Get your potato running and ready to race...

Download your accessories and make your SPUD the top performer with cool TinkerCAD items to decorate, wheels that roll and change your racing numbers. Get your friends to try different size, type and shapes to see who will have the fastest Spud Racer on the block!

All TinkerCAD items are free to download and reshape, resize or modify for a unique and custom SPUD RACER!

Supplies

Cheese grater

Tooth Picks

carving knife (get your parents to help if you want to carve a section)

Large Potato, Russet might be good

Printed TINKERCAD Items you want to attach to your SPUD (minimum is the four wheels and two axle holders)

Small screw driver

Large and small wood screws for the axle of each wheel

Plastic tube cut to size to make a spacer for the wheel, so it doesn't hit the side of the chassis (Potato) body.

Step 1: Prep and Get Some Wheels on That SPUD!

Clean your spud chassis and if you want to make sure of good racing characteristics, I would makes sure the bottom of your spud is flat.

I took a cheese grater and flatten on side of the spud to be the bottom. Have a parent help if you need to... and always ask to use sharp kitchen utensils.

Here is the critical part of the assembly.

On a flat surface, place the spud flat and mark where you would like to have the front axle and rear axle so that you can make sure they are in placed level and in the same plane, if they are not your Spud Racer will not go straight and might not 'Race' as well as if you don't get them lined up perfect. I used a screw driver to 'punch' a hole from one side to the other to place my axle tube.

I used long screws for the rear tires to mount with a small plastic tube to hold the tire away from body of the potato. There should be enough resistance to push in the screw into the potato and they will not come out without some effort.

Try a few practice rolls and see if there needs to be any adjustments, as you can always remove the tube and place in a new area, but be careful as you do not want to make so many holes that the potato doesn't provide a firm and rigid structure for the tube. You don't want to have to start over on a NEW Potato!

spoke wheel final (6).stl
Download View in 3D

Step 2: ADD More Than Just the Wheels!

I would recommend if you are going to use the carving knife to make sure you place the 3D printed accessories and 'fit check' the placement and align it so that it makes the most impact and provides enough spud to sink the spikes or blades into the potato meat.

Make sure to really think about the surfaces you are wanting to make part of the appearance and how your selected items are going to be placed. I carved out a place for my racer and also flatten the front for the Grill/radiator for the front.

Add a bumper! Add a hood scoop! Put some cool mufflers off the side or on the side of the hood... make and create, add details to your racer.

I added a number to my sides of the potato to give it that extra Spud Racer feel.

Add some head lights or even add other items made from cardboard or paper with tooth picks to hold the accessories onto the Spud racer!

I added a paper flag to the back of my racer. My it your own and have fun decorating the Spud Racer!

Here is the link to the public TinkerCAD files:

Step 3: Print, Shape and Color

Print out the item you want for your Spud Racer, carefully color and shape. I use a candle and only hold the item above the flame for a few second to be able to bend and shape the prongs and item into the shape I want. Ask a parent to help and never do this by yourself.

I used a screw driver to start to hole, poke the tip where you want to place an item but you don't have to go too deep, the plastic spike will be strong enough to go into the potato.

Assemble and place all your accessories on your Spud Racer!