Tiger 1 early road wheel caps

[SimonCornes]

A mate is going to 3-d print a set of ‘wheel centres/hub caps’ for my Heng Long Tiger 1 but does anyone have an image of one so that I can guesstimate the detail and dimensions please? I’m surprised that there is not a set already available and I thought of Tamiya as the tank is a rip off of their kit! Given there are so many HL tanks in circulation it strikes me as odd. My mate might be tempted to produce a few more sets if there was interest but I’m trying to sort out my own tank in the short term!
Thanks
Simon

[jarndice]

I am desperately racking my (Aged) brain to remember when if ever I saw Hub caps on a Tiger 1 early's road wheels certainly the Tiger 1 Late did have wheel covers,
If you do fit Hub caps how will you retain them in place because sometime in the future you will need to remove one or more wheels so glueing them in place would not be a good idea and a press fit is an open invitation to losing them in the long grass/under the settee

[Guido Henn]

Hello Simon,

please do the work and post a photo, nobody knows what you mean. You can mark the spot on the photo with a pen.

https://www.modellbau-seidel.de/index.p ... st=0005789

with regards,Guido

[SimonCornes]

Gentlemen, I have now had a proper look at various photographs and realise that the Tiger I 'early' road wheels didn't have a 'cap' as such because the 'outer' of the twin wheels fixed with 6 bolts onto a flange which was part of the inner wheel. Consequently there is just a deep recess visible with the outer wheel. There is a cap of sorts on the single wheels but, to be honest, I don't think there is a lot of point in trying to replicate these as the inner hex of the cap screw, when weather with either a dark or rust wash pretty much does the job. Consequently, nothing is required! Ah well, a bit of a wild goose chase but now I can relax!
Thank you

Simon

[Jimster]

Now you have more time to remove the molded on spare antennae tube and scratch build a tube that stands a bit proud of the deck.

[SimonCornes]

Now you have more time to remove the molded on spare antennae tube and scratch build a tube that stands a bit proud of the deck.

Too late for that - its finished!! But I did remove the left hand tube, I've read around all of the corrections on the site!! But thank you anyway!

[jarndice]

I look forward to the day when someone prints a Tiger 1 early "Body" with the correctly located hole for the turret and no spare aerial tubes and two holes at the front awaiting the installation of the hatches,
I would not miss the oblong fording plate which presently is included on all the Taigen/Torro/Heng Long Tiger 1 bodies even though it was removed from the production Tiger early in the run of the machine,
This would allow us to paint and fit out our Tanks so much easier.

[SimonCornes]

I look forward to the day when someone prints a Tiger 1 early "Body" with the correctly located hole for the turret and no spare aerial tubes and two holes at the front awaiting the installation of the hatches,
I would not miss the oblong fording plate which presently is included on all the Taigen/Torro/Heng Long Tiger 1 bodies even though it was removed from the production Tiger early in the run of the machine,
This would allow us to paint and fit out our Tanks so much easier.

I assume that Tamiya got it wrong then as I understand T/T/HL all copied the Tamiya plastic? Are the driver and machine gunner's hatches in the wrong place then? And you've lost me with a 'fording plate' - thats my ignorance for you!! But you're right, someone should have produced an aftermarket correction at a reasonable (cheap) price so that you could just transfer everything over. I am struck how the AFV side of the modelling hobby is served nowhere near as well as the aircraft. Probably the same for the naval side of things to.

[jarndice]

Tamiya did not get it wrong, Heng Long managed that all by themselves
As to the hatches I should explain that I almost never (Heng Longs Abrams excused) buy rtr Tanks and the Tiger 1 is no exception,
I buy a cheap Heng Long Body and Turret and a Taigen Metal Hull, Because the body is a cheapo it comes with the front hatches faired over which with a proper step drill bit I cut out and fit aftermarket hatches c/o Dave @ http://www.forgebeartanks.com.
The redundant rectangular fording plate lies beside the Turret on the drivers side alongside the tow rope and barrel cleaning rod clamps,
Like the aerial stowage tubes if they are not there then you can fit the proper tube or if you are building a command Tank you are not encumbered with stuff you don't need and if your Tank is a true early then cutting and gluing a 2 mm piece of plasticard in a rectangle to make up a Fording plate and placing it in position is the matter of a minute to fix.
Metal Turret/ Plastic Turret the choice is yours, certainly using a Tank at speed over rough ground with a Metal Turret on a Plastic/ABS Body is inviting a failure of the area around the Turret base but just like Metal tracks for all the drawbacks Metal looks right and Plastic always looks Plastic,
After saying all that a Plastic/ABS Body is unquestionably right and a Metal (MATO type) body is wrong.

[SimonCornes]

Tamiya did not get it wrong, Heng Long managed that all by themselves
As to the hatches I should explain that I almost never (Heng Longs Abrams excused) buy rtr Tanks and the Tiger 1 is no exception,
I buy a cheap Heng Long Body and Turret and a Taigen Metal Hull, Because the body is a cheapo it comes with the front hatches faired over which with a proper step drill bit I cut out and fit aftermarket hatches c/o Dave @ http://www.forgebeartanks.com.
The redundant rectangular fording plate lies beside the Turret on the drivers side alongside the tow rope and barrel cleaning rod clamps,
Like the aerial stowage tubes if they are not there then you can fit the proper tube or if you are building a command Tank you are not encumbered with stuff you don't need and if your Tank is a true early then cutting and gluing a 2 mm piece of plasticard in a rectangle to make up a Fording plate and placing it in position is the matter of a minute to fix.
Metal Turret/ Plastic Turret the choice is yours, certainly using a Tank at speed over rough ground with a Metal Turret on a Plastic/ABS Body is inviting a failure of the area around the Turret base but just like Metal tracks for all the drawbacks Metal looks right and Plastic always looks Plastic,
After saying all that a Plastic/ABS Body is unquestionably right and a Metal (MATO type) body is wrong.

Thanks for clarifying the fording plate. Yes I agree - very 2 dimensional and a pain to remove. I suppose a replacement maybe half a mill bigger and maybe 2mm thick is a more substantial solution?
My HL Tiger I has opening drivers and gunners hatches with nice internal detail and only missing the levers and wheels that I assume are present in the Tamiya kit? I was of the opinion that the upper hull and turret were a straight ‘lift’ from the Tamiya kit but I accept that my thinking may be wrong. I have to say that I’ve really enjoyed refinishing mine. In my eyes it looks exactly as it should do so I think it’s a terrific introduction to r/c tanking. I can imagine that a metal turret on a plastic upper hull might be a bit of a trial for the plastic but I assume you could reinforce the underside with aluminium strip? I must admit that my Tiger tends to run at a walking pace most of the time so is suspect a metal/plastic tank might be okay but I accept that you have a much better idea of how a Tiger should actually move! But I am enjoying myself and have become pretty fond of my Matorro King Tiger, it’s a hell of a machine!!