sidp7

Hello All.

I would like to make a slow but powerful RC crawler that is capable of carrying a 7lb payload. The vehicle should be sturdy and have parts that can be easily replaced in case of damage. The purpose of this vehicle would be to get close to wild animals (like tigers and lions). The payload will be a dslr or mirrorless camera which will be mounted on a panning - tilting head which will have its own controls. Basically think a modified tank like vehicle with a turret that is the camera and lens. The vehicle would ultimately be clad with some kind of camouflage or hard plastic because it will inevitably get bitten or clawed by the big cats. I know several commercial products out there which suit the purpose but I would like to build my own for two reasons. One -- it would be really fun. The other more important reason is that in case the vehicle is damaged in the field I would need to make repairs and that's harder if the vehicle is designed and constructed by a third party.

Any assistance from the RC experts in how to start would be appreciated. I'm a wildlife photographer btw...so i'm only just starting to learn about the RC world. (though I am very excited to learn)

- Sid

init4fun

Hi Sid , welcome to RC Universe .

I believe your mission will be best served by asking your question(s) in two places ; The "RC Trucks" and "Robotics" subforums here at RCU . The reason for the redirect is that this area is the "clubhouse" , a general catch all section of the board that seems to be frequented by more RC airplane folks (like me) than RC car/boat/robot people . The RC trucks guys will hopefully be able to help you far more with the vehicle and the robotics guys will hopefully be of more help regarding the camera turret .

I wish you well in your photographic efforts and would love to see both pictures of your finished vehicle and the pictures that vehicle produces .

Best of luck with your project !

sidp7

Thank you for the redirect! Oh, and will definitely update on progress as well