Survival Defender - End of the World rig
03-09-2014, 02:38 PM
#1
Survival Defender - End of the World rig
I scored this great roller from another crawling enthusist a week or so ago.
He got rid of the rear windows, weathered it and made it look well used. It is the perfect base to continue to make it my own.
I want this to be the ultimate survival vehicle. Zombies, End of the World, whatever you can imagine, it needs to store everything they need to survive.
I put my other D90 on hold to work on this one.
I spent yesterday combing craft stores and toy stores for anything I could use in my build. After a few hours I had enough stuff I felt I could go home and get to work.
I found a Rambo figure that fits perfectly. I grabbed two of them as they had different accessories with each. I also wanted a companion and got lucky finding this German Shepard that was actually sitting. All the dogs I kept seeing were standing!
A simple little hole in the seat and a screw secured our figures.
There are still a bunch of stuff I want to do to the interior, but that will come in a bit.
Lets take a step back. This rig, i've decided, is to be an end of the world exploration vehicle. It needs to store food, water, shelter, survival gear, and be a go anywhere rig.
With that said, you can bet we are going to have a bunch of stuff up top on the rack. Now I love the Adventure Rack. It's big, heavy, and has the room to store lots of goodies. The only issue is the cross braces are spaced a bit far to put small items like coolers, pails, etc. I originally planned to get some metal mesh, but then had a different idea. Wood.
What if I did a wood roof rack that covered a portion of the available space that would give me the ability to store smaller items. Luckily, the craft store had the needed requirements.
I found some wooden sticks that were the perfect size for planks. I laid them out getting an idea of what I was thinking.
Seeing my idea take shape, I went to work on how to attach it. My first thought was small guage wire through the wood and tie each individual plank to the rack. It would work, but it would be time consuming and the planks would move side to side. Then I thought, lets go end of the world. What would John [Rambo] use to build it. Maybe rope.
I found a nice spool of hemp that would be relatively scale looking cordage.
Great I thought. But the wood is awfully light colored. What could I use to give it some color and weathering? Why used motor oil of course. I slathered it on and let it sit a bit before wiping the excess off. As you can see it worked perfectly!
Once all the planks were done it was just a matter of attaching them to the cross planks. I decided to use two planks across and twelve top boards. After I tested a few different methods I found this to work the best and look great too! This is the underside. All the knots are underneath for a clean look.
Wow this is taking a long time. Here is what the top looks like.
Half way there.
Beginning of the other half.
Quick test fit on the rack. I like where this is going.
And done!
I added a third cross plank underneath the boards and attached it to the tubing. Then I attached it to the two outermost boards. The wood rack is then attached to the rack with hemp.
Putting some stuff on it let me know I made the right choice. Few hours well spent!
I found a nice roll of hemp netting so I used a piece to make a rolled up rack cover.
I still need to add a bunch more stuff on the rack. Immediate plans are for some tarp material, and if I can find it, a scale tent. I'm trying to locate one I can break down like the real thing.
For the outside i'm just waiting for some more stuff to arrive. Sand ramps, winch bumper, hitch bumper and dirt bike.
Dirt bike you say? John needs another option to search the area when the Landy is too big. I plan to mount the dirt bike in a hitch rack i'm going to build.
While we wait for that, lets go back to the interior. Now I had found some scale maps and while nice, they didn't fit my need. I was able to find some magazine covers, maps, and more. Scaled them down and attached the covers to books and cut the maps out and ta-da!
John sure likes his Defenders!
If only there was someone he could radio to.
Since he's alone, minds as well take his mind off of all the despair.
I'm working next on building a CB radio, Laptop with military satellite GPS, and a gun rack.
He got rid of the rear windows, weathered it and made it look well used. It is the perfect base to continue to make it my own.
I want this to be the ultimate survival vehicle. Zombies, End of the World, whatever you can imagine, it needs to store everything they need to survive.
I put my other D90 on hold to work on this one.
I spent yesterday combing craft stores and toy stores for anything I could use in my build. After a few hours I had enough stuff I felt I could go home and get to work.
I found a Rambo figure that fits perfectly. I grabbed two of them as they had different accessories with each. I also wanted a companion and got lucky finding this German Shepard that was actually sitting. All the dogs I kept seeing were standing!
A simple little hole in the seat and a screw secured our figures.
There are still a bunch of stuff I want to do to the interior, but that will come in a bit.
Lets take a step back. This rig, i've decided, is to be an end of the world exploration vehicle. It needs to store food, water, shelter, survival gear, and be a go anywhere rig.
With that said, you can bet we are going to have a bunch of stuff up top on the rack. Now I love the Adventure Rack. It's big, heavy, and has the room to store lots of goodies. The only issue is the cross braces are spaced a bit far to put small items like coolers, pails, etc. I originally planned to get some metal mesh, but then had a different idea. Wood.
What if I did a wood roof rack that covered a portion of the available space that would give me the ability to store smaller items. Luckily, the craft store had the needed requirements.
I found some wooden sticks that were the perfect size for planks. I laid them out getting an idea of what I was thinking.
Seeing my idea take shape, I went to work on how to attach it. My first thought was small guage wire through the wood and tie each individual plank to the rack. It would work, but it would be time consuming and the planks would move side to side. Then I thought, lets go end of the world. What would John [Rambo] use to build it. Maybe rope.
I found a nice spool of hemp that would be relatively scale looking cordage.
Great I thought. But the wood is awfully light colored. What could I use to give it some color and weathering? Why used motor oil of course. I slathered it on and let it sit a bit before wiping the excess off. As you can see it worked perfectly!
Once all the planks were done it was just a matter of attaching them to the cross planks. I decided to use two planks across and twelve top boards. After I tested a few different methods I found this to work the best and look great too! This is the underside. All the knots are underneath for a clean look.
Wow this is taking a long time. Here is what the top looks like.
Half way there.
Beginning of the other half.
Quick test fit on the rack. I like where this is going.
And done!
I added a third cross plank underneath the boards and attached it to the tubing. Then I attached it to the two outermost boards. The wood rack is then attached to the rack with hemp.
Putting some stuff on it let me know I made the right choice. Few hours well spent!
I found a nice roll of hemp netting so I used a piece to make a rolled up rack cover.
I still need to add a bunch more stuff on the rack. Immediate plans are for some tarp material, and if I can find it, a scale tent. I'm trying to locate one I can break down like the real thing.
For the outside i'm just waiting for some more stuff to arrive. Sand ramps, winch bumper, hitch bumper and dirt bike.
Dirt bike you say? John needs another option to search the area when the Landy is too big. I plan to mount the dirt bike in a hitch rack i'm going to build.
While we wait for that, lets go back to the interior. Now I had found some scale maps and while nice, they didn't fit my need. I was able to find some magazine covers, maps, and more. Scaled them down and attached the covers to books and cut the maps out and ta-da!
John sure likes his Defenders!
If only there was someone he could radio to.
Since he's alone, minds as well take his mind off of all the despair.
I'm working next on building a CB radio, Laptop with military satellite GPS, and a gun rack.
03-10-2014, 09:36 AM
#4
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Looking good.
03-11-2014, 08:32 AM
#6
Well I didn't plan to use the jump seats and I have a pretty sweet idea of what to do for the interior there so I hacked it up.
Sanded it flat and added some styrene.
Since i'm going to continue that tomorrow lets go with a laptop. Started making the screen. You can see the image i'm going to use beside it.
Here are the two parts of the laptop. I sanded and shaped to my liking.
Then I attached and added one more small thin piece for the bottom.
I painted it, but you'll have to wait for pics later on. Now to just figure out what to do for a keyboard.
Sanded it flat and added some styrene.
Since i'm going to continue that tomorrow lets go with a laptop. Started making the screen. You can see the image i'm going to use beside it.
Here are the two parts of the laptop. I sanded and shaped to my liking.
Then I attached and added one more small thin piece for the bottom.
I painted it, but you'll have to wait for pics later on. Now to just figure out what to do for a keyboard.
03-12-2014, 09:34 AM
#7
Awesome looking build james- please keep us posted on your progress.
james- please keep us posted on your progress.
03-13-2014, 10:41 PM
#11
Bit of an update tonight. So I had the motivation to get some more done. I'm still planning out the interior so instead of really digging into that I decided to work on the exterior of the vehicle. I received my RC4WD ARB Winch bumper as well as the G2 rear towing bumper. In addition I got a bunch of spare screws, as well as another winch and controller and some scale accessories.
I installed the winch and front bumper and tested it. Awesome! Looks great and both function well too. You can also spy my etched metal emblem up front. The emblem really makes the front end come alive I think.
Now out back there are some fun scale items I made. I was driving home the other day when it clicked.....bumper stickers!!! Full size cars do it so why can't I? I jumped online grabbed some pics of bumper stickers and other logos. I scaled them in photoshop and printed them out on sticker paper. In order to get a glossy, real bumper sticker look I put excess clear decal sheet over and then trimmed to size. You can use clear packing tape too. I didn't have any at home which is why I went with the decal material for now.
I think this one is great. I made it using text, a white background and a scaled down drawing of a D90.
Out back you will also find the etched rear Defender serial number plate.
The original builder put in the correct fuel tank doors, including the auxiliary tank.
Got sand ladders now!
I also got my ramps and Pull Pal too. I'm still trying to figure out how to fit everything I want to up top.
John wanted me to get a photo of him with his other favorite toys...firearms.
Wait a minute! What's on the back of the Defender?!
Why it's John's dirt bike. He wanted the option of getting around and exploring tighter areas where the truck couldn't go. To help him, I built a hitch mounted dirt bike carrier. Still needs some paint and a slight bit of strengthening to be a bit more rigid.
Plenty of clearance.
John's a bit out of hand. He needs to go get some sleep to start on the interior tomorrow.
I installed the winch and front bumper and tested it. Awesome! Looks great and both function well too. You can also spy my etched metal emblem up front. The emblem really makes the front end come alive I think.
Now out back there are some fun scale items I made. I was driving home the other day when it clicked.....bumper stickers!!! Full size cars do it so why can't I? I jumped online grabbed some pics of bumper stickers and other logos. I scaled them in photoshop and printed them out on sticker paper. In order to get a glossy, real bumper sticker look I put excess clear decal sheet over and then trimmed to size. You can use clear packing tape too. I didn't have any at home which is why I went with the decal material for now.
I think this one is great. I made it using text, a white background and a scaled down drawing of a D90.
Out back you will also find the etched rear Defender serial number plate.
The original builder put in the correct fuel tank doors, including the auxiliary tank.
Got sand ladders now!
I also got my ramps and Pull Pal too. I'm still trying to figure out how to fit everything I want to up top.
John wanted me to get a photo of him with his other favorite toys...firearms.
Wait a minute! What's on the back of the Defender?!
Why it's John's dirt bike. He wanted the option of getting around and exploring tighter areas where the truck couldn't go. To help him, I built a hitch mounted dirt bike carrier. Still needs some paint and a slight bit of strengthening to be a bit more rigid.
Plenty of clearance.
John's a bit out of hand. He needs to go get some sleep to start on the interior tomorrow.
03-15-2014, 09:41 PM
#13
Well I got the interior done for now. I'm waiting for Proline scale batteries to arrive but other than that and some dash work I'm happy with the interior.
With the carpet done, I wanted to finish the rear portion of the interior. I'm countersinking screws so if needed I can pull this apart.
Getting the cover setup in order.
All together.
With the cover on.
Laid down flat black and silver leaf, bolted it in and done!
Added some accessories.
And a little surprise when you open it......
Added some better decals for the nitrous bottle.
And they're back in ready for adventure.
With the carpet done, I wanted to finish the rear portion of the interior. I'm countersinking screws so if needed I can pull this apart.
Getting the cover setup in order.
All together.
With the cover on.
Laid down flat black and silver leaf, bolted it in and done!
Added some accessories.
And a little surprise when you open it......
Added some better decals for the nitrous bottle.
And they're back in ready for adventure.
03-16-2014, 02:19 PM
#15
Thanks.
Took the plunge and finally got it outside in its proper local. I had to be careful as there are a lot of leaves still around so it took away from the scale look. I was able to grab a few that I think do it justice.
Teaser while I edit the other photos.
Took the plunge and finally got it outside in its proper local. I had to be careful as there are a lot of leaves still around so it took away from the scale look. I was able to grab a few that I think do it justice.
Teaser while I edit the other photos.
