Whitney, I know you have been lurking for sometime, but I still find it much easier to get a tank running than a wheeled vehicle. Something having to do with all those A arms and CV joints combined with steering....;) Having said that, I do plan on making a wheeled vehicle sometime.
Derek T065 On Tue, Nov 24, 2009 at 10:09 AM, Paul Hilton <[email protected]> wrote: > Welcome to the group! I was looking at building a B-1 Centauro myself! > I think you should keep a couple of things in mind. Firstly, others will be > shooting paintballs at your vehicle. This means that your hull will need to > stand up to some pretty violent impacts. Secondly, your wheels will need to > be in the neighborhood of 8” in diameter. I don’t know much about monster > trucks, but I haven’t seen many with that size wheels. Thirdly, anything > that you strengthen after you start your build will add weight. I would > suggest going big from the start. And, finally…. Have a look at the rules > for an armored car. No matter how large the gun, no matter how thick the > armor the actual vehicle has, an arored car will always be at a > disadvantage. Good luck!!! > > > > Paul H. > > > > *From:* whitney james [mailto:[email protected]] > *Sent:* Tuesday, November 24, 2009 8:06 AM > *To:* [email protected] > *Subject:* [TANKS] Complete Newbie... > > > > Hey all! > Been a lurker here for more years than my pride would allow me to admit, > but I'm finally taking the plunge and beginning a build. > To start off with, the site is about tanks. That much is obvious. However, > I’ve seen a couple armored cars there, and I think that is where my interest > lies. And so, I present the B1 Centuaro. It’s got a nice bulky body to fit > all those moving bit’s that make it do cool things, as well as nice sloped > armor that will (in theory anyway) make up for a relatively weak armor > rating (25mm up front: upgradable to 30mm). However, it does come with a > 105mm main gun, so that puts us into Tank Destroyer territory. (evil little > grin) > > > > > http://www.sbmodels.net/images/New_From/ModelVictoria/MV002/images/MV0002.jpg > > > > Yup: it’s wheeled. I don’t know why, but in a place beyond all reason, I > find a wheeled vehicle vastly easier to engineer than a tracked one. I know: > I have issues. Still, what do you do? > > > > Anyway. The site has made the comment that RC car parts simply do not stand > up to the strains demanded of them in this sport. Well, being a complete > idiot, I threw that advice out in favor of RC parts. > > My basic plan is to scrounge Evil-Bay and dredge up some Nitro RC > monstertruck parts, and build my driveline/suspension system from that. > > The vast bulk will be taken from the Traxxas company, as they seems of a > fairly reputable sort, and their T-Maxx and Revo trucks are both everywhere, > and as any number of UTube videos will document, are nearly indestructible. > I figure anything designed to leap 12 feet in the air, fly 25 horizontal > feet, land on it’s head, and keep going is probably fairly tough. > Additionally, parts can be had for fairly cheap, so there you go. > > > > As the B1 has 4 sets of wheels, I’ll need parts from 2 RC monster trucks. I > considered merely buying two of them, stripping what I need and > Craigslisting/E-baying the rest of the bits off, but at ~$200 a pop, that > was a bit too much of an initial investment. I’m on a bit of a budget here, > as my better (and wiser) half has authorized around $20 a month to be put > into this thing so that option was out. As mentioned, I’ve taken the plunge > and purchased (won) 3 bulkheads (mounts for the swing arms: 2 rear, and 1 > front), some swing arm pins (enough for 2 axles), and (hopefully) a set of > A-Arms (2 axles worth). Assuming I am correct: that their description of a > “complete set” of A-Arms included 4 upper, and 4 lower, I will be in > possession of the above mentioned pieces for the grand total of $35.85. This > is about half my suspension system. > > > > “How to get the power to the wheels?” you might ask. Again, the commercial > market comes to the rescue. I’ve seen differentials for the Traxxas Revo 3.3 > going for around $10 plus shipping. Considering it costs 6 times that to > build one from your local hobby shop, that’s on the menu for next month. > > In total, I’ll need 6 (to be spread over a couple months, obviously): 2 for > the front and rear most differentials, and 4 to be cannibalized into 2 > through differentials for the two middle axles. > > > > Now: Most of the tanks I’ve seen built on the website (Yes, I’ve looked > through every page of every single one) don’t seem to take weight into > account: building with materials such as solid plywood and steel. Note: I > said “most”. (little winky emoticon) > > My goal will be to build as lightly as possible: hence the commercial nylon > parts (and my lack of fabrication skills…). My assumption is (and yes: this > may end up making an a** out of me) is that the lighter the vehicle, the > less power will be required to move it. Also, as I only will have need of 1 > power source… well, my logic falls apart there, but it seems like those two > things should be complimentary. Less power requirements means less battery > requirements means less weight means less power requirements means less > battery… you get the idea. > > > > As a power source (remember, we’re going for CHEAP quality here) I’m > planning on the tried and true drill motor setup. I’ve seen them tried on > tanks, but the complains are that they just don’t have the power. An issue I > hope to address with light weight. My plan is to find a trashed 18~24 volt > variable speed cordless drill (preferably with a 2 speed planetary > transmission) at some pawn shop or other place where such things are found. > This way, I buy a second cheap replacement trigger, a couple light springs, > and I’ll have a reversible, variable speed vehicle. This idea currently > exists only as an idea in my head, so we’ll see how it works out in > practice. Fortunately, many have said I have a very imaginative mind, so > maybe I haven’t botched everything before it’s even begun. J > > > > Regardless, that’s the plan anyway: what do you all think? > > (as to criticisms: please refrain from throwing overly heavy or sharp and > point objects as I have a rather soft head.) > > > ------------------------------ > > Bing brings you maps, menus, and reviews organized in one place. Try it > now.<http://www.bing.com/search?q=restaurants&form=MFESRP&publ=WLHMTAG&crea=TEXT_MFESRP_Local_MapsMenu_Resturants_1x1> > > -- > You are currently subscribed to the "R/C Tank Combat" group. > To post a message, send email to [email protected] > To unsubscribe, send email to [email protected] > Visit the group at http://groups.google.com/group/rctankcombat > > -- > You are currently subscribed to the "R/C Tank Combat" group. > To post a message, send email to [email protected] > To unsubscribe, send email to [email protected] > Visit the group at http://groups.google.com/group/rctankcombat > -- You are currently subscribed to the "R/C Tank Combat" group. To post a message, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe, send email to [email protected] Visit the group at http://groups.google.com/group/rctankcombat
