WLToys 12428 Baja Bumper Kit

thingiverse

If you're like me and find Thingiverse to be a bit sluggish, consider checking out Cults 3D for your 3D printing needs: https://cults3d.com/en/users/WrenchToDrive/creations. This Baja bumper and motor cage kit is specifically designed for the WLToys 12428 with the SummitLink Beetle body shell in mind. If you're looking for mounts for the shell, be sure to check out my other Things. Update: I've been experimenting with Solutech Flexible filament lately, and it's really impressed me. The durability it provides is fantastic - I'm planning to reprint these parts to see just how much more resilient they'll be. However, I do find that it can be a bit too flexible for certain applications. Bumpers and body mounts work great with this filament, but the downside is that screws don't thread into it very well due to its softness. Update: I recently found out that the bumper broke at the base of the posts in cold weather, so I'm looking into ways to add some extra strength to it. Running long crews through to replace the posts seems to work and might last longer. The motor cage has held up perfectly even after taking a few hits. The bumper mount can be used with stock screws or supplemented by adding a couple of M2.5 in the headlight holes for added strength. I designed the bars (bumper) separately because something is bound to break, and I'm hoping it's the bars since they're easy to replace. The motor cage can be attached using zip ties, glue, or whatever you have on hand. You'll need 4 - M2.5x15mm screws or some DIY pins (nails) with hot glue or other creative solutions. There are narrow and wide bumper bars available, with the narrow one being more suited to the Baja (I think). The wide one should work well with the FY01 Desert truck body shell. I recently ordered that shell because it was so cheap, but unfortunately, it arrived pretty mangled. I tried using the truck body on the 12428 without the roll cage, but that was a mistake - it's much easier to mount bodies to the cage. The SummitLink Beetle shell is pretty sweet in my opinion, and Amazon ships it in a box, so it should show up pristine. Be sure to slap some 200mph tape on the weak spots to make it last longer since the lexan isn't super thick. As always, use at your own risk. Wrench to drive or drive to wrench?