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Revell hub mod

How DO they do that??
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wixwacing
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Joined: Thu Jul 10, 2008 9:22 am

Revell hub mod

Post by wixwacing »

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One of the hitches that can strike when scratchbuilding is the access of decent wheels and tyres for the model. Once the wheels are sourced the tyres can soon follow. There is a plethora of manufacturers rubber in hobby and slot shops from Alabama to Zanzibar! Some of the after market metal wheels come in wrong diameters and look gangling in scale wheel arches. What to do? Mmmmmmmm.

Well, my solution has been to use the wheels in the kits. True, most kits these days come with perfectly good wheels and sometimes tyres! to complete your model. A couple of examples are the Gunze Sangyo range of Classic 1/32nd US sedans where the wheels and tyres are fine and the Revell model of the ‘D’ type Auto Union. Check out the scratch build section. You’ll see the Auto Union resplendent in its kit wheels and tyres.

Other models will need after market tyres but the wheels will still do the business. Check out the Porsche 917/10 conversion too. The mod required usually pivots around the raised ridge on the wheel which is designed to hold the tyre on. The solution is to creat a ridge to match the kit wheel and third party tyre you intend to use. Some deft cutting and gluing will see a replacement ridge to cater for the tyre of your choice. I have also used variations on this technique to restore some early RTR’s which don’t have a modern tyre match. Other problems can be overcome too…

Below are some pictures of a simple mod to the Revell BMW 320 wheels to rectify a severe concavity with its tyres front and rear. The problem is caused by the tyre having a deeper recess in it than the wheel has centre ridge. One solution is to sand down the tyre until it’s flat but you will loose a lot of rubber and end up with a smaller rolling radius. This may be fine on short circuits as it will increase the ‘punch’ coming out of corners but on ‘long straight’ circuits, that ‘punch may soon turn into a disadvantage as the lower overall drive ratio could reduce top speed buy a few centimetres a second.

The second solution, which takes a minimum of modelling skill, is to increase the diameter of the centre ridge. In this case the paint/anodising was cleaned off the ridge and a piece of 1mm plasticard/sheet styrene was cut out. The piece needs to be slightly less than the width of the ridge and the length needs to be the circumference of the wheel ridge (which will be slightly longer than three times its diameter). The piece cut then needs to be wrapped around the handle of a thin modellers knife (or something 8 to 10 mm diameter), this will give it a curve to fit the wheel that won’t need clamping while the glue is drying.



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The solvent I use is a liquid styrene/ABS solvent which comes with a brush in the lid. Gel type solvents can get messy in this type of operation. The curved strip is placed around the ridge on the cleaned hub and should be a snug fit, now the solvent is applied sparingly. Capillary action will cause the solvent to flow into the air gap between the hub and the new spacer. If you find the spacer is not fitting well enough to be left on its own you may need to wrap a small rubber band around it to hold it flush ‘til it dries.

A third solution is to fit third party wheels. In most cases these will detract from the model and the wheels, which are a good rendition of the real thing. Plus there is the added expense of wheels AND tyres, plus freight!



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You will see in the second photo that the tyre has a flat profile now. This tyre has had minimal sanding and retains its rolling radius. Compare the difference with the front tyre in the background of the shot. The front tyre doesn’t need to be altered. It needs to have contact with the track to impart some stability but that contact only needs to be minimal, too much contact will generate side drag in tight corners causing the model to behave erratically.

So if you are an aspiring scratcher. Don’t ruin a model for the sake of some decent wheels. Use some lateral thinking and before all else, check the kit wheels for suitability.
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When I'm not racing slotcars,
I'm out in the back yard, burning food!!

When I win, it's because of my talent, not my car or my controller!
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