Light Runner shell update #2

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circuitfxr

circuitfxr

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Light Runner shell update #2, #3

Well, I've been doing a bit more work and posted the pics below. It is kind of looking like something out of a Mad Maxx movie right now. :lol:
I know it will eventually look the way it should. I am very surprised at how strong this balsa construction is. I am thinking I will do a liquid plastic coating over the wood and then do a finish. This will NOT be a bashing body!:w00t: If this turns out well, I may consider making a mold so I can make some fiberglass replicas. Let me know your thoughts and ideas on what I have so far. :cool: Click on a pic to make larger.




 
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Made a decision tonight in regards to making this build smooth, shiny, and strong. I am going to coat the wood with 4-6 coats of spray-on clear polyurethane. For those who aren't familiar with polyurethane finishes, it goes on like paint but cures hard and smooth. Older poly's were also brittle....not good for this application....but the newer ones are more pliable. This will soak into the wood and seal it, make it water resistant, and then can be sanded between coats with a very fine grit paper (400-600). After about three coats, it will be smooth as a baby's rear. The extra coats I am doing will be for strength and durability. I will then be able to use any type of paint for plastics for the finish color. I still am NOT going to bash or race with this body, but I will have a bit of protection for those demonstrations (just for show). BTW....in the movie, the Light Runner vehicle has pop-up laser guns in the front wheel guards. I have purchased a couple of laser pointers and am planning to incorporate them into design. I also have some LED strips on order that will accent the body in all the right places. I think this will be very cool when done.
 
OK...hope everyone had a great weekend! Here are the latest pics and update on this body build. The first pic shows the front nose cone. I used this part as the test subject for my polyurethane idea. As you can see, it is certainly glossy and smooth. This is 4 coats of urethane then a quick sand with 400 grit and one more coat. The wood is completely sealed and water tight. The surface is now similar to plastic and the weight is still negligible. I will give it some gloss black a bit later and we will see if there are any notiable flaws. I got some wood filler/putty and started filling in the voids. The compound angles behind the cockpit canopy were a challenge but I think it turned out pretty nice. OK...on to the pics.......click on a pic for large high res.











 
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Just put the finish color on my test piece. It turned out pretty good. I am happy with the smooth texture and it is really strong. I set an entire case of canned soda on top of it while it was laying horizontal. No cracks, no noise. I took it out side and threw it down against the concrete and it just bounced off with no damage. I can't wait to get the rest of this build ready for paint. Here is pic or 2. I got a 3" deep shine. Don't forget...click on pic for large high res shot.



 
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You through a painted piece of your balsa wood body on the cement to see if it would scratch?! Sounds pretty crazy to me :)

!
 
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LOL yup....it is crazy! Paint can always be redone. I am a patient person. ;) I knew it would be fine. I have used polyurethane paints before. The only paint I know to be tougher than urethane is the 2 part epoxy paints used to paint appliances and playground equipment. Those paints become brittle when cured, but urethane stays flexible. I just needed to confirm that the spray version is just as durable as the brush-on type.
Well, that said, I did a test fit of the body to the chassis. My first test fit showed some areas that needed a bit of trimming and tweaking. Been tweaking now for an hour! LOL:w00t: I put some of the initial test fit pics below. Once the final fit is done, I'll get some more pics.







 
UPDATE! Here are the pics for the final fit. You can see the mount holes have been added and, after extensive modifications, the body clips are now in place and all is well. I have put the front nose cone in place, loosely, just to get the full effect. You have to imagine the canopy windows in place to really get the total feel. Now I am ready to do paint prep on the body. 4-5 coats of clear poly then the finish. I will do the canopy last. I don't wnt to have to mask out the glass for painting. My side wings are not accurate to the actual Light Runner. I gave mine a extra V shape that I like better than the original. Perhaps this is the next generation of Light Runner. :D Well, here are the pics....click a pic to make bigger.











 
Pollishman said:
Looks good man. Does the body allow the a arms to travel up high enough?

!
Click to expand...

Yes it does. That was part of the "tweaking" I had to do. I get full travel on the suspension. Now comes the really cool part......Making it shine! Time to put a nice dress on this lady! LOL:lol::D:)
Then I can start on the canopy. I am gettin real excited to bring this baby to life. This is usually when I find alot of speed bumps along the way.....got to stay calm and just take it step by step. Thats hard to do when you're excited! :w00t::w00t::w00t:
 
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Here is a link to a vid I made for you tube. It summarizes the build up to this point. If you enjoy it, please select like and feel free to share it.
Thanks. Hope you enjoy.

 
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Well, the paint went on today. I think it looks pretty good. It is almost exact to the diagram I started with. I took a few liberties with the side wings and the cockpit area is not as round as the original but over all it isn't too bad. Tommorow I spray the whole thing with one coat of clear poly; for a bit of protection. Looks like I have to wait for the LEDS till the money train pulls in. LOL I'll get started on the cockpit canopy tommorow. Looks like this will be on the car and running by midweek. Here are some pics. Remember, click a pic to see bigger and high res.










 
Update

Well, the canopy is on. I have already taken her for a test drive. Here are some pics and the test drive video. I am still planning on adding blue LED strips where the blue paint is now and I am going to install some laser pointers that will shoot light from some toy 1/6 scale laser guns for the front fenders. (Just like the movie) Let me know what you think so far. I am pleased to see how much strength the poly paint has given to the wood. Here it is.









<embed src="http://p.webshots.com/flash/smallpl...sonalize?photoId=3024082720036128137&source=v" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350" quality="best" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed><br/><br/><a href="http://rides.webshots.com/video/3024082720036128137InSRGN">LR body first run.wmv</a>
 
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