Hi model builders -

I've been in a scratch building mood lately, and have been looking for things to build. I recently started an off-road race truck - which is a very high speed and complicated all terrain truck to build - so, good for a scratch project.

I recently finished a dio that features a SOCOM HMMWV, or GMV:



and have built others for another related project:



And before that, some other off-road race trucks (1/25)





The pic below is of the "trophy truck" I'm still working on, which shows the nature of the highest end in off road racing:



I draw the correlation between the two types of trucks because they are both required to be dependable, durable, and obviously highly mobile in very rough terrain. The fact that a GMV can do this is obvious enough, but I wondered about using or considering some attributes of the off-road race truck to fit into the role of an afv - specifically the long travel suspension and horsepower - which allow it to move over very rough country very quickly.

Also - I want this to be a credible build - not simply a 4x4 truck with monster tires and a big engine - no, instead, a theoretically functional truck that could, conceptually be of actual value and utility and not be a model building novelty -similarly, not an off the shelf technical truck - there are lots of those to be seen -- Instead, I want to try a viable option, but clearly in the realm of "what if?"

So, what if you started with a full size Chevy SUV, modified it to essentially become a Class 8 off road race truck (meaning, some portion of the chassis/body remains stock, and not a full racing chassis etc), and adapted it to fulfill some level of service that of a SOCOM GMV? How might you do it, and what might it look like?

Start with a model of a Chevy and begin cutting:





and keep cutting - until there's not much left to cut off



And then start on the suspension. This is the rear - I want long travel, but also to keep the basically stock chassis (theoretically practical, and capable of handling a load) - so, I tossed the leaf springs and added a four link, cantilever setup.

This allows you to keep something of a bed over a strong chassis -and get your full wheel travel (vert maybe 24" +/-)



Above, in the open position, below, closed:



And below, with shocks and springs...and no longer operable - the springs (in real life) set the ride/load height, and the shocks control the ride:



It's a bummer - this worked - but, I'm not in the mood to try and make it operable for a build...that would take forever!

On to the front - I added an EFI, 391 CI big block Chevy for power - just like the class 8 race truck, in the 500 +/- hp range. The suspension is a-symmetrical A-arms with a shock and coilover on each side. The suspension doesn't work, but the steering does.



Now the body - Sort of a cross between the elements of a GMV and MATV:













And that's where it is today -

Clearly much more to do, but, its getting there and proving to be a very challenging build. Lots of interesting parts to make (satellite, boomerang etc). The tires and wheels shown will not go on this, they'll stay with the off-road racer, but the same type will be used on this but in appropriate color.

More to build-

Thanks for having a look -

Cheers
Nick

Amazing builds and the scratch suspension is very well done

Wow, dude- that is some impressive work!

Amazing how everything looks so true and straight...fantastic job!

HI guys - and fellow fans of scratch building thanks for taking a minute to drop by! I appreciate it!

Yes - I do enjoy figuring how to build a suspension, and then, get the vehicle to sit with all intended tires - to touch the ground at the same time! For me, much easier said than done!

As for the whole post apocalypse thing...Yeah....hmm, well...please take a look:











Man....I had a lot more patience in those days!

As for this, I'm keeping it legit and not going into the wild too much - well, at least not ridiculous!

thanks for checking it out - maybe an update next week -

cheers
Nick

Hi fellow model builders --

I'm still moving along with this concept truck - although it's hard to tell I did too much from the photos - you'll see though a few add ons - some scale weapons and halogen lamps up front I found on Shapeways, and the comms from MikeyBugs95 (very nice BTW i added a light primer to help see the surface better. I scratch built the rack and BFT monitor and processor. I added wiring here and there as needed. Likely next up will be painting.

Please take a look:













So far so good - the wheels are still just place holders - the actual set will be the same, but the rims will be painted a different color - thanks for checking it out -

Cheers and happy model building -

Nick

You are a sick sick man. But in a good way ! Hahahahaha. Honestly dude I don't know how you keep up with this optempo ! And it still maintains an excellent look along with the speed of completion. Wow.
J

Work must be stressful, that he really needs to unwind! He puts most of us to shame with his building pace that's for sure!!!

Hoping my mojo for building comes back soon.

That's right you boys, get a stack of evergreen, some remnant PE, odd metal pieces, a cheap kit, and some work related anxiety - and here you have it! A pretty challenging and interesting build! I might just paint it and get it finished this weekend. I'm starting a Navy SEAL FAV - Gino dropped in a pic or two on another post I submitted a while ago. Why not? I'm evidently thiniking in 1/25 scale these days.

Thanks for taking the time to drop by -

Jerry - I know you're (always) busy with some remarkable figures -

Matt - I know you're always inventing and building all sorts of stuff -

Cheers
Nick

Hello fellow model builders - - I'm calling this one done. I like what it looks like - specifically that it "looks" credible (per one of my initial design criteria) - and I know the mods to the engine and suspension are reasonable - so, maybe not a bad idea!

Please take a look:





















And there you have it! and hope you like it - this was a fun build -

Cheers

Nick

Nick,

As usual, an outstanding build. I'd say it's a very much plausible build.

Hey Matt -

Thanks for taking a minute to leave a note, and thanks! Working at 1/25 instead of 1/35 was interesting - I know you skip around between scales and subjects often, but not so much for me - so even the variety of trying something different was fun -

Take care
Nick

Very nice and not too far fetched. GM is still offering militarized Tahoe, Suburban and pickup versions as the LSSV (Light Service Support Vehicle).

More info.






Or how about the Irish Army Ford F350 SRV (Special Recon Vehicle)...

Hi Gino

Thanks for taking some time to leave a post - and the images. I hadn't seen the GM trucks before - I like the way mine sits more - lol - The Ford though - that's really interesting - maybe something to try with the Meng kit? -

Maybe my next project -

thanks

Nick