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:me1y...@hotmail.com] Sent: Tuesday, November 24, 2009 8:06 AM To: rctankcombat@googlegroups.com 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.jp g <file:///C:\DOCUME~1\njames\LOCALS~1\Temp\moz-screenshot.png> <file:///C:\DOCUME~1\njames\LOCALS~1\Temp\moz-screenshot-1.png> 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. 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