Page 1 of 2

Outdoor ZZMT Track #2 (with movie)

Posted: Tue Apr 25, 2006 11:01 pm
by MotorGong
Well, I did it again!

Unfortunately, the new track here is not in addition to the prior one I made. I scratched that one and started over.

Image

Same place, under my carport, right outside the house.
I had some hills or elevation changes in the old track, but they were artificial for the most part.
I wanted something more than that..... Something I could mold, and create on a whim when an idea pops into my head.

Image

Time to haul in some dirt!! :-o Just a heaping wheelbarrow full did the trick.
I often coin it as my zzmt "zen garden" or "sandbox". :grin:

Image

Not only am I making a track, it's almost relaxing for me in a way. I don't like gardening or anything, but boy was I playing in the dirt!
It's been hours of fun digging, creating, testing, erasing, etc.

Image

I concentrated on a challenge, rather than just a 'push forward on the controller and watch it go over bumps'
The hills are steep, and the obstacles abundant. Well, to a point anyway.

Image

I wanted openness, the ability to go anywhere in a way, but still have a 'track'.

Image

I need to take a few shots right at ground level to accentuate to bumps and hills. However, this was during the day today, and everytime I bent down to get a good angle, the sun that was blaring on the white-painted garage next to me made it nearly impossible. I'll have to get some night shots maybe.... :???:

Image
Ya gotta have a tunnel, I mean, ya just gotta. :grin:
It originally was just the dug out valley next to the hill, but I thought it was a good place for the bridge/tunnel. Driving over and under both ways works awesome, but I have trouble with the dirt staying on the top.

Image

And of course top view. I think the pics look great, but they don't convey exactly what I want you guys to see. It's so different when you're standing right in front of it. But that's probably a constant photographers struggle or endeavor.

Okay, now for the kicker! I filmed a video! Yeah, me!
It looks great, and can't wait to show it to you guys.
I'm uploading it now to an account, and hopefully I can figure out how to do it. :sad: :grin: So stay tuned.....


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YkOLXl06cE

Cool, I think this will work for now. I was worried at first, because the mpeg file was 68MB for a 51sec movie! That's a lot for some people to d/l.
I'll have to do some reading and learning, I'm sure there's ways to change the format and/or do some other things to minimize the file size.
This looks like it's an ".flv"? The file was originally an .mpg. It's from my photobucket account, so I'm guessing it's not d/l-able, like an .avi or .mov.

Anyway, enough of my ignorance :roll: How do you guys like the track and the movie?
It's just an out of the box ZZMT, red motor for some good torque, and green gears for, yup, torque. The yellow motor just doesn't quite cut it for me when I'm dealing with hills and whatnot, even with the green gears.
The movie looked a ton better before I uploaded it to photobucket. :???:
Ahh well. :grin:

Posted: Tue Apr 25, 2006 11:08 pm
by Scorpion
:-o 10x better than the first looks great.

Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2006 12:12 am
by betty.k
Scorpion wrote::-o 10x better than the first looks great.
yeah man, looks like tons a fun!

so did the cat move away or die or something? :lol:

Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2006 1:50 am
by Scorpion
so did the cat move away or die or something?
He got tired of the cat shittin on his track so he dropped his pants shit on its head and hasnt seen it since. :lol:

Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2006 5:02 am
by clxfiles
Dude, that's looking awesome!!!

I like the greenery you got going on in the middle. It leaves some air of nature to it.

I hear if you leave some really acidic fertilizer, cats don't drop bombs there. Somethin about burning their asses... I have no clue of the validity of that but it sounded funny.

Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2006 7:12 am
by Maxximum Attack
That's a sweet track man :-o
Awsome vid too. Maybe a second ZZMT and an articulation mod is in order. If you do that mod, you could pile some rocks up in the corner by the wodden post for an extra slooooow section :grin:

Maxx

Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2006 8:15 am
by crazydave
That's cool. Looks like its perfect to race MTs around. Maybe I need to go play in the dirt this weekend. :???:

Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2006 8:25 pm
by arfin
Very cool track, wow makes me wish i never passed up that MT deal i seen on eBay. And damn, you've learned to control that thing, when i seen you going for that tunnel i thought nah he won't make it :-o Honestly this track had me inspired to just go to "the source" and purchase an MT ... then i remembered they are $46 over here in Ontario.

Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2006 9:42 pm
by ibjamn
now, THAT is some track! :-o

:-( now I really hate my apartment living..... :???:

Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 5:37 am
by Nasphere
Righteous dude! Sweet contours! Ahhh, time for a lipo and some jumps! lol

Re: Outdoor ZZMT Track #2 (with movie)

Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 10:30 am
by SuperFly
MotorGong wrote:I often coin it as my zzmt "zen garden"... it's almost relaxing for me in a way. I don't like gardening or anything, but boy was I playing in the dirt!
It's been hours of fun digging, creating, testing, erasing, etc.
That's exactly what I was thinking. Little cars are kinda like bonsai cars, eh? :cool:

I really dig your track.

Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 4:49 pm
by ynad
yeah, man this track is the coolness. must be fun :-o :lol: 8-)

Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 8:20 pm
by TallduDe
that totally kicks arse man!

i like how u got a bridge in it so you change directions and still keep it interesting.

Posted: Sat Apr 29, 2006 9:37 am
by frizzen
:-o That's a nice little stadium track!

I like it better than your first, and I'd liked that one. I would LOVE to see a video with 2 monsters running on that, or even monster and a DirtyBit....

What'd you use for the fencing on part of the track edge? And what's with the single car out there? If you're gonna have a car to run over, you need like half a dozen in a row!

Very cool, now you're making me want to find a place and build one.

Posted: Sun Apr 30, 2006 11:50 pm
by MotorGong
Thanks for checking it out guys!

The video looked a ton better before I uploaded it. I guess photobucket turns it into an .flv, and there was definitely a quality decrease.
Yeah Arfin, I didn't think I was going to make it over the bridge either.
This was the one and only take, and worked out good! 8)

LOL, betty k, Scorpion, the neighbor's cat doesn't seem to be a problem anymore. 1/2 of the family has moved to Montana, and I believe they took the cat(s) that were responsible. If not, I'll be looking into that fertilizer that clxfiles mentioned, or do as CD originally suggested: A DOG! :-o

Nasphere and Maxx, you guys are more than right with my need for a modded ZZMT. Something happened wire-wise to my tri-cell zzmt 4 months ago, and haven't looked into it as of yet. I think it's time to do that! :smile:

ibjamn, I lived in an apartment for quite some time, and know how you feel. It just so happens that this carport is useless for actually parking a car. It's just way too narrow. It's more like a 'ground-level covered balcony with a gravel floor' lol

frizzen, that fencing it from my local hardware store. They sell it off of spools, with the width as narrow 1'. I just cut it for fencing. I actually bought it almost a year ago when I built my original bit-track, and cut it that height for that particular track. Now, that track is no more, so I had this leftover fencing. I have more leftovers too, maybe I should lay some more down? :-o And I had 3 cars to run over, but the other two 'took off' somewhere! I think the cats might have buried them while shatting. :sad: You're right though about getting at least a half dozen, even the 3 wasn't enough.

and thanks SF, CD, Talldude, ynad.

Remember guys, this is the 'zen garden', so I can't wait to shape it differently. I love the suggestions too!
And I'm sure I'll make another vid :-)