TOPIC:

Hi, I'm building a flatbed for a Unimog 425 and am looking for ways to attach the flatbed to the chassis so it looks as realistic as possible. I''ve removed to body posts but left the body post bracket in place for a level to work from as that clears the electronics platform and ESC and receiver, but most importantly the steering column. Aside from that I have no clue how to proceed. This is my first build so do not have a knowledge base to use. I want to get the base as low as possible to hide the chassis and add fenders to the rear but I'm not sure whether to attach those to the chassis or flatbed. Any ideas? Thanks.

I'd really need to see how far you've got so far to be specific (are we talking the Tamiya CC-01 kit with the Lexan body), but a few options come to mind:

- screw the body on permanently - as long as you can change the battery (or at least get to the power connector) and get to the on/off switch, how often do you really need to get to the insides, other than on the workbench?

- some sort of toggle off an existing point on the chassis to a fixed point on the bed (only really works if you've got overhang you can get to from the underside);

- body posts fitted to the inside of the flat bed, passing through extra holes in the chassis (not entirely hidden as screw heads will be visible on the top);

- thin neodymium (sp?) magnets fixed to body & chassis, possibly bonded into holders - you do need to be careful how they're held down, the attraction between magnets could be stronger than the bond between Lexan & paint for example;

- don't worry so much about lowering the bed to add realism - add some plausible bits to the side to hide the chassis;

- ... or some combination of the above.




Some photos, not to blow my own trumpet but to illustrate the above:

Toggle on underside of my Unimog:





Magnets on my tractor build (they did get hidden a bit better later on):






... and how the cab separates from the chassis:





Side of my Unimog - note how the bed edge is quite high, but the chassis (especially the battery orifice) is hidden by fake stuff on the side(s):

It’s just a flat base at the moment, but I’m confused about fenders. I saw your unimog truck and the fenders appear to be both under and over the rear flair of the chassis. The cabin is the lexan that comes with the kit, so I’m not sure how to attach that or if I can attach it to the flatbed. I have a few flatbeds I’m working on. One styrene, one plywood and one balsa wood. I think I’ll be using the styrene one as it suite the angular 425. I suppose I just want to know for future builds as well. I have ordered a pair of rubber fenders from eBay but I don’t know if I’ll use them on this build as the 1:1 has angled fenders not the rounded ones like the 406, so I may construct some from styrene. Ignore the cardboard one that’s an insert for a different idea.

Also, I noticed your CC-01 has a longer wheel base than mine, is that something you did or are there different types of chassis?

So this is a complete replacement of the bed, not just an insert?

There are very few pics showing the back of the Tamiya 425 body - but as far as I can see, it's all about compromise for the sake of the vacforming process, with very little definition/depth to the void between the cab & the bed, with odd structures at the sides to contain the inevitible "webs"

...

A big problem is that I don't know of a glue that will satisfactorily stick Lexan to itself, let alone anything else, the only way I can see to fix a new bed to the lexan cab would be to leave say 15mm of the lexan bed on the cab, make the bed wider/taller than that (with some sort of head board if necessary, make an extra styrene structure (on the front of the styrene bed) smaller than the lexan bed, and screw through the lexan into that "step".


The rear fenders on my Unimog are outside the edges of the chassis (and tuck round the back of the chassis too) so the height doesn't really matter.

I'm sure I read shoe goo was good at sticking lexan to styrene. That's what I planned to use anyway. As for the Cab and flatbed I thought about a long 100mm wide strip running along the entire length of the chassis with the flatbed and cab both secured to it rather than each other. That way I could lift off the entire body. The body mount brackets are level at both end and so it could be attached to those some how. In the gap between cab and flabed I could place some gubbins to hide the connector, maybe, what do you think?