Cheekymandos – Blue Laser Tank (B.L.T.)

Crush the Cheekymandos in the new B.L.T.!

The 1983 Cobra H.I.S.S. was such an iconic vehicle.  The designers did a great job making that thing look intimidating as heck and so… Cobra-like.  It’s like a giant mechanical serpent head up on some phat treads.

The only issue I had with it was that it was way too top/front heavy to be effective.  In battle, it would frequently tip forward and take a nose dive into the carpet at just the right moment to let G.I. Joe get away.  Well friends, that design flaw has been corrected by merging with the real life wonder of the Howe & Howe Ripsaw.

Parts List:

608 Bearings – McMaster 5972K91 or Amazon (x12 They’re the same bearings found in all those standard fidget spinners no one ever asked for, so if you’ve got a few of those lying round, you’re well on your way.  I should also mention that while they really smooth out the ride, they are entirely optional, and BLT-FauxBearing can be printed instead.)

Missile Launcher – Dragon Mountain Design (x2)

Helpful Tools:

3D Printer (or printing service capable of using flexible materials)

E6000 Glue

1. Print Out Parts

   Files are exclusive to MyMiniFactory.

   March 2020 UPDATE: Files can be downloaded directly from this site at the bottom of the page.  They are also available on Prusa Printers!

   

   There’s a lot going on with these parts, so for the sake of clarity I’m going to itemize their details.

   BLT-Body
   Material: PLA
   Infill: 15% to 20%
   Supports: Recommended.  I tried the part with and without.  The one that had supports turned out a bit nicer on the tread-track mating features.
   Brim: Yes.  I found that it helped keep all the corners and edges nice and flat.

   BLT-Cockpit
   Material: PLA
   Infill: 20%
   Supports: Yes.  Decent amount of overhang is present.
   Brim: Yes.

   BLT-RightTreadTrack / BLT-LeftTreadTrack
   Material: PLA
   Infill: 20%
   Supports: No.
   Brim: Yes.

   BLT-BearingPin (x6)
   Material: PLA
   Infill: 20%
   Supports: No.
   Brim: No.

   BLT-FauxBearing (x6 OPTIONAL)
   Material: PLA
   Infill: 20%
   Supports: No.
   Brim: No.

   BLT-MissileMount
   Material: PLA
   Infill: 20%
   Supports: No.
   Brim: Yes.

   BLT-Canopy
   Material: PLA
   Infill: 20%
   Supports: No.
   Brim: Yes.

   BLT-Tread (x2)
   Material: NinjaFlex SemiFlex (Again, I know it’s no longer sold, but I still have so much of this stuff, so I’m using it.  If you have some, great.  If not, shoot for something roughly this flexible or slightly more flexible)
   Infill: 20%
   Supports: No.
   Brim: No.

2. Assemble Tread Tracks

   Using BLT-BearingPin, attach the bearings (or BLT-FauxBearing) to BLT-RightTreadTrack as shown.  You’ll be using two bearings (or one BLT-FauxBearing) per point.

   

   

   

   Do the same with BLT-LeftTreadTrack.

3. Fit Treads

   Fit BLT-Tread over the BLT-RightTreadTrack and BLT-LeftTreadTrack assemblies.

   

   This is where material selection is most important.  If you’ve selected a flexible filament that is less flexible than NinjaFlex Semiflex, they may not work very well when rolling into battle.

   

4. Assemble Body

   Slide BLT-Cockpit into BLT-Body as shown.  Use a little E6000 glue in the interlocking channels if necessary.

   

   

5. Add Tread Tracks to Body

   Title says it all.  Use a little E6000 glue in the interlocking channels if necessary.

   

   

6. Attach Canopy

   Gently wiggle BLT-Canopy into the mating features of BLT-Body.  When closed, the nubs on the sides should hold it that way.

   

7. Assemble Missile Mount

   Press-Fit the missile launchers into BLT-MissileMount.  Use some E6000 glue if necessary.

   

8. Mount Missile Mount

   Line up the locking feature of BLT-MissileMount with the cut-out section of BLT-Body and drop it into place.  Rotate it 360° for maximum missile coverage.

   

9. Relocate to Nana's Backyard

   It’s truly a foolproof plan.  As with all the Cheekymandos vehicles, don’t limit yourself to Cheat Commandos action figures.  Plenty of others will fit in here too (it also makes for a nice desk model).  Oh, also, the barrel from the Missile Action Playset fits in the back, because why not?

   

Like what you’re seeing here?  Follow me on Twitter @DragonMtnDesign or find me on Reddit (u/DragonMountainDesign) to sometimes see updates, previews, and other stuff.

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March 2020 UPDATE:  Files are available here!  Click the Download button below for a zip file.

Files are available under the Creative Commons BY-NC-SA license.

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