anyone ever seen this show before?

http://www.channel4.com/science/microsites/F/fmc/

currently reaching obsession status

basically they have 1 month to build a 3000kg max machine that goes in all these crazy events like a huge rollercoaster course, soccer with a flaming ball, a water course where the cars are basically half submerged, and sumo.

some of the cars they have on there are absolutely ridiculous. 3 of special note that i like are

- the steel survivor thats a 3000kg tank with a huge v8 chevy in it and gigantic tank tranks, in the sumo it was just tipping the opponent over and half running over them

http://www.channel4.com/science/microsites/F/fmc/teams/snowdiggers.html

- the marabunta, little chilean machine that is about 1700kg, and is 4wd and 4wd steer. it uses a crazy little drive system with the front wheel drive system out of a normal car laying sideways that powers the front and rear diffs. this thing hoons.

http://www.channel4.com/science/microsites/F/fmc/teams/desert_pumas.html

- octopush, an 8wd monster with 4wd steer, the front and rear two wheels, and it has two land rover v8 engines. one at the front and another at the back. also has fiddle brakes and a PHENOMENAL amount of power and really shifts itself around too. it was diving over hills and things. won the competition too..

http://www.channel4.com/science/microsites/F/fmc/teams/aquaholics.html

- and the next that i like is the southern crusher, its a tiny little machine. only about 1800kg and just fits the driver inside but it has a giant v8 chevy inside with a pair of tracks. in the bumber ball it was ramming other people and doing crazy power slides and stuff. i think its top speed was over 100 or something crazy like that. but the australian chick team rammed it and flipped it over

http://www.channel4.com/science/microsites/F/fmc/teams/country_boys.html

so who wants to have a go at this (i sure as hell do, can i borrow someones car for a few months )
_________________
www.demon50s.com - Minimoto parts
http://www.youtube.com/user/HyzerGlen - Videoooozzz

sweeeeeet.....
_________________
( •_•)

( •_•)>⌐■-■

(⌐■_■)

YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

Looks entertaining, but along the lines of what I just mentioned in my other post, I'll bet its a "made for TV" type of thing with very little bearing on reality..

A budget of $3000 ?!? Yeah right

You'd be lucky to get a reasonable nick running 2nd hand 10 year old stock commodore for that, much less a custom-engineered racing capable dune-buggy with huge mag wheels, desert tires, massive V8's, transmissions and so on. Its probably like Junkyard wars, where the junkyard just "happens" to contain all the parts for a full working and safe high pressure steam system..

And of course, the competitors just happen to include a team of cute, mechanically skilled, television-friendly girlies who can weld, and we all know how the crazy mechanical world of builders is just dripping with them now dont we ? How convenient.

Then throw in the fact that all the constructors still need to eat, pay their bills, and earn a $ from somewhere, and they cant do that if they are spending 1 month full time building these machines.. Someone must be paying them to do that. What is 1 month worth of full-time wages for 3 skilled people (per *team*) worth ?

You guys all know how much time it takes and what it costs just to make a comparitively tiny, competitive 13Kg battery powered bot, much less a petrol-powered 2000Kg monster.. They probably claim the low-budget to make the average joe believe that "*I* could make one of those !" and imagine themself doing it which enhances their enjoyment of the show

Having said that, I'm sure its a great fun show to watch, and given the massive budget of a TV station that just happens to have access to a disused power station to convert into a race track and the kazillions of other little things that would need to be done, and I'm sure its a blast.

Trying to do it for $3,000 in your own time without a fully equipped large-scale fabrication workshop ? See you in a few years..

Sorry to pop the illusion that anyone can knock one of them up in their back yard in a few weeks, but as usual, TV never lets the facts get in the way of a good story

If anyone knows of any local TV stations with a 6 figure budget rattling around in their pockets that likes the idea, let me know, I know some people who would be capable of pulling that off given the $ to play with..
_________________
Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people

Last edited by Spockie-Tech on Thu Jun 09, 2005 9:01 pm; edited 1 time in total

most of them seem to convieneintly have the vehicles basically half done from the start anyway.

example, the snowdiggers took one of their old snow plough vehicles and stripped it down, and the devils mule was a ripped apart dump truck and the winners worked for audi so no guesses where all the engines and drives came from

i think i only counted 3 vehicles made from scratch and non where amazingly revolutionary. none that i would say exceeded $3000,

of course that thing must be expensive, check out some of the stories in there, it went for 2 weeks and they all had to camp and live at an abandoned power station for the length of it, but then again it sure got my attention and admiration so i guess the producers attained there goal

*steals bretts car and takes it through wetropolis* lol
_________________
www.demon50s.com - Minimoto parts
http://www.youtube.com/user/HyzerGlen - Videoooozzz

They have access to a huge junkyard Brett, one team I saw used an old tracked bobcat as there base machine. Cost scrap all.
_________________
https://www.halfdonethings.com/

I'll bet the junkyard is on some form on Contra deal with the TV station though..

Crappy old rusted out chassis might be obtainable for a few hundred dollars, but not functioning, reliable high power V8's and drivetrains.. Most of the vehicles I looked at looked like they had a few hundred just in paint and visual bits on them alone..

I dont know for sure though, maybe Junkyards are better stocked for less $ overseas than they are in our country ?
_________________
Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people

hmmm big block chevy engines for a few hundred?
i think i can fit one of those into my car if i go to electric transmission.
call it "Plan-A RoadWarrior"
phear my mighty telstar.... "OF DOOOM"
_________________
Mechanical engineers build weapons, civil engineers build targets

I can tell you who wins if you like , That program is like a year old
_________________
If practice makes perfect and no one is prefect, Then why practice?

Yeah, its pretty old over hear too. The repeat of the final was on yesterday.
_________________
Jeff Ferrara
fb@ffej.net

ffej.net

and i missed it, ARRRGGHHHH.

I really wish i taped every episode of that series as it was soo much fun and such a awesome show.
_________________
Andrew Welch, Team Unconventional Robotics

damn you all with cable tv....DAMN YOU ALL!!!
At least mythbusters is on SBS now...
_________________
( •_•)

( •_•)>⌐■-■

(⌐■_■)

YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

MMmmm I will have to get Aaron to scan a couple of pics of a 4 wheel steer mud racer i built for around $300 in two weeks out of mostly junk.
I had a datsun 200b front end on the front and a datsun 180 b front end on the rear. I had a single disc brake on the diff flange as it was more up out of the mud than the wheels .
The chasis was made from 12mm x50mm x50mm angle iron .it had a slightly worked 2 litre ford cortina engine with 3 speed auto coupled directly ( no tail shaft ) to a datsun 200b diferential.The rear bearings were taken off the datsun rear suspension and modified to bolted on to the struts where the origional front stub axles were .
The sterring was coupled so the rear turned half the distance of the front in the oposite direction.
Its was about 200 mm wider than it was in length .
I used to take it down on the mud pans at low tide and have a ball.

Is there anything you can't do, Andrew?
_________________
So even the rain that falls isn't actually going to fill our dams and our river systems

lol il have a go at any thing if i think its a challange but as long as it on the ground

i've always wanted to build a gyrocopter
F$%KED if i know how to fly one on the other hand
_________________
For West ausies interested in robotics email me at: theoneshrug@hotmail.com
OR
dragoonarie@gmail.com
best quote ever:: "Those Gas-Turbine style warehouse heaters arent illegal, and neither is remote controlling one as far as I know."