TOPIC:

Continues … 


I can’t get an official wheelbase figure for the 1:1 version of the specific 71/72 NX/NY/W type/Revopak truck, but I did find a line drawing of a 1973 “Intapak” – which had a safer but less efficient compaction mechanism (only 3:1 compaction ratio & 16T gross weight vs 4:1/22T) – with a note of it having a 14’ (4,256mm) wheelbase.

Resizing the image so the wheelbase matched that of the Corgi model, I found the cab and collector – and a lot of the mechanism – matched very, very closely. I also found a reference elsewhere to 14’ being a “standard” wheelbase for RCVs of the period, and S&D in particular. 

A 14’ 1:1 wheelbase means the Corgi model is in fact 1:54 scale, which for a 1:12 rendering on a CC-01 chassis means a wheelbase of 355mm: 88mm longer than the LWB CC-01 setup. Making the truck a tandem rear axle version by extending the CC-01 chassis rearwards could be an option, but I’m struggling to imagine how I could make that axle load bearing and suspended, even without making it driven - at least cheaply and easily. 

I’d still like just the 4 wheels, so cutting the CC-01 in half (well, not quite) and extending it back to the required length (along with the driveshaft) feels like the way I want to try.




The Corgi model has a width across the outsides of the tyres (so tread, not track, which is the width between centres of the tyres) of 44mm. The cab tapers slightly, but just above the tyres is 42mm across. The wheelarches are quite wide at 47mm across). My CC-01 based Landy is the only one handy ATM, that has a track of 199mm, but the tyres are different & probably stick out 1-2mm more over the wheels, so let’s say 196mm. 

At 1:54 scale, extrapolating from the Corgi diecast means the 1:1 version has a tread of 2,376mm or 7’ 9 & 3/4”. From the “official” 1:50 scale, the real tread would be 2,200mm (7’ 3 & 4/5”) That means the scale width of the RC model will be 1:12.1 (assuming Corgi = 1:54) or 1:11.2 (Corgi @ 1:50). 

Having “proved” that the Corgi model is 1:54 means I can discount the “1:50” result, which makes the side 1:12, and the front 1:12 – much easier as the height will probably look ok when I scale up from 1:54, rather than the fudging I’ve had to do in the past to accommodate the CC-01 chassis. There are probably better chassis choices (1:14 truck) – but then it wouldn’t be “cheap”, CC-01 based, or 1:12 scale.  



As a proof of concept, I cut a spare CC-01 tub just behind the rib behind the motor, and used 8x10mm aluminium (with a bit of filing each end) to bridge the gap, fitting it in the fake chassis rails & tapping 3 M3 threads each end. 

I also got 20 x 5mm aluminium that I believed I could fit on the right side of the chassis - and require some creativity on the left side – for added bracing, but TBH I’m now thinking a scratchbuilt ABS insert section and some sort of FRP bridge over the top in place of the RX/ESC holder will be enough. 

The next step was to build the rest of the chassis kit so I could work out what I needed to extend the driveshaft. Building the chassis in the “LWB” configuration but with a “short” driveshaft, I needed a 115mm length of 5mm OD 304 stainless rod with a 7mm long flat filed on each end. The coupler is a wee scrap of brass I pulled from my bits drawer, OD is about the same as one of the UJs but I didn’t measure it. I cut in to 18mm long, faced & bored 5mm through on the “big” lathe, with 4.2mm holes bored each end & tapped with M5 threads.  








I’m going to shelve this for now as it’s fairly tidy & discrete project ATM – I really need to finish off some others before getting involved with another big & untidy one

At the very least I need to do some tidying up, putting away of some things & selling some others - I've neglected things so much recently that it's become problematic to find space to put a mug of coffee down anywhere ....




 

I must admit this is a bit strange subject for me.

Here in Norway we call them søppelbil which directly translates to trashcar.
Think most calls them trash trucks or garbarge trucks in english or at least the names I've heard most often.

Nice stretch of the CC01 chassis.
 

Known as "Garbo's" down here.

And you need to get adventurous.  We have the small "Wheelie Bins", and the trucks use a mechanical arm out the side to pickup and empty the Bin.

When I hear the word trash truck, I immediately think of the one in Terminator movie.

After 30 years and 15 discrete models, 4 of which had hard bodies, and 11 Lexan, plus plenty of reissues (and one non-release) for a total of 38 model numbers, the Tamiya CC-01 seems to have left UK model shops with barely a mention. 

I’m not saying you can’t buy one at all in the UK – some places still show a Unimog 425 in stock, or at least as “shadow stock” , and of course there are innumerable online sources you could import one from, assuming you’re willing to chance punitive exchange rates, shipping costs & import fees & taxes. 

There are also previously owned “new in box” examples on eBay (although the number is dropping rapidly, and sellers are beginning to see them as an “investment”, judging by prices), and there are any number of  “hardly used” and “new built” examples, though a lot of them show the owners questionable “taste” – just that the days of being able to go into any model shop in the UK and see one on the shelf appear to have gone. 

The same goes for spares  - you can still get some, but the number of parts, and the number of places selling them has fallen off a cliff recently.   



The CC-02 chassis, which first appeared over 3 years ago, may be more capable (or at least lighter), a more realistic chassis (for some applications), but I can’t help feeling you spend more and get less actual kit than with a CC-01, and none have come with a “hard” body.  There’s also the MF-01 for smaller (semi) offroad vehicles, so I understand why Tamiya, having invested in new tooling, don’t want the CC-01 to take away sales from their new models.   


Too slow to keep up with other 540 equipped RC cars, too fast for its high centre of gravity, soft suspension and hard body, steering with so much play you had to tack from side to side rather than go in a straight line, the “brick” at the front that meant you were more likely to bang to a stop than go over any obstacle, the tyres that were great for on-road SUV realism, but too small a diameter and with a hopeless tread pattern for anything approaching off road (although later tyres did get a little better in these regards), a larger number of bearings (some of them an odd size) than other kits, a rear axle that it was too easy to fit  upside down (which then spun in the opposite direction to the front) and you had to decide whether to lock it or not very early on in the build process (or spend a lot of time to fix it), the CC-01 had a lot of flaws – or character, as I expect they’ll be known in retrospect. 

Tamiya pretty much invented the idea of a “scaler” - a realistic looking but slow vehicle for those that preferred a sedate trundle through the woods, rather than throwing something off ramps or racing – they were just very, very (very, very) slow to exploit it, the CC-02 looking too much like any other manufactures offerings, and they still don’t make any accessories like interiors, roof loads or trailers. Tamiya’s move towards blandness may make good sense in the accounts department, but I can’t help but feel that Tamiya – whilst rapaciously exploiting their back catalogue over and over again, still don’t really understand their own heritage, or the value that their parts have to scratchbuilders.  

To me, the CC-01 hasn’t necessarily been about the kits Tamiya has offered – although I did buy, build and use a Pajero Metaltop Wide as intended – but the lions’ share of what I have bought has been new kits with the intention of making my own scratchbuilt body on them. So far I’ve built a Shasta Chinook RV, a Unimog 425 (before Tamiya did), a Bedford TM Skip Truck, a Volvo Laplander, a Ford CMP truck, a Series III Land Rover (again, before Tamiya did anything similar), and I’ve laid a lot of the groundwork for an S&D Revopak which will make seven. I have plans for three more that I just can’t see going on any other chassis, which is why I have a (recent) Isuzu Mu kit on the stash shelf along with a Unimog 425 kit, & have just ordered another Unimog.   


If I had to say what my builds have in common, it’s that they’re the heavier end of road going vehicles, some of which have - scale - off road abilities, and what the CC-01 gives be is the ability to model in the 1:8 to 1:12 scales I’m comfortable with, knowing whatever else fails to work in my bodywork or electrics, the chassis is not going to be a problem. 1:14 scale might be a better scale for some of the subjects, but it’s too fiddly and expensive for me, and is never going to work offroad. That’s at least eleven new CC-01 kits I’ve bought over the years, and although I know that as just one customer no one company can possibly pander to just me – but there’s no alternative for me that won’t involve going to another manufacturer – so how many others are affected, and what does that mean for Tamiya’s bottom line in an increasingly crowded market? 

At times I – and I think a lot of other scratchbuilders – have felt like Tamiya are specifically reading my/our threads for ideas to rip off , (a whole lot of what sounds like conspiracy theories has been redacted here ) but realistically it’s very unlikely anyone at Tamiya is reading posts on fan sites. 

In the interests of not being entirely negative, I’d like to see some or all of the following: 

Ongoing spares support. I know Tamiya won’t see a penny on sales of “used” and “NIB” previously owned kits – but the CC-01 was around for 30 years, there are plenty of people who want to run and/or restore their old models, so that ought to be a worthwhile market. 

A bare chassis edition? With no bodywork (but with the “old” style nose & tail mounts?), no TLU-01 light unit, a 27T silvercan motor, body mounts & bumper, “Humvee” wheels and “Rock Block” tyres -  that would fit in a box half the height the most recent CC-01 kits have come in, and, like the SRB body kits, one colour printing on a bare box would suffice. I’m probably naïve to think that they could be knocked out at 2/3rds the price of the lowest price CC-02 kit (currently a kit version of the Unimog 406 with ESC & TLU-01 light unit at 199 GBP, so 136 GBP?), but there really ought to be some room for an attractive list price that won’t “steal” sales from CC-02 kits. 

Occasional re-issues of some of the CC-01 kits? Backward compatibility of new CC-02 bodies on the CC-01 chassis?  


Honestly though, I think it’ll go the way of so many plastic chassis - M-01, M-02, M-03, M-04, TT-01, TL-01, FF-01, FF-02, TA-01, TA-02, TA-03 & so on – superseded by something “better” and never seen again. 

Having said that, think of all the Hotshot type cars that have come back, the Grasshopper & Hornet, even some ORV chassis cars – all in the name of nostalgia, so who knows.     

I am one of those who really like the CC01.
2008 I bought my only CC01 so far, the Pajero Metaltop Wide and that followed me everywhere on trails most weekends in 08'
Must have driven that 100 miles the first year.

Stock tires are rubbish, but most of the other stuff works.
My long term testing showed the rear plastic links gets more bendy as miles goes on, to the point where the suspension no longer work properly due the bending links bends both in front and after the rear axle. The dampers is secured after the axle, so the extra bend behind the pivot ball makes the dampers not working properly. 
This also means the rear of the chassis is sagging.
Solution to this is to either buy a 4 link kit or making one youself, which is easy.
In the past both Gmade and Axspeed to name a few has made such kit.
In my case I bouth the link axle mounts and made the links myself.

There was a huge CC01 thread on the Scale4x4rc forum, forum is sadly now extinct.
In that thread there was all so sort of mods tips, parts compatibility.

The big square block in front suspension is not so in the way if you fit slightly bigger tires and lift the suspension 5mm or so.
If you file the suspension arm where it meets the c-hub, that will allow the suspension to drop a little bit.
Fitting cvd or universal drive shafts makes sure the driveshaft can not fall out of the gearbox when at full drop.
That will also help the steering angle which is not that great from factory.
I just grinded about 2mm off the wheelaxle, this will allow the dogbone to be able to turn sharper in the drivecup. This is also a free mod that helps the performance.

On the subject of the steering, by upgrade to aluminium steering kit, the sloppy steering will be removed.
But there is good and bad kits out there.
I do not recall what kit brand to go for atm as it is years since I was heavy into CC01.

Regarding tires.
With the Pajero Metaltop Wide, 96mm tires is the limit before you need to sand the arches or raise the body.
The latter I'm not fond of because the chassis will be more exposed and if you have modded the steering your tires will either rub the chassis or the body.
On mine I used 1:9 Trail Doc tires at 96mm and also the RC4WD Mud Grabber.
With stock wheels, tires will rub slighty on rear arches at max flex, but is clear at front, both body and chassis.

All in all, I think the CC01 is a great platform, and I've never seen one broken the tub chassis, only the bolt on parts if driven hard enough.
Personally I think it is too fast out of the box, top heavy and will tip over at high speed.
65T motor is perfect for trail riding and that also gives you torque to climb over stuff. The 27t silvercan will not climb over anything larger than one tire on the side.
All those kits also comes with bits to lock the rear axle, and I highly suggest to lock both that and the front one if you want to do any off road driving.
With good tires it's fun to climb stuff in 5cm of fluffy snow.


I took a quick look at the most popular secondhand selling site here in Norway and there is only 4 used ones there, all looking good and the cheapest was 120 quid and only one nib.
And there was 5 ads from shops, cheapest at 200 quid (Bronco).


Not got my hands on a CC02 yet, but I would probably only used the axles and the frame rails.
Gearbox is to clumpy, so is the rest of the stuff.
There is a 3d print chassis conversion kit available for the CC02, but too expensive for what it is. But it was a huge hype when those kits came on the market.


My to go custom/scrathbuild stuff is still TLT / High Lift axles.
But they are thinning out rapidly and are getting expensive. But luckly I still have some of those left.
The axle shafts is the hardest part to come by, followed by the axle house itselff.
Diff parts are same as the semi trucks, so they are easy to get hold of.
And I have several custom frame rails to choose from when I'm starting a new build.


I'm looking forward to see what you comes up with for the new builds 
Sorry for the long reply, but maybe someone might be in need of those nearly gone info about this chassis.
I belive there might still be some modding threads on the rccrawler forum for those who want further info or pictures.

I bought the earliest wrangler cc01 and I love it. I abused it with a kyosho mega motor ( the yellow one) . I killed the body and rims . After a few time , I puted the low rider kit, and some years ago, when I restored it, I puted some hop ups like cvd and aloy motor support. I bought another wrangler body and the pajero metal top. It is still a very nice chassis. Not an onroad, nor an offroad or crawler. It's a cross country. Only a chassis for fun in the backyard with a scale hard body.  Stock motor is enough to have fun in the mud or grass of the backyard.

Had two big boxes arrive today, one was a Jeep Wrangler, you'd think it was a very late one judging by the TLU-01 & metallic sticker, but the ESC is a TEU-101BK - the one that shoves out full battery voltage on the RX plug   - I don't think I've seen one of those for 10 years ...







Second box of note was a load of 2mm neoprene foam sheet so I could make some hard tyres foams for the big/soft tyres I want to put on the dust cart, there was such a redonkulous amount of choice, none of it anywhere near what I wanted that in the end I bought some that hard the virtue of being cheap, and at least I could see how I could use it, even if it was going to be fiddly ... I don't think I was going for a "Jamie And The Magic Torch", but I can't deny it could have been an influence

Experimental:




Production:





 

I love the Wrangler.  Easy to know if it is a rere body or a first gen. 
if under the footboards there is nothing, it's a first gen.  If there are 2 posts for chrome parts like the mu or the pajero, it's a rere.

If you are going to sell the Jeep body, the crawler guys is all over those.
Have seen at least two people wanted to buy one of those recently.

Been a while since I've also seen that esc.
I used to have several of those in my trail rigs.