FLM Chassis

[CharliesTheMan]

John Robert Holmes has been working very close with the designer and manufacturer of a new chassis that will be produced by Fast Lane Machine. It's a hybrid chassis, basically a TVP chassis that takes on the look of a tuber when the panels are applies. I like this style of chassis better than other similar V2 chassis. I hope they will offer it in delrin, as the aluminum os going to be heavy, and a bit top heavy at that. John Robert Holmes ran the chassis at nationals and did pretty good. I think this will be another product that will help bring more basher type RC guys over to the crawler side of life.

There are two versions of the chassis. One is the V2 comp style, which doesn't have as many holes drilled and is designed to work with the Axial components. The other is the Universal style, which is holier than thou, and I'm not crazy about it. However, I think the chassis looks really good when installed on a rig, and the price is VERY reasonable, compared to something like the Warthog, although it's a different style of chassis. I compared the two because I think the same type of non crawler guys will be attracted to each. Plenty of crawler guys will like them too, don't get me wrong. But I think this and the Warthog will both help bring more people into the sport of RC rock crawling.

http://www.fastlanemachine.com/PublicPortal/

Pics of Axial

Pics of JRH berg comp rig (with two 5 turn cobalts!)

Notice the second pic. I CANNOT WAIT to get to maob with my crawlers.

 

[Lessen]

That's totally BadA looking. However, I think you may be dissapointed if it ia only available in alluminum as that is pretty much FLM's niche.

I can't say that i'm not inyerested but until somebody figures out or decides to really go after a bonafied nitro crawler I'm afraid i'll continue to be an outsider looking in.

 

[robmob]

Looks sweet, but I like the roll cage look of the Warthog much better.

 

[slowngreen]

doesn't look bad. i dont like the warthog or this one but i would prolly choose this one for price reason, this ones only around $60 wich seems very reasonable.

 

[CharliesTheMan]

Yeah I'm not crazy about it, and I like the Warthog better as well Rob, but I thought I would post is here for everyone to check out. After all, not everyone is looking for performance out of a chassis. The price isn't set in stone yet, in fact that's what they're having trouble with at the moment.

Lessen, if someone could develop a nitro engine that had a more instant power band, closer to that of the electric motors, then it would be a possibility. The problem that the manufacturers are having is that there's not a nitro motor on the market that would allow them to do anything other than sell a crawler far less capable at a much more expensive cost. I've heard this from two of the manufacturers that have been looking into the options. Some of the manufacturers have been taking polls, doing research, and things like that on the subject lately, and with the current nitro motors, the crawler population is rejecting the idea in a great way. I'm also waiting to see a nitro crawler just like you. Not that I would ever want one, but I would like to see someone come up with something different. Basically, if you would like to build a nitro crawler you could simply build a crawler suspension like on the maxx crawlers and super rigs that started with independent suspension and locked the axles to make solid axles, only use a nitro chassis. Another problem that you'll run into though is the high center of gravity. That's probably what will take the most work, is trying to figure out how to greatly reduce the center of gravity with things like the engine and fuel tank. I think one thing that could be done is a pancake shaped fuel tank, that might only sit 3/8 of an inch off the chassis, but then you still have the engine and tranny to worry about.

 

[Webbage]

Nice looking chassis kit, but I'm still not convinced with the hybrid TVP/Tuber look. I've seen a couple of chassis done like that and they are 'neither fish nor foul' as my boss would say.

I think JRH's relative success at the NAts *might* have had something to do with him running dual 5Ts on Berg axles

 

[da beav]

Basically, if you would like to build a nitro crawler you could simply build a crawler suspension like on the maxx crawlers and super rigs that started with independent suspension and locked the axles to make solid axles, only use a nitro chassis.

didnt the rock crawler magazine build a nitrocrawler using hpi tranny and axles from i think tamiya? i am looking for my stash of mags but i do rem it being a first issue tho

 

[CharliesTheMan]

Well all they did in that magazine was set up a nitro truck with low gearing and straight axles like on a TXT. They admitted that it was no where near as capable as an electric rig. Basically, they ran a special clutch to wear slower and things like that, and admitted that they spent a bunch of money building a rig that wasn't very capable on the rocks. It was NOWHERE near being a nitro specific crawler IMO. It's kinda like the guys that install bolt on parts from autozone on their car or truck, and call it a custom.

Webbage, the motors are the best out there, and pretty much all I run, but it's the suspension and chassis setup that really makes a rig. John Robert would have done just as good with 35 turn handwound 540 motors I believe. Especially somewhere like Moab, it's more about suspension than anything else.

 

[da beav]

[ It was NOWHERE near being a nitro specific crawler IMO. It's kinda like the guys that install bolt on parts from autozone on their car or truck, and call it a custom.

Webbage, the motors are the best out there, and pretty much all I run, but it's the suspension and chassis setup that really makes a rig. John Robert would have done just as good with 35 turn handwound 540 motors I believe. Especially somewhere like Moab, it's more about suspension than anything else.[/QUOTE]

true i use to have a real crawler out here in az thats one of my toys i kick myself all the time selling and yea its true that chassis and suspension is key i spent thousands on getting mine set up with the king shocks i had all the way around on it had the red label krawlers for it whickh still to this day are in who you know to even get them i found out recently i was biulding some dana 60's for a customer of my father and he asked me if i still had the hook up for them. and yea moab is a crawlers paradise area bfe those was my fav wheeling spot up there and pritchett canyon had my most violent rollover rung my bell pretty good and mangled alot of my jeep

 

[CharliesTheMan]

It should also be noted that this is not at all a hybrid tuber, it's a twin vertical plate chassis, just like the Axial chassis, SWX, GC2, slingshot,blackjack, etc... It just has a shape that resembles a tuber. I made the comparison with the warthog mainly because they both come from companies that have been around for a while but not into crawling, and then they jumped on the crawler bandwagon when they realized that it was taking over.

 

[alpinehyperlite]

Sorry, posted response in wrong thread. Fixed.

That chassis looks good. It looks more complete without having to run with a body.

 

[CharliesTheMan]

I'm not sure I understand what you're asking. What's a super 2.2 crawler?

 

[Webbage]

I was more referring to the 'style' of non-body TVP chassis and how they look and work. I'm just not really diggin' it.

As for JRH, the amount he knows about crawling he'd probably have been good with 2 hamster wheels, but having the megatons of torque may have helped a little, don't ya think?

 

[CharliesTheMan]

I definitely like it a lot better than the edge chassis, which I believe would be its competition.

 

[stampedeproject]

Thanks guys for the honest observations on my design.

The price is now set at around $65 and makes it very price competitive.

From a performance perspective, I designed the chassis to have a lot of advantages and some tweaks from JRH and Fast Lane I think has really made it a real competition chassis contender.

Stormer and RC-Monster now have them in stock and Holmes Hobbies should have some very soon as well.

Surprised to see a post over here on the NitroTalk forum, but hey JRH was the guy who mentioned that if we had narrower stays that it would be a rockin Berg setup and still be comp legal... so why not a nitro crawler...