JohnnyAnguish
Rock Crawler
Hey, they do make it in colors! I never knew that. I've only ever seen the clear. I'm going to have to get some of the black, I think.
-
Welcome to RCCrawler Forums.
It looks like you're enjoying RCCrawler's Forums but haven't created an account yet. Why not take a minute to register for your own free account now? As a member you get free access to all of our forums and posts plus the ability to post your own messages, communicate directly with other members, and much more. Register now!
Already a member? Login at the top of this page to stop seeing this message.
Johnny Builds a Brat
- Thread starter JohnnyAnguish
- Start date
Hey, they do make it in colors! I never knew that. I've only ever seen the clear. I'm going to have to get some of the black, I think.
JohnnyAnguish
Rock Crawler
I know I probably lost a lot of folks when I said "Lexan Brat body." In an attempt to regain some credibility, I've decided to do a custom interior. I'm no stranger to the Lexan interiors, but this will be my first try at scratch building one (or at least mostly scratch building one).
I don't have a lot of room to work with. I can only go down about an inch. As a result, I'm just going for something "Brat-esque" rather than trying to do a highly-detailed replica. My hope is to pick up some skills and experience that may help me out on some other build down the road.
I started with a cardboard mock-up to get a general size. Then I had at the styrene stash that was mocking me (it's been sitting on the shelf so long it got complacent). That's a Knight Customs SR5 steering wheel, but it's pretty close to what was in the brat, so I went with it. I was also unsure about tackling the seats, so I cut down a couple from Cross RC. They aren't a match, but they'll do fine considering the limited visibility this interior will get. It's nothing special, but it's something.
My favorite part was using a little Bondo to fashion the shift boot.
I'm doing the work, I'm baby-stepping, I'm not a slacker!
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
I don't have a lot of room to work with. I can only go down about an inch. As a result, I'm just going for something "Brat-esque" rather than trying to do a highly-detailed replica. My hope is to pick up some skills and experience that may help me out on some other build down the road.
I started with a cardboard mock-up to get a general size. Then I had at the styrene stash that was mocking me (it's been sitting on the shelf so long it got complacent). That's a Knight Customs SR5 steering wheel, but it's pretty close to what was in the brat, so I went with it. I was also unsure about tackling the seats, so I cut down a couple from Cross RC. They aren't a match, but they'll do fine considering the limited visibility this interior will get. It's nothing special, but it's something.
My favorite part was using a little Bondo to fashion the shift boot.
I'm doing the work, I'm baby-stepping, I'm not a slacker!
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Last edited:
Stollenritter
Quarry Creeper
Still watching! :ror:
JohnnyAnguish
Rock Crawler
Here's the interior all painted up. Again, not particularly impressive, but it feels vaguely Bratty to me. I can live with it.
Steve seems pretty comfortable behind the wheel, so I'm happy.
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Steve seems pretty comfortable behind the wheel, so I'm happy.
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
JohnnyAnguish
Rock Crawler
A couple more details to wrap this thing up...
I got the wipers when I was building the Ford Courier for my dad. I think they're for the Mojave body. Anyway, they seemed like a good fit here.
Steve wanted a vanity plate. His twin brother Alan got "BUCKY" for his Bronco. Steve thought "BRATTY" and "BUCKY" sounded pretty good together.
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
I got the wipers when I was building the Ford Courier for my dad. I think they're for the Mojave body. Anyway, they seemed like a good fit here.
Steve wanted a vanity plate. His twin brother Alan got "BUCKY" for his Bronco. Steve thought "BRATTY" and "BUCKY" sounded pretty good together.
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
nice work on the plate! i need to revisit that art. printed mine and just used packing tape over the paper. didn't uh... didn't hold up too well when i dipped her toes in some water.
wipers look good too.
full reveal soon?
wipers look good too.
full reveal soon?
JohnnyAnguish
Rock Crawler
When I make my plates, it's an inkjet print on self-adhesive vinyl (stuck to some scrap Lexan, trimmed out and then edged with a silver paint Sharpie). The trick I use to make it waterproof (other than the vinyl) is to spray the print out with a few light coats of clear acrylic. That locks in the ink and makes it resistant to water, mud, snow, the occasional spilled beverage, etc.
JohnnyAnguish
Rock Crawler
There are still some things I'd like to do to this tiny truck. Most noticeably, I'd like to add some side view mirrors, but the handfull I've tried so far haven't looked quite right. I'll run it this way for now and tell Steve to be careful merging onto the highway.
I've got some shots of this thing on my kitchen table, but no one wants to see that. Here are a few glamour shots of the little blue Subaru Brat in the great outdoors before it gets chewed up out on the trails...
amiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
amiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
amiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
amiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
amiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
amiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
I've got some shots of this thing on my kitchen table, but no one wants to see that. Here are a few glamour shots of the little blue Subaru Brat in the great outdoors before it gets chewed up out on the trails...
amiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
amiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
amiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
amiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
amiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
amiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
JohnnyAnguish
Rock Crawler
Thanks. Those tires are only 3" tall! Should make trailing this rig interesting...
JohnnyAnguish
Rock Crawler
The Brat had its first outing. With minimal ground clearance, tiny tires and big overhangs, I went to a location that I thought would be a nice easy drive.
Nope.
We had gotten some snow previously, but it had warmed up and a lot of it had melted. Then things got brutally cold. What I hadn't anticipated was that over half of the trail would be blanketed in 3 inch deep, icy, rock hard, frozen footprints. Oof.
As I started down the trail I thought about turning back. Then I had a brief conversation with Steve Man who said "We don't build shelf queens. Gimme the keys!"
The truck performed admirably in conditions that it had no business performing admirably in. The front lip of the body ended up taking some damage. There was a little chipped paint and a small crack. The cold weather certainly didn't do me any favors there. I'll make some repairs and have it back on the trails in no time.
Here are some photos from the non-icy-footprints-of-death parts of the trail...
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Nope.
We had gotten some snow previously, but it had warmed up and a lot of it had melted. Then things got brutally cold. What I hadn't anticipated was that over half of the trail would be blanketed in 3 inch deep, icy, rock hard, frozen footprints. Oof.
As I started down the trail I thought about turning back. Then I had a brief conversation with Steve Man who said "We don't build shelf queens. Gimme the keys!"
The truck performed admirably in conditions that it had no business performing admirably in. The front lip of the body ended up taking some damage. There was a little chipped paint and a small crack. The cold weather certainly didn't do me any favors there. I'll make some repairs and have it back on the trails in no time.
Here are some photos from the non-icy-footprints-of-death parts of the trail...
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Last edited:
JohnnyAnguish
Rock Crawler
Here's a quick look at the damage. On the left you can see the chipped paint. On the right is the crack. A little touch up paint, mesh tape and E6000 should have me back in business.
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
JohnnyAnguish
Rock Crawler
All patched up and back out on the trails...
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat by johnny anguish, on Flickr
JohnnyAnguish
Rock Crawler
As suspected with the wheelbase lengthening I did, the dogbones became an issue. Or, rather, the lack of dogbones became an issue. Around mile 7 I noticed the the rig was struggling a bit. At least a bit more than a tiny tire, independent suspension road-car-turned-trail-vehicle with almost no ground clearance would normally struggle. Turns out I was running in three wheel drive.
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Was that going to stop me? Heck no! Should it have stopped me? Probably! You see, it was early in my outing. I wasn't ready to go home, so I decided to soldier on for another mile or so, sticking to the tamest of trails. The little Subie performed admirably under the conditions. Oh, any ideas what happens to Tamiya drive cups that don't have dog bones in them? Anyone? They fall out. Yup. So now I was out a dogbone and a drive cup. Not my finest moment.
So I ordered up some replacement drive cups and universals to get the tiny truck back out on the trails. After the install there's a slight hitch in the rear drive train. It's something I want to look into, but doesn't affect things enough to keep it on the shelf. I also noticed that there's more contact with the rear suspension upright assembly and the center drive shaft cover than there was before. It sticks a bit. I suspect it's getting bendy (technical term) due to the way I had to reverse that assembly when lengthening the wheelbase. I'll have to look into that, too. Basically, this car is a disaster right now. Pretty much a failure. But it runs. And it's fun. So, yeah.
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Was that going to stop me? Heck no! Should it have stopped me? Probably! You see, it was early in my outing. I wasn't ready to go home, so I decided to soldier on for another mile or so, sticking to the tamest of trails. The little Subie performed admirably under the conditions. Oh, any ideas what happens to Tamiya drive cups that don't have dog bones in them? Anyone? They fall out. Yup. So now I was out a dogbone and a drive cup. Not my finest moment.
So I ordered up some replacement drive cups and universals to get the tiny truck back out on the trails. After the install there's a slight hitch in the rear drive train. It's something I want to look into, but doesn't affect things enough to keep it on the shelf. I also noticed that there's more contact with the rear suspension upright assembly and the center drive shaft cover than there was before. It sticks a bit. I suspect it's getting bendy (technical term) due to the way I had to reverse that assembly when lengthening the wheelbase. I'll have to look into that, too. Basically, this car is a disaster right now. Pretty much a failure. But it runs. And it's fun. So, yeah.
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat by johnny anguish, on Flickr
Tamiya MF-01X Subaru Brat by johnny anguish, on Flickr
I love this build. I've looked at this thread quite a few times now. I'm really wanting to do something similar, maybe a hard body though. Is it possible to run slightly larger tires on that chassis? Maybe 1.7's if you adjust the body height ect.? This would be my first real build like this, so I'm pretty new to what would fit what chassis. Thanks for the advice. Killer build!
Robotboy
RCC Addict
Great job! Love it!
smokinapankake
Newbie
I used a TT-02 chassis to build my Brat. No pics though because after making it look like a 4 year old painted it, I hid it under the stairs and only let it out on moonless nights. Scares even the werewolves away it’s so ugly. But very nice job on yours; Tamiya’s Subaru Brat and Kyosho’s Optima are my 2 very favorites RC buggies of all time!
How did it look on the TT-02 chassis? Was it fairly scale looking? I want to replicate something simliar to this one because the tires are tucked underneath and look realistic compared to the stock brat kit with the tires sticking way out to the sides.
I wouldn't mind trying a slightly larger tire than the ones on this build. Ive been looking at tons of sites and threads trying to find a chassis that would give the brat this scale look.
