GoPro-Mars-rover From Old Tyco RC Rebound 4x4

Two months ago I had a hip surgery and could not really leave the house to enjoy the nice weather, so I came up with the idea to explore the outside world via a GoPro-equipped rover. When it was finished I already managed to climb the three steps outside with crutches though, but it was a nice task to pass the time in bed anyway.

Do you still have your beloved 90's RC toy car Tyco RC Rebound 4x4? If so, you can turn it into a Mars-rover, too! Even without screws in your hip-bone.

You can also skip printing the camera case and just use this design as a replacement for your broken car body. If you then decide that you want the camera-feature, you can add it anytime. It just slides on and off the body.

Supplies

Materials

Tyco RC Rebound 4x4
16mm long M2 cap-head-screws (4x)
M2 nuts (4x)
transparent acrylic sheet (2 x 42 x 91mm)
glue
3D-printer filament. Keep in mind that the parts will be exposed to sunlight. I used white PLA and that works fine so far. If you choose colors that heat up in the sun, you might want to consider to print in different materials

Tools

3D-printer
Phillips Screwdriver
M2 Allen wrench
Utility knife
Steel ruler

Accessories

GoPro-style Action Camera

Step 1: Check Out the Video!

This is what you get!

Step 2: Remove the Old Car Body

Loosen the three phillips screws that hold the car body together and remove the two shells. Make sure not to lose the battery hatch because we will keep using it in the new body

Step 3: Print the New Car Body

Print the four body parts (part 01-of-05 through part 04-of-05) that you can download from thingiverse:

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3908597

If you wonder why it is so edgy and why it is made from four parts, that's because you need almost no support material to print this shape!

Step 4: Put Together the Bottom Shell

Slide the parts into each other so that they inter-lock

Step 5: Put Together the Top Shell

Now put also the other shell together

Step 6: Attach the Battery Hatch

Remove the battery hatch from the old car body and clip it into the chassis

Step 7: Attach the New Shells

Put the new shells in place. Make sure that the battery hatch slides into the right place and opens properly

Step 8: Insert Three Hex Bolts

Insert three of the four cap-head-screws into the body. Put them in with the battery-trunk facing up

Step 9: Tighten the Nuts

It's a bit tricky to insert the nuts all the way down into the hexagonal bores, but here's the trick:

Screw a nut a tiny bit on the remaining fourth cap-head-screw and insert the nut with it. Then carefully remove the screw, while tightening the other cap-head-screws to the nut from the other side.

Repeat for all three screws and nuts

Step 10: Print the Camera Case

Now print the camera case (part 05-of-05). It is available via the same link as the other parts

Step 11: Cut Out Acrylic

Use a utility knife to cut out a rectangle (42 x 91 mm) from 2 mm thick transparent acrylic. To do so scrape the boundaries of the rectangle into the material from both sides several times and then just crack it off. Ideally you should hold the acrylic in a vice or broad clamp for this. If you do not have one, you want to scrape the shape deep into the material before attempting to remove the rectangle. Otherwise it might get destroyed

Step 12: Glue the Acrylic In

Step 13: Stuff the Empty Space Around the Camera

I intentionally designed the case a bit roomy. Like that you can add headlights or something like that later

Step 14: Attach the Camera Case

Slide the case onto the body. Mind that the screw-hole in the body and in the camera-case need to line up when put together. This gives you an indication, which way around to slide it in