With little presence in Europe, taking the risk of having to pay customs on arrival may prove worthwhile.
Up until now, KingKong RC has been accustomed to rustic, not to say vintage, Soviet equipment, the Zil being in the end nothing more than re-bodied copy of Lend-Lease Studebackers from the Second World War … this time, they’ve turned their attention to a vehicle that’s modern, innovative and, to say the least, out of this world, the Ukrainian Sherp Pro 1000 … an amphibious vehicle, with huge wheels with adjustable pressure, turning like a tank.
The packaging isn’t big, yet it weighs almost 5kg.
The size of the box is surprising compared to classic crawlers: it’s very “square” … as are the sizes of the mess … 393.5×296.5×271.6, a ground clearance of 70.8 and a wheelbase of 220 with 180 tires … it’s short, not a machine for rock climbing and impossible climbs.
On opening, there’s not much to see … a manual, electronics instructions, a sticker sheet, a nut adapter, a Chinese license plate and … a note to remind you that if you want to go and play in the water, you’d better make the vehicle watertight by yourself … for a vehicle that’s supposed to be amphibious, that’s pretty average.
Beneath the first foam, a box containing the interior to be assembled and a steel roll-cage.
Under the box, the beast. A metal chassis, with unfortunately fixed openings, and sides in what appears to be Polypropylene like the body of Tamiya’s Holiday Buggy (and therefore not intended to be painted).
Inside the chassis, a balsa floor with an opening for the motor wires. In the absence of a specific housing for the battery, it will rest on the floor and is concealed by a lexan false floor.
The tires are beautiful pieces mounted on 3.2-inch beadlock rims with foam … you’ll want to keep a small stock of this very specific mount. What are the additional fuel tanks in real life are just clip-on covers.
The wheel nut needs to be fitted for larger scales, and is 8mm, while the hexagon behind it, in metal, is 17mm.
Proof that the vehicle is definitely not designed to go in the water, despite the advertising arguments and the model reproduced, the wheel bearings are dust-free only.
Finally, under the floor, 3 45T motors and their gearboxes …
As there’s no room to install a steering system on such a machine, the Sherp’s designers opted for side-by-side wheel pairing. It’s the same here, with the front and rear wheels linked by a belt instead of chains, and it uses differential steering instead of brakes.
The transmission, located at the front, consists of an open differential on each side, and a pinion with 2 ring gears in the center.
The 2 outboard motors, powered in parallel by an ESC, enable forward and reverse movement, while the central motor blocks the inboard output of the differentials. When the central motor turns in one direction, it adds its speed to that of the differential turning in the same direction, and subtracts it from that of the differential turning in the opposite direction, until it reverses the direction of rotation of the corresponding wheels … like a tank on its tracks.
The electronics, i.e. a pair of ESCs and a receiver, are installed behind the cockpit, in a housing sized as close as possible. A word of advice: at least opt for an ESC with 100% reverse for the steering ESC, otherwise your Lurker will turn faster on one side than the other.
The cockpit is screwed to the chassis through the floor. The cabin is just fitted to the chassis with magnets, and by the windscreen pantographs.
Having planned to install a rear cabin, I didn’t install the roll bar and printed new side covers, mounted with silicone to ensure the watertightness of the boxes underneath. As a result, without the hoop, it’s less practical to carry …
Early versions of the Lurker had a major weakness in the differentials. After at least 3 revisions identified on the forums, they seem to have achieved a reliable result, with no more “click-click” differentials in the agony of the first reviews.
I’ve yet to find the opportunity to test it in the water … and work in the rear cab.
Body sides: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6478826
Side panels: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6478572
Taillights: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6478821