emergency vehicle and utility vehicle Xmods

Russell · #1 03-09-2005, 11:27 AM

I think Im the only guy in the world who'd see an Xmod of a police car or tow truck or something and think it was neat..anyhow when I decided to make my first project an emergency vehicle Xmod(with functioning visible warning devices that can be turned on/off) I spent hours looking for webpages online where I might be able to order or get information about
a)a good plastic 1:24 model of a Crown Vic or Caprice(to use as a police car) or an Econoline van(to make an ambulance with my actual company's insignias and markings on it). I've had alot of stuff happen at work and I havent been online much in the past couple weeks or touched my X-mod, so I thought I'd post a couple nifty pages that you might wanna look at for parts or information should you ever make an emergency vehicle Xmod. At first I wanted to keep all this info for myself but since I'm probably not gonna have the time to invest anytime soon I'd love to see some of the modelers here take a shot at it... There are alot of skilled modelers here and Im sure alot of you could pull it off...

anyhow here's a couple helpful pages:

this guy has alot of experience with plastic clip together models of police cars(was harder to find then you'd think...most of these websites have only die cast which are obviously too heavy for Xmods), i dont know if he's ever made one of these models for an RC car but if he did its not on his page
http://www.homestead.com/nells250/carmodels.html

this guys page is mostly useless as its based around die cast models, im linking to the index for things like decals, plastic push bars, a very good variety of emergency vehicle lightbars(so you probably wont end up using one you didnt like but was all you could find) it even has transparent paint you'd use to color a lightbar, and most of the parts are 1:24 or 1:26.
http://www.carorama.com/lgtbars/index.htm

HammerZ · #2 03-10-2005, 03:32 AM

You can go to Police Car Models for the lightbars and such stuff.

gyrate · #3 06-23-2005, 02:06 AM

I've converted an xmod into a 1/24 impala. the blank motormax model.

i am hooking up the 6 cells tonight as the whole thing is too heavy to run on 4. it does, but battery life is about 5 minutes. stage 1 motor doesn't even move it..

it is not a drop in project and you have to cut the base, re-enforce the suspension, remove the slack from the weels, mod the body to fit (no mounting posts) and modify the static wheels to fit onto the xmod axles.

i've been fiddling with it for a couple weeks on an off.

i will post photos when it is done, hopefully now it will be soon. it took 2 xmods to make one.

gyrate · #4 08-20-2005, 02:39 AM

after a month delay my flasher kit came in so i should be done this weekend...

gyrate · #5 08-31-2005, 12:28 AM

http://media.putfile.com/impala

and it's done. never mind the bad camera, it was never meant for movies.

arch2b · #6 08-31-2005, 11:28 PM

nice! glowmasta is releasing some awsome 1/28 light kits very soon.

what strobe kit did you use?

gyrate · #7 09-01-2005, 12:41 AM

not sure who makes it. i got it from policecarmodels and they are one of the very few who carry such a product. there was another company but they want more $$ for it.

so that makes 2 that i know of. not a lot of options in the rc world for sure.

the glowmasta looks perfects for undercover vehicles but doesn't include the ligthbar function, which is a pity.

Russell · #8 09-01-2005, 11:41 PM

thats a pretty cool car you got there, even in the dark :P Personally I wanted to make an ambulance originally.. When I made this post I was working as an EMT and thought it'd be pretty cool to show up at my station with an X-box replica of the medic I was assigned to at the time.. I've gone through a career change since then and after getting a real job I decided I hate most things ambulance related, but still it would be cool to have a little remote control ambulance for nostalgia value

My X-Mod time has been cut to zero for the past couple months tho between overtime and home improvement but once I get into a better financial situation and get my house looking like something liveable I plan to clear out my little mini-workshop in the basement, doing some homework on what I need and buying/digging up the tools and supplies I need for a project.. I got REALLY hyped up about doing this the first time around but it just wasnt feasible...Maybe next time I'll be better prepared, have more time to invest and atleast know where to start

Seeing all these really high quality and even artistic projects you guys post makes me wish I could do this for a living...I'm really excited about getting started, I just cant wait till I have my own little workshop set aside in the basement that I can dissapear into and start tinkering on an X-mod.

gyrate · #9 09-02-2005, 12:59 AM

Well i work for the public service so probably that's where the idea came from. sorry about your emt career..

and here is some more info:

this is how it began. the xmod chassis has been centered and extended to fit.. just testing to see how much i have to enlarge it.

now you see why i hate the xmod being 1/28! the civic that became the main donor... yep, i modified the model wheels to fit onto the axles.

the hood broke after i took the hinges off (as seen in above photos) so this had to be fixed. also had to fill in the holes from the fake plastic antennas that came with the model. i left the one on the side there since i like it.

gyrate · #10 09-02-2005, 01:00 AM

in its current state. i have a new lightbar glass i need to paint. this one is not good and i haven't mounted it. i need to apply some decals and hide the wiring + leds from the front in the lightbar underside. just minor stuff i haven't had the time for. been busy with helicopters

i also need to chrome the spotlights so they look like such..

the front might be a little too high but that's because the weight pushes the rear down. i can compensate for it but haven't. you cannot tell unless you are looking for it.

if it was humanly possible to light the directional bar, i would. there is just no way it can be done by a man. the receiver antenna is insulated by a rubber gasket, so it never touches the roof/body. it is not a bare hole in there

gyrate · #11 09-02-2005, 01:00 AM

another

fully loaded weight is around 2.5lbs (perhaps a tad less but no more; scale is very accurate on the maximum value)

yes it drives and quite well too. the problem is that the motor (atomic mods) wants to set itself on fire before the batteries die so run time is limited mostly by heat. it is geared in the lowest xmods configuration and maximum speed is close to that of a stocker with realistic acceleration curve. 6 power cells + 1 9V for the lights. it will not really move on 4 cells.

+ all sorts of other details and mods i am too tired to list now.

and now guess what... in light of the xmods trucks coming out (with the pos fugly bodies.. stupid rs) i bought a 1/24 die cast suburban which will be the next project, followed by a 1/31 F150 which width wise is a direct fit, making it a little simpler.

but the suburban is first as soon as the trucks roll out.

drive safe now