THX1138 (The big question is probably WHY?)

[Fat Freddy]

NOTE: deleted nearly all the pics from this thread on 11/1/23 to make space.
 

Not sure if this is in the right place. (Feel free to move it @Nick if you think it’d be better elsewhere...... deleted altogether?🤣)

I guess it’s still a buggy? I thought about putting it in the “FTX Vantage/carnage thread” but decided not to, because it doesn’t seem fair to dominate the thread with lots of posts about me falling down a rabbit hole.

 

So, I have a rather tired and battered car that started life as an FTX Vantage. By the time I embarked on this project, it had a heavily cut down truggy shell from something branded Himoto and a homemade undertray made from a sandwich box.

It wasn’t really being used much as I was focussed on crawling at the time, but I’d decided on a bit of a project for my SCA-1E and thought I’d fettle the FTX so I had something to play with while the other was being worked on.......... part 1 of god knows how many 😂

Edited January 11, 2023 by Fat Freddy

[Fat Freddy]

Next step, I got a FTX Carnage clear body and, after making a rough template with the Himoto shell and some cardboard, set about it with scissors and cut it to bits..

Edited January 11, 2023 by Fat Freddy

[Fat Freddy]

The idea was to allow the shock towers to show through so the body could sit really low. Unfortunately I’m rubbish at this stuff, don’t have the patience, or the steady hand required, but eventually got it roughly how I wanted it.

For some reason the pics of this stage won’t upload, so skipping ahead slightly, I also got a set of wheels tyres for it and in this pic, was deciding whether to add lights (more on that later).

Edited January 11, 2023 by Fat Freddy

[Fat Freddy]

Decided yes to the lights... had a set of 4 spots, 2 big, 2 small. Made some little brackets for the front. Tinted the small ones red and mounted them on the wing mount bracket at the rear....

Edited January 11, 2023 by Fat Freddy

[Fat Freddy]

Rather frustratingly, the pics of the painting of it won’t download either. Will have to wait for the big reveal.... brownie points to anyone nerdy enough to recognise THX1138... you might have an inkling where this is going....

So had decided on a Soviet, grey with red hammer and sickle style paintjob but changed my mind after a casual comment from my wife.

Real shame about the pics as there a comedy element here... Not as easy as you’d think to find grey polycarbonate paint. 

Eventually settled on a grey from Fastrax but when I started spraying I thought I had a dud can..... before realising I’d bought a bloody window tint. I don’t remember it mentioning window tint on the website!?!

It turns out, if you do three coats of window tint, then back it with pale blue, you get a passable, if patchy, grey.... and at least I know it’s definitely unique 😁

[Fat Freddy]

So the new theme, as inspired by the Mrs passing comment, is Star Wars.

Not sure why..... If you are into that sort of thing, you might know that there are NO wheeled vehicles in the Star Wars universe. Except one that appears briefly in “The Mandalorian” TV series, which is a massive 8 wheeled troop carrier thing, so maybe a project for the future, but not this one.

So (and this is where things start getting REALLY sad) I thought up a back story. Our rebellion fighter crash lands on a planet with such strange magnetic fields that anti gravity won’t work. So, butchering their space craft and employing crude native technology, our hero(ine) cobbles together a vehicle in the hope of reaching a space port that will get them off planet, and comes up with this.....

[Fat Freddy]

TBC after I’ve had my tea 👍

[Fat Freddy]

Next came a light bar, not really sure why, just an impulse....

Edited January 11, 2023 by Fat Freddy

[Fat Freddy]

And, as we all know, all brave rebellion pilots have an R2 unit mounted behind the cockpit.....

 

 

 

I came up with a few ideas of how to mount R2, and decided it would be better if it was removable so it would get damaged less when crashing. I tried Velcro but changed my mind and buried some magnets in the base I’d made for him....it.

 

 

 

Edited January 11, 2023 by Fat Freddy

[Fat Freddy]

Which brought me to this stage........The odd looking fat grey washers on either end of the light bar are nylon furniture feet. Supposed to make it easy to slide your chest of drawers round the room. I’m hoping they will help protect the light bar from the inevitable roof slides.

Also, note where the lights are mounted....

Edited January 11, 2023 by Fat Freddy

[Fat Freddy]

Didn’t like the way the lights were mounted and got a bit “creative” with some foam rubber and  the mesh from a disposable barbecue. Thought about that backstory and decided to add some patina. Our hero(ine) had clearly had a few adventures on the way.......

Edited January 11, 2023 by Fat Freddy

[Fat Freddy]

slightly better lighting...

Edited January 26, 2021 by Fat Freddy

[Fat Freddy]

Edited January 26, 2021 by Fat Freddy

[Stormbringer]

that looks bloody brilliant mate reminds me a bit of the Argo from ST Nemesis 

[Stormbringer]

by way link no working

Edited January 26, 2021 by Stormbringer

[Fat Freddy]

Rubbish video but you get the idea 😀

[Fat Freddy]

1 minute ago, Stormbringer said:

by way link no working

To the vid?

[Stormbringer]

err no its not working here mate 

yep the vid 

Edited January 26, 2021 by Stormbringer

[Fat Freddy]

For those that don’t know, THX1138 was the title of George Lucas’ first film in 1971.  THX1138 pops up in all of his films after that. 

 

 

Edited January 11, 2023 by Fat Freddy

[Fat Freddy]

6 minutes ago, Stormbringer said:

err no its not working here mate 

yep the vid 

Thanks. All the way through this thread I’ve struggled with the pics. I’ll try a YouTube link later but I wasn’t kidding, it’s a rubbish vid.

[Tug]

Can't believe what you did to R2, but like how you've mounted him. 

[Fat Freddy]

If the vid not working try this 

but prepare to be underwhelmed 😁

The observant among you may notice R2 has bailed out at this stage. 

[Fat Freddy]

9 minutes ago, Tug said:

Can't believe what you did to R2, but like how you've mounted him. 

There’s a joke there somewhere 😂

[Stormbringer]

not as bad a vid as you said mate 🍻

[bertberr]

Cool looking truck, imaginative and makes a nice change to all the more mundane stuff such as what grace my shelves. Top banana!