RC Scale Land Rover Defender 90 for college project

[Jack_Hutchins]

Hi, my name is Jack. I am 18 years old and I am studying Electrical Engineering Level 3 at my college. I am in my second year and one of the units in Project. This is where I can make any project I like. So i have decided that I want to make a scale model of my dad's Land Rover Defender 90 (as pictured).

I can get better photos if needed.

I know this is going to be a challenging project, I am new to scale models I have tried doing this before however i found it very hard to fit a Land Rover hard body to a different chassis (can't remember which one). So this time, I used my college project as an excuse to build a proper one!

So far I have spent a long time doing research into 3 different solutions to building the chassis.
Solution 1: Build my own chassis
Solution 2: Use RC4WD chassis or Boom Racing full metal chassis
Solution 3: SCX10 Chassis

I have to complete this project for April 2016, so I dont have a massive amount of time. When I have been looking into the solutions, I have noticed that there seems to be a lot of work involved with the SCX10 builds? I am looking at creating a straight forward build rather than trial and error because I have a budget and everything has to be planned out as much as possible! If I didnt need to plan, I would just have a go and hope that it all works in the end*[emoji23] *but according to my project guidelines, I have to stick to a plan.

My budget is currently £650

For the first solution, I need to create a chassis and then find scale looking axles to fit to the chassis etc. However the first problem is that I dont have the skills to create a chassis myself. I also dont have the right equipment available. So I would need to find somewhere or someone who would be able to produce and weld together the parts of the chassis. Which may be very expensive*[emoji16]

For my second solution, (which at the moment seems to be the best) I buy the RC4WD kit which includes a hardshell so I wouldn't need to by one separately. I know for definite that the parts I order will fit and will bolt straight together. Also, I have priced up the kit and all of the electronics etc and it comes to roughly £560 which leaves £90 for all of the extras. That is the only downfall with this solution, the extras I need for the body to look like my dads Land Rover are quite expensive. So I will need to find someone with skills in making scale roll cages, roof racks and front bumpers who could help me reduce the costs.

My third solution, the SCX10 chassis seems perfect, I havent done a lot of research into this solution so I dont have any ideas on price etc. But I have looked into other scale model builds using the SCX10 chassis and I dont really like the look of the chassis and frame. Also, how hard would it be to attach bumpers and mount the body? So there are a lot of ways that could go wrong while making this. But I would still like to find out how long roughly and what is involved such as costing and what parts I would need to be able to make it this way.

I also have a small specification:
- Must be 1/10 scale
- Must be battery powered
- Must have a solid axle
- Must have shocks and springs, not leafsprung
- Battery can be a maximum of 21mm tall
- Must use Hobbywing 32T motor combo with ESC
- Must look like my dad's Silver Land Rover Defender 90 including as many accessories (i.e spotlights, roll cage, snorkel, roof rack)

I know this is a very big project, but I am going to try my very best to get this done and to a high standard. So if any of you guys on here can help me in any way, then please do!*[emoji106]

What are other peoples experiences with making scale model Land Rovers?
Are there any things I should know?
What are other peoples costings?

As I said before, I am new to scale builds so I dont know much, so any help is appreciated!
If anyone has any other questions, feel free to ask!

Thanks for taking the time to read this. I will most likely keep this post for the duration of my whole build to keep you guys updated.

Jack*[emoji2]

 

[Jeepfixer1]

My personal opinion, get the rc4wd kit and try to buy a used brazing setup and practice. The kit isn't difficult to build for most. To me getting the paint looking nice is more difficult than assembly . With lights and a lot of scale goodies hiding wiring can be fun and keeping all the wiring looking good . But I'm assuming that'll be the best part with an electrical engineering degree. To me this would be the best way of achieving what you are trying to do.

 

[Habanero]

And as far as cost it is very easy to underestimate that lol. Rc4wd stuff is not cheap and it adds up very fast. Just that winch and bumper will clear $100 for example.

 

[DaddyJeep]

It looks to me that this will be a good exercise in building some new skills. In order to keep on budget you will need to make a lot of these scale items yourself. Ideally the bumper and cage would be made out of metal, but they can be done out of styrene without needing expensive tools or extensive knowledge. Styrene is cheap and pretty easy to work with.

 

[pobrockcrawler]

I wish i could have done something like this for my product design coursework!! I'm 19 and currently transforming my scx10 into a replica of my real landy.

The thing i like about using the scx as a platform is it's cheap and you have to make parts to make it work such as body mounts and a rear cross member, as aposed to bolting on off the shelf pieces, which could potentially get you a better grade??!! I don't have the tools to weld either so I use aluminium and bolt it together, easy to cut, shape, drill and tap

Then again, the RC4WD kit is an exact replica to the real thing: chassis, axles and drive train. But you already know this aha

I suppose it all depends on whether you're willing to make components to keep the cost down (scx10) or buy pre-made to get exactly what you want but at a higher price (rc4wd kit)

I'll leave my build thread to maybe give you some inspiration:http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/axial-scx-10/479386-axial-scx10-jeep-chero-manche.html (landy starts page 10)

The real one:http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/1-1-full-size-vehicles/492823-land-rover-defender-90-pickup-td5.html

By the way your dad's landy is lovely, top work"thumbsup"

 

[Jack_Hutchins]

And as far as cost it is very easy to underestimate that lol. Rc4wd stuff is not cheap and it adds up very fast. Just that winch and bumper will clear $100 for example.

I already have a winch and I am considering making my own front bumper! but I do understand where you are coming from! I have tried pricing everything up together and I have already cleared £700 if I buy the roll cage, front bumper etc...[emoji24]

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[Jack_Hutchins]

It looks to me that this will be a good exercise in building some new skills. In order to keep on budget you will need to make a lot of these scale items yourself. Ideally the bumper and cage would be made out of metal, but they can be done out of styrene without needing expensive tools or extensive knowledge. Styrene is cheap and pretty easy to work with.

Yes, I think I will have to! the bumper will probably be the hardest thing to do... but hopefully I will be able to make it! The cage I won't be able to buy in because its a Tomb Raider roll cage, so I will have to make that anyway... I'm just worried about making a rubbish job of it all[emoji23]



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[Jack_Hutchins]

I wish i could have done something like this for my product design coursework!! I'm 19 and currently transforming my scx10 into a replica of my real landy.

The thing i like about using the scx as a platform is it's cheap and you have to make parts to make it work such as body mounts and a rear cross member, as aposed to bolting on off the shelf pieces, which could potentially get you a better grade??!! I don't have the tools to weld either so I use aluminium and bolt it together, easy to cut, shape, drill and tap

Then again, the RC4WD kit is an exact replica to the real thing: chassis, axles and drive train. But you already know this aha

I suppose it all depends on whether you're willing to make components to keep the cost down (scx10) or buy pre-made to get exactly what you want but at a higher price (rc4wd kit)

I'll leave my build thread to maybe give you some inspiration:http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/axial-scx-10/479386-axial-scx10-jeep-chero-manche.html (landy starts page 10)

The real one:http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/1-1-full-size-vehicles/492823-land-rover-defender-90-pickup-td5.html

By the way your dad's landy is lovely, top work"thumbsup"

Your tread looks awesome! I love how you've made it look EXACTLY like the real thing![emoji7]

it's pretty good for a college course!

The scx-10 is dragging me towards it for the price of everything, but will the final quality be as good. This is where I stand, if I go with the SCX-10 the price will be lower, but it will take more time (so might not finish in time) also, the scale looks from underneath won't be as realistic... But if I go for the Gelande 2, I will have the scale looks but no money left! lol, but then if I make my own chassis, I will have to make sure I get the measurements correct or else everything will go wrong! but making it myself might be a lot cheaper?

Thanks, I'll tell him that[emoji6]

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