This project is a commission for a friend of ours and if of the Tamiya FJ40 kit.  He asked two things:  for it to be a little more scale looking and for it suit his driving style.  For the most part this truck will be built box stock but will feature some modifications, not only to suit his tastes, but to also make the vehicle a bit more maintenance friendly for him. Follow along as we build Project FJ.  Click the thumbnails for the full size version.

 
001.jpg (62307 bytes)002.jpg (47374 bytes)Tamiya has always had great box art and its nice to see that this continues with the Land Cruiser.  Upon opening the box we are greeted with a nice presentation of the kit itself.
003.jpg (53518 bytes)004.jpg (46141 bytes)We decided to start with the beadlock wheels as these always seem to take the longest amount of time and are the most tedious part of any crawler build.  We were surprised when we mounted the tire and noted that it sat very well into the wheel which made assembly easier.
005.jpg (53861 bytes)All 4 wheels are assembled.  Due to the fantastic engineering it only took half the time to assemble these despite the use of small 2mm philips head screws.  The tires are actually held place quite well too.
006.jpg (56985 bytes)007.jpg (56322 bytes)The transmission is comprised of quite a few more parts than a standard 3 gear transmission that so many other kits use.  The design is quite unique in the fact that it uses a planetary system to achieve its gear reduction.
008.jpg (54408 bytes)The transmission is completed and is actually quite a compact unit.  This helps keep the weight down low.  Despite being quite different from other transmission builds, it went together quite easily.
009.jpg (46419 bytes)The transmission is placed on the skid plate and tightened down.  It will not be bolted up to the stock frame rails so it will be put aside for now.
010.jpg (60280 bytes)011.jpg (57068 bytes)Building the links for the 4-link suspension was tedious.  Sixteen rod ends on eight links.  Thankfully the parts went together easily and didn't require any super wrenching.
012.jpg (56684 bytes)The axles are started.  These have the ability to be locked or unlocked per the users desire.  These are built in the locked position for better climbing ability but with Tamiya's design, can be easily unlocked at a later date.