Tanks Don’t Tread Lightly

by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom

Most of the time, diecast racing features cars that look like cars. There might be a fantasy casting thrown into the mix from time to time, and in wide open racing classes you may see a number of Zoom-In castings that have been sculpted into aerodynamic wonders. What you won’t normally see are tanks.

Well, Rust Belt Diecast Racing sort of specializes in what you won’t normally see. Earlier this year they put out a call for tanks or tank-like vehicles that weighed between 100 and 300 grams. Those are some heavy requirements. The race video will be coming out soon. We wanted to feature a few of the builders, so we talked to Robert Manore of Monster Motor Sports, Chad Giron of G$ Racing, and Ryan Kelly of Uncle Elvis Racing about their racing/ fighting machines.

Robert Manore

Q: What was the biggest challenge building for this tournament?

A: The biggest challenge for me was achieving the 100g minimum weight allowance. At the time of this build, my only experience building a modified car was my DIRS 2021 entry which topped out at 44.6g, and my Party Wagon entry which weighed 45.1g. My Tankdozer ended up weighing 103g. So just barely over the minimum weight allowance.

Q: What inspired your build?

A: I had just recently received my very first Hot Wheels sealed case subscription from Grana Toys and it was the D case. Inside was the 2021 Speed Dozer casting. When I first saw the bucket on the front, it reminded me of my time in the military in a mechanized armor unit. I instantly thought I could use this casting as the base of my build …Then it was off to Kroger and Wal-mart to find a Tanknator casting!

Chad Giron

Q: The rules declare that “There will be jumps, bumps and chaos. Plan Accordingly. How did you deal with it?

A: This was the first race I entered without knowing what the track looks like. Since it was going to be an open lane downhill obstacle course, I knew it should probably be as long and wide as allowed. Also, it should have a low center of gravity to minimize tipping over with the jumps and bumps. Since the standard diecast car is just under 1.25" wide, I knew I needed to make custom axles to reach the allowable width of 1.5" for better stability.

Q: What inspired your build?

A: I've watched a ton of videos on customizing diecast cars over the last few months to get tips and inspiration for my builds. I saw quite a few that added a working suspension with different materials. One in particular, used zip ties on an off-road truck to make an articulated suspension. I kind of put that idea in the back of my mind until there was an off-road style mail-in race.

Ryan Kelly

Q: What inspired your build?

A: Warhammer 40k Orks! I do not play, but I love watching YouTube videos of folks painting minis. Orks are fun. They are militaristic scavengers. MacGuyver, if MacGuyver was homicidal and suicidal. They steal war machines from other races and then "Ork-ize" them. Unfortunately, Warhammer models are expensive. I did have a Professor Hulk minifigure that was a perfect substitute though.

Q: What part of this build was the most fun for you?

A: The planning stage. My builds are always better in my head than in real life. A big, chunky, Ork war machine really let my imagination run. I made up all kinds of back stories and possible paint schemes for it before ever putting it together. Of course, the final product shows none of that, but that is what I get for waiting until the last minute to actually build it.