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[Backerther]

The latest RC car rated as the flagship in my ground fleet is this 1/8 Jeep wrangler rubicon now under modification to meet
my requirements to be able to go through all the terrains. ...I'm joking a bit and too much exaggerative....??
But it might not be joking from the inside mechanisms and outside profile...It seems to have some kind of potential to go through
most terrains where I will go for trail runs in the near future......

[Backerther]

Initial modifications were made to three points, to add a digital V meter, vehicle number plates and a body holding string to keep it open for maintenance.
Two are for practical purposes and the other for a good scale realism.
This car seems originally well-crafted so that there will be few to add or modify it except a scale appearance and some dress up works of my own style.

[Backerther]

In the second place, this jeep has not been equipped with a spare tire at the back door so that I made an only tire cover
for just a scale realism. At the same time this rigid tire cover(case?) could be a storage space for some small parts or something like that.
A Spare tire itself for this size might be comparatively heavy which may lead to rear heavy body which is unfavorable when climbing a bit steep slope....But I may try the tire in a trail run if I should get it in the future though.

[Backerther]

For the third place, I added some lettering, some accessories and some stickers to the hull to have it looked like a real car.
I think the jeep may look a bit like a real crawler with these dress-ups.

[Backerther]

Well then, it's about the time to get into the first trial run briefly on the road to grasp how long/far it will go on with a single
battery 5000mAh 3s lipo.
To conclude, it ran as far as 5.6km(3.5miles) with a 775motor and an overall weight of 4.6kg which is good beyond my expectation for this 1/8 scale long distance cruiser .
This means another one battery will fulfill 10km trail run(if it's mild run)sufficiently...!!!!
This could be called "the jeep" literally????, "the king of land"???.!! ...like me who is still a long distance runner??
The jeep went more than around our boating lake in the pic No1 below.  Distance around the lake is 4.7km.

[Backerther]

The fourth modification is to install a pair of edge protection mouldings to the underside of doors.
I found the stuff for the mouldings in the odds and ends this time like I did in the case of making spare tire cover.
Buying ready-made parts through the internet, they would cost me about USD17 and 18 days to get!!!!.....

[Backerther]

Customization project is still under way.
4 shackles were painted red and many other equipments were also added after proper painting.
This jeep model is becoming really a jeep model with these cosmetic works.

[Backerther]

And next goes to a winch which is, so to say, a kind of symbol of a rock crawler car in these days.
That's why I couldn't help installing it to my jeep and this is a working one as to wind up the wire for towing the 4.9kg hull
powerfully as seen in the pics below.
I had beforehand a suspicion about the capability to tow the car with such a small motor of the winch....but....slowly but powerfully, silently did it actually.!!!!



However,I do not intend to get into muddy terrain nor somewhere like that at all with this jeep model..!!

[ChrisF]

Looks really good with all your additional bits and pieces on it. Nice little winch.

Chris

[Backerther]

Chris,
Thank you for your always friendly and kind comment.!!


Kiyo

[SteamboatPhil]

I love it 

[Backerther]

SteamboatPhil,


Thanks a lot for your kind comment.!! 


Kiyo

[Backerther]

This time, I changed the original wheel /tires to the aluminum bead rock wheel /tires like a real and orthodox rock crawler.!!
From the point of a nice appearance, the original black wheel looks too monotonous for my impression as the tire itself
is black..      Therefore, I have hoped it something like an accent in the whole black colored wheel/tire.
In this sense, combination of silver and black is good enough for a tough looking rock crawler car.!!
Moreover, lots of bolt heads do seem to enhance so powerful an impression on the car itself. 

[Backerther]

Next goes to the bare spare tire on the back door which I think would be a typical image of the jeep wrangler...??
By hanging the tire along the back door, the jeep model looks really jeepish ,doesn't it..?? Don't you think so..??
By the way, I have ever heard that Japan is the country where the jeep is the best sold in the world except USA. 

[Backerther]

This item is indispensable to make as far as many equipments are already put on the car roof neatly.!!
Unless the ladder is set, the configuration of my jeep will be something contradictory, won't it ???
Therefore, I made it simply.   After use of the ladder, it must be loaded on the roof again for departing..!!

[Martin (Admin)]

 
How good are the tyres?

[Backerther]

Martin,
You really hit upon a good question which I have been waiting to be asked by someone, to tell the truth.
You question will be replied soon clearly with a trial run to take place on coming 2nd, May.
Japan is now in the midst of the longest vacation throughout a year to continue for 10 consecutive days beginning from April 27
to those who are lucky.    However, the old like me has been enjoying this level of vacation always in a year,
hasn't we.?
We the Japanese normally call the week " Golden week " and a huge number of people normally goes out for their respective
place to enjoy their own amusement. Major speed ways are abnormally jammed with cars which move soooo slowly and stop
in a row of 40 km(25 miles) or more at the longest sometimes.....

[Backerther]

The last customization work before the second trial run is a hip protector to be attached to the rear bumper as in the pics below.
Shall I call it a bumper protector..??
As many RC rock crawler enthusiasts might have experienced that the rear bumpers often hit the corners of stairs when going down in the fields.....   The taller the steps of stairs are, the stronger the shock against the bumper may be...
Therefore, my jeep must be careful to go down the stairs with a height of step over about 11 cm(4.3in.) as seen in the last pic....

[Backerther]

I have still found lots of things to customize my new 1/8 jeep wrangler to make it really and practically tough model to be able to
run in the fields with less problems....
Take a look at these pics for instance. I have ever been hit by something convex at the front tie rod in the field though not so
roughly. From this experience, I thought it quite necessary to protect this tie rod in earnest and made a very simple but stout
protector out of 2 mm steel rod as seen in the pics.
If I should buy a ready-made protector made of aluminum in the internet, it would be over USD15...

[Backerther]

The second trial run with new tyres were carried out successfully in the large park spending about 3 hours.
With these new tyres, the car width has been 1 cm wider reaching 30cm and very stable in steering at a bit higher speed.
This car is a version 3 type by which it has been modified to be much lowered and front-heavier CG for a better crawling performance.    I could have you shown a video, if I recorded it....A working model is to be recorded by the video to report it precisely, isn't it, if possible ?...
The park we have walked is famous for its beautiful rose garden but it was a bit earlier to enjoy the flowers to our regret...
There were very few already open ....

[Backerther]

From the experience in the last trial run, I found it necessary and convenient for the transmitter to be operable
 by one hand only. Especially when running on the road to be able to go right forward with less adjustments in steering, it was
a bit troublesome to use both hands for a very slight adjustment to keep going straight....
That's why I made a one-hand-operation stuff this time as in the pics by which I could afford to get my right hand free when
going forward simply on a bit wide road that did not require delicate steering in a long distance cruise.

[Backerther]

Tiny but essentially important item is this for a car model, isn't it  ..??
 Yes, indeed. !!    An exhaust muffler pipe must be indispensable to set around rear bumper for a scale realism and to avoid
something contradictory for its scale profile.
Then I made and set it as seen in the pics below, which I have been aware to do so.


Pic1 is the original image of non-muffler which I greatly have felt it sooo strange as a car model...

[Backerther]

The next customization work is to add a home-made front bumper under guard made of aluminum.
This will be also very important to add when running in the rugged terrain.