis support... I did redraw the Zerda name, used approaching fonts form most of the others, and for the Mid, as I did not have clean stuff to start with, I used a font which is in phase with the alien theme)...


And since this is now done, it is time for a familly picture while this project started now a bit more than one year ago...




And with a lateral picture of each of the cars...




Now, don't ask me which one is my favorite of those three cars... First, because you might be disappointed, and second, because I would not be able to respond ... But one thing I must say : when I started this project, I was not expecting to get that nice results at the end.
I still need to figure out a support for the Bearcat SS (and its two brothers), but this should be easy enough, and I will also do the signaletic plate, for them... And now that the pictures with the 2 Hilux bodyshell have been taken, it will be time to dismantle the second Hilux chassis to restore it, and get it in a box, ready for a rebuild (which may not wait that long, who knows)...

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I had a discussion with my friend at Loisirs Creations RC ( https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100048098785760) earlier this week. He requested me to work out the accessory parts to get them splitted in halves so he can work out something with very basic setup to do accessories with a silicon mold.

This is easy to do splits on a plan, so I did...


And I put all of this is a small bag. The only parts I did not split at this stage were the search lights...


I guess I'll have to prepare a shipment to my friend very soon...