Propulsion Lab: Spring Loaded

What started as a simple search for some new rims and rubber for my MBX VW Beetle 4x4 quickly got out of control.  My search lead me to my local rite aid where I purchased a spring loaded pull-back school bus with sole purpose of high-jacking the wheels and dropping the axles in my 4x4.  With my purchase complete I scurried home and quickly dismantled the school bus.  To my chagrin, the axle set in the spring loaded motor was proving to be a real beast, I could not get that sucker out of there!  I needed a new plan...  With a raised eyebrow and dremel  in hand I quickly set about attacking the chassis of the Baja Bug.  Sometime later, after the sacrifice of the Beetle's interior, this is what emerged.

 As you can see the new shoes fit great and I find the overall appearance quite satisfying.  The wheels are also narrower than the original MBX wheels adding a more realistic tone to the car. That being said, a quick peak through the windows and it is plain to see (or not see) the lack of seats in the car.

 While I did my best to retain as much of the chassis's integrity as possible it still took quite a beating. The engine and chassis where adhered to the body with Duco Cement.

This Beetle is now the fastest car on the block! Not having done the maths, I will guess that the old VW now has about 2000 scale BHP and is ridiculously light.  This unfortunately means that it has quite a bit of trouble holding a straight line... but before it plants itself firmly into the wall, it is really hauling!

My apparent success with the Beetle made me wonder if I couldn't be successful again.  This time a HW Custom 1956 Chevy truck was my unsuspecting victim.

 As the truck was quite sizable and had no interior I was certain it would be an improvement over the Beetle.

 The Pick-up was joined with the wheels and motor from a HW micro monster truck.

Needless to say I was wrong.  The chassis and "inner" parts of the truck required extensive cutting. I even had to go as far as cutting metal supports on the inside of the body.  Parts of the bumpers needed to be removed to accept the enormous tires from the MMT and for the first time ever I actually broke the chassis while I was working on it.  Sadly this meant that the whole truck would now need to be held together with way-too-much super glue. 

The end result was rather disappointing.  The MMT motor is underpowered.  The '56 Pick-up is incredibly heavy.  The super glue is super, frosty that is.  All told... not the success I was hoping for.  In the end, I have concluded that the amount of work required, teamed with the final product has not left me with the desire to ever make one of these monstrosities again.  There is probably a better way, but I lack the will to pursue it.

Raptor Attack!

Fords in-house performance specialists decided to give off-road enthusiasts something to cheer about in 2010. Enter the F-150 Raptor, the purpose built Baja pre-runner designed by the team at SVT.  Matchbox welcomes the 2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor in the 2010 Desert Endurance Series.

The Raptor is just bristling with appealing features. The bright orange paint and graphics package immediately catch the eye. For those that prefer a more subtle look the deep blue paint will be the way to go. No matter which paint job is to your liking, rest assured that both can be easily spotted in the wilderness.

Once the paint catches your eye the louder than life brick wall FORD grill tells everyone you mean business. Flared fenders help to draw attention to the trucks wide stance and both the fender flares and the running boards offer protection from any debris that gets turned up by the 35 inch tires.

 

The hood is marred by ultra aggressive air extractors, massive vents designed to allow hot air to escape from under the hood, keeping vital engine components cool in extreme conditions. While equipped with a full-size spare under the truck, the MBX model also features a second full-size spare mounted in the bed, this truck is ready for anything. There is even a tow hitch to haul your other toys park.

In closing, like the 1:1, the MBX Ford F-150 SVT Raptor has really captured my imagination. Having the vision to produce a purpose-built off-road performance truck has garnished a lot of respect for Ford and SVT from me personally. I have never been a fan of the "muscle-truck", high performance trucks built for the street. For me pavement has always belonged to the cars, but it is the truck that owns everything else. I really like everything about the Raptor, from the aggressive tone carried throughout, to the borderline flamboyant grill. Even the graphics look to me like the truck has just been viscerally torn asunder by a dinosaur bearing the same name. I think this one is a real winner. That is probably why, dis-spite owning several already, I still have a hard time not purchasing another when I find one at the store.