The Sunset Wagon, Mad Max mod

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When the Mad Max tournament was announced, I knew I had to enter. I usually don't do mods because I just don't have time but given I love Mad Max, I had to do something. And the theme for the tournament was perfect because it was pretty much open - build what you want - but you had to use parts from at least 3 castings. The only other rules was that the weight had to come from car parts, no extra weights or lead or anything.

I planned to build at least 2 cars but quickly realized I could only finish 1 on time, so I went all in to build The Sunset Wagon. It runs pretty well on my track but we'll see how it handles the competition come the end of October.

The Sunset Wagon

I started by scanning the pegs at the store and found some awesome Matchbox trucks. Crazy ones with all sorts of cabs and rigs and equipment...and some with metal chassis. Then I went through my own stash to find some chassis, bodies and other things. I didn't really have a plan in my head, so I just started holding different parts together until something fit well and looked decent. Here are the main parts used.

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The metal chassis if from Vandetta. It's a short base but pretty much a square, nothing fancy.

The cab is some random Matchbox dump truck I found at the store. It ripped off the dump part and stripped the cab.

On the back is another random Matchbox, an old hearse. Chopped off the hood and that's it.

The unexpected addition was inside...I used the interior of the Go Kart casting. The Go kart has 2 metal parts, the chassis and then the engine/seat/wheel. The latter fit perfectly on the Vandetta base while still clearing the cab that covers it. I put it in there to add weight but turns out it looks pretty cool too, almost like a real Mad Max creation.

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I did a simple wheel/axle replacement. No FTEs allowed! Not sure where I got the wheels from, they were in my wheel bucket. Just a big one in the back, little in the front.

The front body rod lined up well with the hole in the chassis, so I used that as my starting point. From there I just ground fenders and other metal on the dump truck until it set nicely on the chassis and inner Go Kart engine.

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I didn't have any plans to add the hearse rear when I started. I knew I wanted to use the dump truck and Vandetta chassis, but when I got them attached I started looking for something to add to the back...for extra weight but wanted it to look cool too. I happened to find the hearse and held it up...perfect fit! I chopped the hood and through it on the back. Didn't have to do much there.

After that it was just JB Kwik all the way to get everything held together. 

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I did some test runs on my home track and, much to my surprise, the thing didn't wheelie at the transition. I thought for sure I had back-weighted it too much but I guess the bulk is centered nicely over the chassis - pure luck! I kinda messed up on the axles as they're not all flat on the ground, so there's a little wobble and free spin. So that will probably hold this thing back but live and learn.

All in all, I'm pretty happy with how this looks, even unpainted. I'm going to add some color and effects before it leaves for the track. As far as performance...I dunno. I'm 50/50 on this one. Part of the tournament is a open track so I'm guessing she'll be too top-heavy to take any corners and will just tip. But I'm not a regular modder so I just gotta build, try and learn.

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And I think it looks pretty Mad Maxy if you ask me. I can picture Joe riding in this one, or one of his generals at least. Probably needs some more spikes or chains or something to top it off, but I'll take it.