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Here's a model I actually completed a year ago in order to be unveiled in time for the BuWizz picnic back in 2021, but we all know how things went... Anyway since the picnic did happen last weekend, I decided to unveil my most powerful offroader. The basic design is based on the Wildcat 4x4, but this version adds more power, a 2 speed gearbox and a third axle to the formula. As with the older version, each axle has independent suspension, plus the entire axle can pivot or swing, effectively giving this model double suspension setup. Indepedent suspension is great at absorbing small bumps when driving quickly, while the axles pivot along the terrain when crawling. The driveline was quite a challenge. In order to transmit the power from 12 motors to the wheels, each wheel ended up having it's own dedicated 2 speed-gearbox. The final driveline is extremely compact and efficient, with only 3 gears engaged at any given time. There are also no differentials or perpendicular drives, so nothing that can break or skip. Each gearbox is actuated by a PU M motor using worm gears, which prevent any unwanted skipping out of the gear. This way each wheel is powered by 2 BuWizz motors via a dedicated gearbox: The following gif shows how the front axle is designed along with the whole model: Here you can wee, how the front axle tilts in order to adjust to the terrain: The rear axles are made in the same way as the front axles, minus the steering. Rear axles are also designed to work in tandem, when one goes up, the other goes down. When one tilts left, the other tilts right. This way the rear suspension is extremely flexible: And finally here are some specs of this beast: Length: 52 cm Width: 26 cm Height: 20 cm Weight: 2,5 kg Top speed: 15 km/h (rounded up) To complete the presentation, here's a video of the model in action, a big thanks out to @braker23, @Sariel and @kbalage for the footage. Final thoughts... this is my most potent offroader to date. The sheer amount of power, torque and speed is hard to wrap your mind around for a model made entirely of small plastic pieces. Having said that, I think there are still few areas to improve: Tendency of the front wheels to fall off at hard bumps - A lighter version would help to reduce stress on the hubs and wheels. Could use a higher steering angle - Would have to find a way to integrate steering racks inside the transaxles. Protection againt depbees and dirt entering the drivelines - Something that would also not reduce the ground clearance, tiles might work.
