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JL421 Badonkadonk Land Cruiser/Tank |
| By Ben on Fri Nov 27 2009 |
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| Gear | Gadget |
The JL421 Badonkadonk Land Cruiser/Tank($19,999.95) was designed and built in 2002 by NAO Design of Palo Alto, CA. Yes, this a real motorized product that you can actually purchase from Amazon. This awesome looking JL421 Badonkadonk Land Cruiser is named "The Donk"!
To look at it, one might think it to be a hovercraft, but in fact it runs on four off-road wheels, concealed by a unique industrial-strength rubberized flexible skirt that shields and protects the wheels to within an inch of the ground, while still allowing for enough flex to give clearance over bumpy and uneven terrain. The roof of the Donk features a guard rail and durable rubber matting, making it the ideal place to carry up to 3 friends or several hundred pounds of cargo. Slide open the roof hatch and you'll find the interior fully carped and cozy, with accent lighting, glove box, controls and room to seat up to 4 people, or 2 comfortably.
"The JL421 Badonkadonk is a completely unique, extremely rare land vehicle and battle tank. Designed with versatility in mind, the Donk can transport cargo or a crew of five internally or on the roof, and can be piloted from within the armored shell or from an exposed standing position through the hatch, thanks to special one-way steel mesh armor windows and a control stick that pivots up and down to allow piloting from the standing or seated positions. The interior is fully carpeted and cozy, with accent lighting and room for up to five people. A 400 watt premium sound system with PA is mounted to project sound both into the cabin and outward from behind the windows. The exterior is a steel shell with a rust patina, and features head and tail lights, turn signal lights, trim lighting, underbody lighting, fixed slats protecting the windows, and a unique industrial-strength rubberized flexible skirt that shields and protects the wheels to within an inch of the ground, while still allowing for enough flex to give clearance over bumpy and uneven terrain. Master power, ignition, all lighting, and stereo features are controlled from a single switchboard to the left of the driver, again accessible from either the seated or standing position. Standard drive is an air-cooled, 6hp Tecumseh gasoline (unleaded only) engine, with centrifugal clutch, giving the Donk a top speed of 40 mph. Badonkadonks are produced on an order-by-order basis, with each one having it's own unique set of features. With your order is included unlimited consultations with the designer and manufacturer concerning all relevant options (a representative from NAO will contact you shortly after your order). |
Donk Driving
The Donk was designed to be as versatile as possible, and that includes the ability of the craft to be piloted from either a seated position within the armored shell, or from an exposed, standing position out the hatch, thanks to a pivoting control stick and special one-way armored windows. The control stick is topped by the throttle handle, and steers the Donk left to right. But it also pivots up and down- up for when the driver is standing, down for when he's seated inside. The armored windows consist of stainless steel with a fine mesh of holes that allows occupants to see out without outsiders seeing in, and still protects the occupants from flying debris without risk of shattering. The exterior of the vehicle is light-armor steel with a rust patina- providing plenty of protection against paintballs, pneumatic cannons, and flamethrowers.
Specs
Drive power comes from an air-cooled, 6hp Tecumseh gasoline engine, with centrifugal clutch, giving the Donk a top speed of 40 mph unladen. Total weight is 900 pounds. Wheelbase is 72", total length is 108", height 54", and width 53". This width is slightly narrower than a standard golf cart, which allows the Donk to fit through many narrow spaces and pylons that would restrict a full size vehicle.
Electrical
The sound system consists of a 1000 watt amplifier and 4 channels, each with a speaker mounted behind a window to project sound primarily outward from the Donk, but of course into the cabin as well. Exterior lighting consists of rope lighting, underbody lighting, custom sequenced 12-channel window strobes, head and tail lights, turn signals, and brake lights. Power for all these electronics comes from a high-capacity 12V deep-cycle battery array that is charged either from a wall outlet or by the engine and alternator, and has the capacity to supply power for a full day's worth of driving, music, and lights. Lights, power, stereo, battery monitoring/charging, and ignition are all controlled from a single switchboard to the left of the driver, accessible from both the seated and standing positions.
Fire!
In 2005, the Donk received it's first major overhaul, including new interior, reinforced axels, additional lighting, new control stick, all new electrical system, new stereo, and most importantly a new pyrotechnic effects system with rocket pods. Part of the system is comprised of a "ring of fire", 6 individual nozzles around the rim of the Donk that can be turned on to run at a pleasant low flame, or triggered to release a large fireball or plume. Each of the 6 valves can be triggered independently, or all together with a single button. The rocket pods consist of a tank and nozzle on each side of the Donk, which use a high-powered electrical arc to instantly ignite a loud, hot blue jet out the back. The big secret is that effects like this are mostly aesthetic and don't provide much additional thrust, but to everyone you blow by with them on, it sure looks and sounds like they're boosting you to high speed. The pyro system is powered by propane and all functions, including ignitors, flames, bursts, and rockets, are controlled from a corded remote. There's even an auxiliary trigger jack that allows compatible devices, like NAO's Synchronox drum trigger system, to plug in and be used to trigger a large burst from the ring of fire.
Via ifitshipitshere |
| Price: $20,000 | BUY |
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