[redshift]

This is one of those great ideas that seems so simple and yet so hard to carry out- I get 'engineer's block' with stuff like this sometimes.

My old Hornet had a bottom access for the pack and I miss that simplicity, it would really help if mfr's would standardize cell/pack size like back in the day. Not that they were much more standard, there was just a lot less choices haha. 6 cell 1200 mah Ni-Cad baby! Hump packs, the memories...

Sorry.

The simplest way to add some rigidity back to what you propose is to do a 2 level chassis, or add some bends/angles to the edges wherever material is lacking for cutouts.

I think you already knew that, but a chassis with a channel type center (Revo) would obviously be much easier to do that with. You might consider side loading with a vented box like the E-Revo if your body would allow.