Beyond The Sprues
Current and Finished Projects => Physical Models => Land => Topic started by: Frank3k on January 08, 2018, 11:07:58 AM
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I wondered if an electric Gama Goat would be possible - The original Gama Goat diesel engine put out 101HP/75KW. This is roughly equivalent to what a Tesla Motors sedan can output. The Tesla batteries are flat (in what Tesla calls a "skate") but I wouldn't be able to do the same in the Goat.
Making the Goat look electric powered is not easy; an electric motor driving the front wheels would look pretty much like what is visible under the Goat right now (at least in 1/35). Adding motors in each wheel would also look unremarkable. Adding the battery pack in the existing engine compartment and cover wouldn't look different, either.
The biggest change would be removing the engine exhaust, which I did. One option would be to place a block of plastic with some cables and a battery-like box in the engine compartment and lift the hood. Instead, I combined a thicker battery pack on the sides of the engine compartment with a thicker, circular battery pack and charge electronics in the middle. I'm declaring this an 80KWh - 100KWh battery pack.
This is what I have so far - lots of Eduard PE (I'm not sure what to do about the instrument panel yet) and the batteries:
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4634/39568178011_df3fbcd518_o.jpg)
I may not use the engine cover and use the extra space as either room for some unlucky/uncomfortable troop or rip the whole thing out and go with the big battery pack and an open hood.
The battery compartment floor looks slanted, because it is. The rear axle floor isn't flat; I only noticed this after I glued everything in. The floor in the driver's compartment is an Archer Fine Transfer product.
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Anything you do to that Goat will be an improvement :)
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Anything you do to that Goat will be an improvement :)
WHAT? I CAN'T HEAR YOU!
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The Tesla batteries are flat (in what Tesla calls a "skate") but I wouldn't be able to do the same in the Goat.
The tesla batteries aren't actually flat. If you break apart a tesla battery you will see it comprises of many smaller individual cells which could theoretically be arranged in other shapes.
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WHAT? I CAN'T HEAR YOU!
Said every Goat driver and passenger, ever... :P
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The batteries in the Tesla packs are similar to the cylindrical 16850 LiPo batteries found... everywhere:
(https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41KUNui8ttL._SL500_AC_SS350_.jpg)
(while looking for this image I saw one set called "TrustFire" - yeah... not the best thing to call batteries known to catch on fire)
Looking at the pictures, I'm not liking what I have now. That lead me to consider making a lower ("low rider") version of the engine hood instead, with maybe a large charging port on one side and a distribution panel on the other (so it can be used as a remote power source). Cooling that huge vertical stack of batteries- maybe liquid cooled? So I would still need vents. And lifting hooks, so it can be considered a removable battery pack.
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Cooling that huge vertical stack of batteries- maybe liquid cooled? So I would still need vents.
And/or a radiator.
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Cooling that huge vertical stack of batteries- maybe liquid cooled? So I would still need vents.
And/or a radiator.
Liquid cooling is definitely an option and indeed you will need a radiator/heat exchanger of sorts to dump the excess heat.
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I've gotten to the primer stage, which is the hardest, since I still have no good idea as to the final colors.
Top view. I had scratchbuilt a plastic roof for the crew cabin (it can be seen in the background of some of the pictures) but I found the canvas roof from a Revell 1/35 Mercedes "Wolf" fit well with some trimming. I added a spare to the battery section, as well as four lift points and a charge port/external power adapter:
So much PE... the previous attempt at a roof is in the background. Since the Electric Goat doesn't need fuel tanks, I added some PE floor plate:
(https://i.imgur.com/MNQhmRh.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/yraX36T.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/lA4WP1v.jpg)
Primered. I darkened some areas slightly. The interior still needs to be completed, but that will be the step after painting:
(https://i.imgur.com/96pgPbg.jpg)
The roof is tilted because I just placed it on. It's a friction fit.
(https://i.imgur.com/F5VLx4m.jpg)
I'm still thinking of an overall paint color. So far these are in the running:
1 - Overall NATO green.
2 - Overall desert tan
3 - Desert tan and darker splotches (possibly Vallejo "middle stone")
4 - Desert tan and digital camo (shying away from this one)
5 - Non military overall yellow
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How about overall NATO green with fluorescent red or orange trim for a vehicle operated in either Arctic or Antarctic environments (or white with or without the bright trim if it is intended for a combat situation)?
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Thanks Evan. Here it is in NATO green overall:
(https://i.imgur.com/Sn3Oo2x.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/UED6MMx.jpg)
I think I'm going to go with the overall yellow with the interior and some parts in the "original" NATO green.
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#5 - Non Military in yellow could be a U.S. Forest Service Vehicle.
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I combined both suggestions (sort of). The yellow is more of a desert tan, but it's close enough for (non)government work. Still need decals and cargo and minor details (like "glass" in the windshield)
Top view:
(https://i.imgur.com/Yv8IHh8.jpg)
The blue topped post on the battery power pack is the charger/power output port.
Negotiating terrain:
(https://i.imgur.com/1P2cbMn.jpg)
The red object between the seats looks like a fire extinguisher; it's supposed to be the lever to release the "power pack". I have to rethink the color and add a fire extinguisher, somewhere.
The front tires look like they have a seam. I removed it - I'll have to retouch the dirt to make it go away.
Side view:
(https://i.imgur.com/PI2G8Cw.jpg)
Side view with top:
(https://i.imgur.com/pMEfMvm.jpg)
I won't glue the top on. The cockpit interior looks pretty good.
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Very nice! Faded yellow looks great.
Back in the day I heard a story about guys stationed at an Army training center that drove the front half of an M561 Gama Goat around as a range control vehicle.
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:smiley:
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Too cool for school!
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Very nice! Faded yellow looks great.
Back in the day I heard a story about guys stationed at an Army training center that drove the front half of an M561 Gama Goat around as a range control vehicle.
I wondered about that. I've never seen a Gama Goat without the trailer part. I was tempted to make this into a front ender, only.
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I think this one's finished, even though I haven't made the cargo yet.
Here's the back side of the front end and the cargo section. 1802 is both the date I finished it and the microprocessor in the first computer I made (the RCA 1802 COSMAC Elf (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COSMAC_ELF)) :
(https://i.imgur.com/Mj1qyf7.jpg)
I like it as a single vehicle. It looks like a beefed up dune buggy or some sort of mutated Kubelwagen. I added a fire extinguisher made from sprue (behind the passenger seat). The windscreen "glass" is thin plastic; I couldn't get the Tamiya windscreen to fit - probably too much paint/PE on the frame. I'm also working on some cargo, for this or some other build:
(https://i.imgur.com/pPlhyQL.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/z0i24Ka.jpg)
Thanks for the comments!
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Looks like it's ready to roll along firebreaks and logging roads!
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Great job! 8) :smiley:
... & the plastic sheet is probably more to scale than the clear styrene part(s), anyway. ;)
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I really like it :smiley:
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Your weathering is absolutely masterful, Frank and you capture that worn paint look perfectly!
Color me impressed!
Brian da Basher
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Very cool conversion & expertly painted and weathered!!
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Ditto what all the above said.
A master's eye and skill at weathering. :smiley: