Carmine A 2046 Posted August 15, 2020 @Mokei Kagaku "Using the Humvee wheels for the 240Z Rally is just one example of many where I think the new body had deserved more correct wheels. Also, the use of low profile tires with large wheels on for instance the 1/10 Countach, 1/10 Celica Turbo and Ford Capri is really sad, especially for a premium static model kit manufacturer like Tamiya." Especially sad but true... Most true Car Enthusiasts KNOW that in the 80's and 90's, with few exceptions, 50, 60, 65 and 70 Series Aspect Ratio Tires were the norm for Performance Tires. MUCH more Sidewall than has been represented by Tamiya. IF Tamiya were to come out with a series of different styled 1.7" Wheels, like on the TT-01 Racing Trucks, they would be a lot more in the Ballpark of the Classic Cars... I've STRETCHED those 1.7" Truck Tires on 1.9" Wheels, and it had a more acceptable look. It's NOT easy, but they didn't need glue! 😊 Of course currently, there's only ONE choice of 1.7" Tires.... If only there was an effective way to petition Tamiya. 😉 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rich_f 233 Posted August 15, 2020 2 hours ago, Carmine A said: @rich_f. TEN INCH!!? 😲 My only experience with Minis has been with U.S. spec Cars, with 1.3L Engines and 12" Tires... (I'm guessing - more displacement to offset gut clogging Emission Controls - and the Wheels because 155/12 is the smallest Tire sold in America) The mini originally came with 10 inch wheels and either and 850, 998 or 1275cc A-series engine. Over the years the standard wheel size got bigger and I think the later ones only came with the 1275 (1.3 litre) with injection. So the American one is no different to what was available in the uk in terms of wheel size and engine displacement. My mini is from the early 80's and originally came with a 998cc engine and 12 inch wheels. Now it has a 1293cc turbocharged A-series (with about 200 horsepower) and 10 inch wheels! 2 hours ago, Carmine A said: The "60D" (which is only 36mm or 1.42" diameter), has been used to represent small Wheels on a variety of their Cars - and INCORRECT on most! I'm SURE the Accounting Dept had a say in that!! Going "true scale" would result in a 51D sized Wheel, which would NEVER fit around the C-Hubs. If they came out with a stronger 55D Wheel, that could be a more realistic compromise... The 60d (and 55d) refers to the overall outer diameter of the wheel and tyre together - not the wheel itself. The wheel is the same standardised size in both cases, it's just the tyre wall height that is different. On the subject of wheels, m-chassis sized cars have a huge following in the rest of the world (from what you've been saying, it sounds like they are not very popular in the USA) and there are many wheels and tyres in 55 and 60mm outer diameter available from other manufacturers. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Carmine A 2046 Posted August 15, 2020 @rich_f "The mini originally came with 10 inch wheels and either and 850, 998 or 1275cc A-series engine. Over the years the standard wheel size got bigger and I think the later ones only came with the 1275 (1.3 litre) with injection. So the American one is no different to what was available in the uk in terms of wheel size and engine displacement." I never thought it was any special version.... Just explaining why the smaller displacements weren't sold here. Same with the Nissan 180SX, revered around the World, but never sold HERE. Instead we got similar Cars, the 200SX and later 240SX... The original 240Z, which took the World by storm and broke sales records here, was sold as a 2.0 litre straight 6 in Japan and other parts of the World, called the "Fairlady Z". At the risk of sounding redundant, I won't bring up several other examples... A lot of it also stemmed from earlier American Egos - not wanting miniscule Engines, so foreign Manufacturers tried to get us the largest Engines that they had available. ......"The 60d (and 55d) refers to the overall outer diameter of the wheel and tyre together - not the wheel itself." I had a feeling that was the total Tire Diameter, as mine measures 60.1mm.... However since Tamiya seems to not have any designation of the Wheels themselves, it was taken as a logical assumption. I WISH that M Chassis Cars were more popular here! They're even quite popular just north of us in Canada... They're so much fun! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Superluminal 3750 Posted August 15, 2020 12 hours ago, Carmine A said: @Mokei Kagaku "Using the Humvee wheels for the 240Z Rally is just one example of many where I think the new body had deserved more correct wheels. Also, the use of low profile tires with large wheels on for instance the 1/10 Countach, 1/10 Celica Turbo and Ford Capri is really sad, especially for a premium static model kit manufacturer like Tamiya." Especially sad but true... Most true Car Enthusiasts KNOW that in the 80's and 90's, with few exceptions, 50, 60, 65 and 70 Series Aspect Ratio Tires were the norm for Performance Tires. MUCH more Sidewall than has been represented by Tamiya. IF Tamiya were to come out with a series of different styled 1.7" Wheels, like on the TT-01 Racing Trucks, they would be a lot more in the Ballpark of the Classic Cars... I've STRETCHED those 1.7" Truck Tires on 1.9" Wheels, and it had a more acceptable look. It's NOT easy, but they didn't need glue! 😊 Of course currently, there's only ONE choice of 1.7" Tires.... If only there was an effective way to petition Tamiya. 😉 This is where the HPI vintage wheels are great. They do a wide 31mm rear too and have a traditional looking tread pattern. Its just a shame that they arent a particularly grippy compound and seem to be increasingly hard to get now. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Carmine A 2046 Posted August 15, 2020 4 minutes ago, Superluminal said: This is where the HPI vintage wheels are great. They do a wide 31mm rear too and have a traditional looking tread pattern. Its just a shame that they arent a particularly grippy compound and seem to be increasingly hard to get now. HPI ANYTHING seems to be hard to find anymore... I really hope that changes at some point. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mokei Kagaku 2706 Posted August 16, 2020 13 hours ago, Superluminal said: This is where the HPI vintage wheels are great. They do a wide 31mm rear too and have a traditional looking tread pattern. Its just a shame that they arent a particularly grippy compound and seem to be increasingly hard to get now. The problem with the HPI vintage tires are that they are only really suitable for HPI's vintage wheels. That limits the use quite a lot. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tizer 606 Posted August 17, 2020 You should check out the Streetjam and Scale Dynamics wheels. They have a small diameter rim look just like the HPI's, but with part of the sidewall part of the actual rim (so black plastic) and it looks really good when used with the correct tires. Streetjam and Yokomo also did a 17" look wheel where it has just a tiny black edge to the rim to make the wheel look just a little bit smaller. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Honza 936 Posted August 21, 2020 On 8/15/2020 at 10:37 AM, Carmine A said: Especially sad but true... Most true Car Enthusiasts KNOW that in the 80's and 90's, with few exceptions, 50, 60, 65 and 70 Series Aspect Ratio Tires were the norm for Performance Tires. MUCH more Sidewall than has been represented by Tamiya. This is not only problem of vintage.. modern rally cars use 15" rims with high sidewall for gravel races, so RC rally car with low profile offroad tires looks weird, too. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Carmine A 2046 Posted August 21, 2020 2 minutes ago, Honza said: This is not only problem of vintage.. modern rally cars use 15" rims with high sidewall for gravel races, so RC rally car with low profile offroad tires looks weird, too. Absolutely! Modern Drag Racing Cars still use 15" Wheels as well. In their case - the nearly ONE FOOT of growth in the diameter, above 150mph, actually acts like an Overdrive Gear by the end of the Track! 😉 If you have a RC Basher with Brushless Power... You KNOW that can be recreated. 😜 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
donut_v2 351 Posted August 25, 2020 I've been really busy the past two weeks so not much progress made. I 3d printed embossed badges (painted chrome) and printed decals to go over them. This is the decal on the 3d printed badge still soaking with water. I then squeezed the water out and ... voila! This actually turned out better than I expected. I will probably have to spray a clear coat over them to prevent the decals from peeling. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aerobert 2144 Posted August 25, 2020 Brilliant. I think I need a 3D printer. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
donut_v2 351 Posted August 25, 2020 17 minutes ago, Aerobert said: Brilliant. I think I need a 3D printer. Go for it! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
donut_v2 351 Posted August 31, 2020 Signal lights and wipers. 2 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
donut_v2 351 Posted September 4, 2020 Almost there. Still need to do headlights and tail lights and maybe a light system? After that some more weathering. 5 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Carmine A 2046 Posted September 4, 2020 WOW that looks excessively GOOD!! 👌 This is also an excellent sales pitch for 3D Printing! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
donut_v2 351 Posted September 14, 2020 Light kit finally arrived. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Carmine A 2046 Posted September 14, 2020 43 minutes ago, donut_v2 said: Light kit finally arrived. I'm running out of words - and I'm a Writer!!! 👍👍💯 At first I was among the Yanks who wouldn't be caught dead in a 2CV - unless in France!! 😲😜 Certainly never considered a MODEL or RC of one... Now I want one - just so I can do all the COOL detailing that you've done!!! Do you have a Shapeways or My Mini Factory Store where we can get these?? More importantly (to me), WHEN are you going to be doing the same thing to the ALPINE Body!!?? 💘😁 That one is the only reason why I want a RWD M Chassis!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
donut_v2 351 Posted September 25, 2020 Found one more thing to do to delay completion and keep this thread going. I filled up the space where the inaccurate stock headlights go and I'm now modeling the replacements. 2 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mud4fun 1696 Posted September 25, 2020 Wow, this is an amazing build. I loved reading about your learning experience with making the tyres, it was fascinating. Great work! 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ruebiracer 1046 Posted September 30, 2020 Fully true, everytime I thought, it can´t get any better, it just became better! The rear lights are so well done, and the front grill now, just looks like the real thing... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
donut_v2 351 Posted October 9, 2020 Didn't have any tubes available so I had to use this. ..cut.. ...bend... ...solder... ...print... ...ready to assemble and test. 3 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Carmine A 2046 Posted October 9, 2020 Just WOW!!!! 👌👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites