Outdoor ZZMT Track
Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2005 7:31 pm
This is underneath a carport at the house I rent.
A little unclear, but you get the jist.
This is when it has not been maintained. 5 hours with beers and friends 2 weeks ago, and all the kids and animals of the neighborhood pouncin' through it.
That red deal to the right is an auto-ramp/lift. The ZZMT wouldn't go up it with out dirt on it, but the auto-ramp has holes built in it. I just used duct tape on the underside of the ramp, and the dirt stays.
Below the ramp, you see all those pieces of wood. I sort of dug out the ground and made it so the pieces of wood are flush with the track. Kind of a cool effect.
That thin wooden ramp might seem obnoxious, but it's easy to drive up, and 9/10 times everybody lands upright!
The far back of the track is NOT under the car port. With the Washington rain, it often gives the track more character and a 'wet/muddy section'. Not too much though, mud INSIDE a ZZMT is HELL!!!
I've since got rid of the Quaker Oat Tunnel. It fits the ZZMTs great, but one move left or right and your truck rolls over.
The whole track is surrounded by 2 strands of clear outdoor christmas lights. That yellow cord hangin' down is a 500-WATT halogen shop light adhered to the roof of the car port pointing straight down.
At night, when friends are over, and we're all drinkin' and smokin', it's a cool effect. Kinda simulates a real Monster Truck show.
I put up a cheapo fence. This is after I told the neighborhood kids numorous times to walk around.
Some are foster kids. They always say sorry, I think they mean well. They still come through sometimes where I tried to quickly draw a red skull-n-bones, and turned out to look like a shiatty cartoon.
The yellow circle is where the neighbor's cats keep shiattin' n pissin' within a couple mounds of dirt.
I went to a monster truck/motor cross show a long time ago, and remember a particular corner in the track that was absurdly sharp. Most of the time, the trucks had to back-up and adjust because of thier lack of turning radius. It was great to watch, and I tried to simulate it where the blue circle is.
It looks better at present, with long straight pieces of wood for more definitive borders, better moguls, etc.
IT'S BEEN GREAT!! A complete circle all the way around, and then the paths on the inside. It gave many options in planning out laps for races.
But honestly, after about 21/2 months, it needs a change. Stagg's right with his Paper Mache'd track when he said "it's all about choice." This track is 'on a rail', and that kinda loses the thrill of choice and 'go anywhere'. And these are MTs!!!!!
So I plan to do something with a little more freedom for the driver.
A little unclear, but you get the jist.
This is when it has not been maintained. 5 hours with beers and friends 2 weeks ago, and all the kids and animals of the neighborhood pouncin' through it.
That red deal to the right is an auto-ramp/lift. The ZZMT wouldn't go up it with out dirt on it, but the auto-ramp has holes built in it. I just used duct tape on the underside of the ramp, and the dirt stays.
Below the ramp, you see all those pieces of wood. I sort of dug out the ground and made it so the pieces of wood are flush with the track. Kind of a cool effect.
That thin wooden ramp might seem obnoxious, but it's easy to drive up, and 9/10 times everybody lands upright!
The far back of the track is NOT under the car port. With the Washington rain, it often gives the track more character and a 'wet/muddy section'. Not too much though, mud INSIDE a ZZMT is HELL!!!
I've since got rid of the Quaker Oat Tunnel. It fits the ZZMTs great, but one move left or right and your truck rolls over.
The whole track is surrounded by 2 strands of clear outdoor christmas lights. That yellow cord hangin' down is a 500-WATT halogen shop light adhered to the roof of the car port pointing straight down.
At night, when friends are over, and we're all drinkin' and smokin', it's a cool effect. Kinda simulates a real Monster Truck show.
I put up a cheapo fence. This is after I told the neighborhood kids numorous times to walk around.
Some are foster kids. They always say sorry, I think they mean well. They still come through sometimes where I tried to quickly draw a red skull-n-bones, and turned out to look like a shiatty cartoon.
The yellow circle is where the neighbor's cats keep shiattin' n pissin' within a couple mounds of dirt.
I went to a monster truck/motor cross show a long time ago, and remember a particular corner in the track that was absurdly sharp. Most of the time, the trucks had to back-up and adjust because of thier lack of turning radius. It was great to watch, and I tried to simulate it where the blue circle is.
It looks better at present, with long straight pieces of wood for more definitive borders, better moguls, etc.
IT'S BEEN GREAT!! A complete circle all the way around, and then the paths on the inside. It gave many options in planning out laps for races.
But honestly, after about 21/2 months, it needs a change. Stagg's right with his Paper Mache'd track when he said "it's all about choice." This track is 'on a rail', and that kinda loses the thrill of choice and 'go anywhere'. And these are MTs!!!!!
So I plan to do something with a little more freedom for the driver.
'.