[MOC] Control Plus Willys Jeep

[Arie]

Hi Everyone,

I would like to share my attempt at building a small, functional Willys Jeep. 

It is RC controlled using a Control plus Hub, and two Control plus L motors, one for drive and one for steering. I tried to "hide"the hub in the back by camouflaging it as cargo that is strapped down using the motor wires :) 

The Jeep has full suspension front and rear using live axles. It is four wheel drive, with differentials. 

 

The biggest challenges where the axles, especially the front one. I wanted the pivot point to be as close to the wheel center as possible to be able to keep the body tight around the wheels, and a decent steering angle. That combined with the four wheel drive, and the width of a differential plus CV joints was limiting the options quite a bit. I ended up building hubs that fit inside the wheels:

The next challenge was to get both the drivetrain and steering to the axle. First I mounted the steering motor the other way around compared to the picture above and used U joints to the front axle, but there was way too much play in that solution. In the end I changed things and build the linkage as you can see in the picture, which works much better. The steering wheel also rotates while steering, but it uses a rubber band because there was no place for gears anymore :)

The rear axle was also a bit of a challenge because the differential had to fit below the hub, and I didn't want to move it even higher than it already is. In the end I just put the differential one stud lower than the wheels and used a pair of 8 tooth gears.

The model is a lot of fun to drive, it goes quite fast with the L motor and relatively low weight :)

I'm curious to hear what you think of it!

[gyenesvi]

I like this a lot, it seems like a nice tight medium scale build! That drivetrain is super short, not sure anything shorter exists with all the joints and differentials properly included! I also like the steering linkage, I have been planning to try such a setup for a while. Does it have noticeable bump steer? Nice idea with the rubber band to route it to the steering wheel! On the rear, isn't the hub a bit heavy for those soft springs? It seems like it sits in a bit more in the back, although I guess the axle geometry is the same as the front.

[Johnny1360]

Great little set, well done, I do like the way you used the wires as part of the final model and love the belly shot. Probably the only thing I don't care for is all the holes in the body work at the back. Good job and thanks for showing it to us.

[Arie]

10 hours ago, gyenesvi said:

I like this a lot, it seems like a nice tight medium scale build! That drivetrain is super short, not sure anything shorter exists with all the joints and differentials properly included! I also like the steering linkage, I have been planning to try such a setup for a while. Does it have noticeable bump steer? Nice idea with the rubber band to route it to the steering wheel! On the rear, isn't the hub a bit heavy for those soft springs? It seems like it sits in a bit more in the back, although I guess the axle geometry is the same as the front.

Thanks! It does have some bump steer, but mostly because the hubs are not stiff enough / play in the system. I think the rear suspension is fine but the front should be softer :) As in, I really like the suspension from the Defender set, where the model really sinks a bit into the suspension when you put it on the ground. It does that in the rear but not in the front.

10 hours ago, Johnny1360 said:

Great little set, well done, I do like the way you used the wires as part of the final model and love the belly shot. Probably the only thing I don't care for is all the holes in the body work at the back. Good job and thanks for showing it to us.

Yes that is a really good point. Do you think it would be nicer with some tiles on the sides? (I dont have them currently in the right color to try it, or maybe I could take some from the Defender...)