Finally Building my (sic) son's Toylander 2

[richard007_1999]

Well i dug out the plans i purchased way back in October 2008 and then went on a spending spree..
Jig saw (with laser sight---brilliant)
Drill bits
Router and bits
two great mucking sheets of MDF
Loads of batten (could not get 19mm sq had to settle for 21mm sq instead)
Box of screws
Screw drivers, hammers, wood glue, saws etc.

Main reason for above was that over the years either i had lost tools, had them borrowed and not returned, or they were stolen so had to replace.

Still Started with the build, wicked two weeks into it and already we have a basic tub
so much so that yesterday I phoned Richard and bought all the metal work, electric motor and controller.
(8-( spent the equivalent of the purchase price of a full size Landrover off fleabay)

My son getting excited, already eager to try it out.
Had bought a Mayfair off ebay to take parts off but the daughter saw it and now i have to fix that as well oh well at least the electrics on that work..

So now i have the bug, even the missus is intrigued and is helping by sanding down the woodwork while i am at work.

blimey it has brought the whole family together.
The temptation is to modify it, but i am resisting...... maybe the second one will be a little different..

ha mental or what

thank you so much Richard for such an excellent product.
I have been lurking on the forum for ages, just did not feel i could say anything really till i at least started.
Now that i have a workshop and tools again we are moving forward...lol

[brian]

Hello Richard,

welcome to the forum, they don't come cheap do they?   

Let us see some photo's please, and any problems you come across, someone on here will help I'm sure.

Regards,

Brian.

[richard007_1999]

Well i noticed that the costs are high with such a project as this, thats just with the standard build let alone with all the enhancements that others are undertaking. Still i get the impression its a labour of love, addiction...lol




Some photos of progress to date, got grandfather helping at the moment, but only till the end of the month. We spend a couple of hours each evening and then at the weekend we spend about 6 -10 hours on the project. So progressing nicely, our woodworking skills are improving a little each time. Not so much filler required on each piece now.

[richard007_1999]

Update...

   Down in the garage last night putting on boards for the wing area, got bitten by my using 21mm sq batton material, since now some of the dimensions are out by 2mm, still its not on anything structural that i can tell, so a little bit needs shaving off one side as opposed to the other.
  
Running low on screws....there is almost as much steel in this Toylander as the real thing....
 
Still trying to locate a source for the headlights, got some really bright LED's and the reflectors units for them, but of course they are tiny and i want something a little closer to the scale. Saw postin that someone was using headlamps from vespa / lambretta bikes, but nothing currently available within my price range on fleabay as yet. will keep watching.

Its the details that will make / break as i know from other posts on here.
As it is a rolling chassis is not that far away in terms of time and effort.

[richard007_1999]

Update
      Well the weather yesterday was really bad, so spent a couple of hours in the garage beavering away on the Toylander. Got the front panel in place, also filled a few of my over cuts shall we say.
      Then the other half came down and looked around, we both got the idea to unpack the wheels and hold them against the unit. Wow what a difference that makes, suddenly you have a vehicle. The wife was really excited and very impressed with the wheels, in her words "They have real rubber and tread on them, they are just like our ride on mower wheels" I did not have the heart to correct her and tell her that they are Toylander wheels, something much more noble than mere Lawn mower ones..lol
      Still had to go shopping for screws, some replacement drill bits, some 400 grit sandpaper, hammerite. I did look at buying cans of MDF sealer but the price was painful. Will try somewhere else (Toolstation)

[paulr]

   Hi Richard, happy building.  Regarding the mdf sealer you could always try diluted pva glue  the sort you get for gluing the T/L together and use several coats of it. Thats the route we went down several coats of dilute pva then several coverings of undercoat before finally a couple of top coats.  We (she the painter)used boring cheap household liquid gloss. Might be of use to you .

Have fun
PaulR and Mrs R

[richard007_1999]

Hi Paulr
thanks for the heads up on the pva solution, have found that Toolstation do the MDF sealer at 5.89 per litre that sounds pretty good deal to me.
I need to post some more photos as moved on a little more with it.
Still searching for headlights, got some rear refelctors off fleabay last week.
The list of things that need doing is growing....
need to clean metalwork down and then hammerite it...black of course. 8-)
Then there is the test fitting and let me see my son wants to be there to test it all out as well. lol
My daughter is still eager for me to sort out the little mayfair i got off lfeabay as well, but that really is going to be a totally strip down and rebuild.
so got two major projects alone as it is without all the other jobs and tasks that need doing around the house and gardens... gosh going to need to take a holiday just to accomplish some of them.

[paulr]

Have a look at the lights that Richard at T/L is doing at the moment they are very impressive (headliights and rear lights etc) Part of the fun of the build is finding items but sometimes its your time verses the cash aspect. Happy building.
PaulR and MrsR