Austin Mk.IV Armoured Car - Wheel Type Help Needed...

[Kiwikitbasher]

I have the rather nice 1/72 Master Box kit of the above which includes the option of wooden spoke or steel wheels (they seem to have pneumatic and solid tyres respectively). The instruction cover acknowledge the option, but steel wheels are not included in any of the kit's colour schemes:

I'd like to use the steel wheels, but have not found any photos or colour scheme info featuring them. Were they an uncommon fitment? and does anyone have advice on the subject please?

Thanks in advance.

[Chris B]

I've recently bought David Fletcher's 'War Cars - British Armoured Cars in the First World War'.

The WW1 photos of the Austins all show the type of wheels shown on the paint guide. There is nothing in the text that refers to alternative wooden or steel wheels.

As regards tyres, for normal road it's said they used Dunlop or Palmer Cord pneumatics "while a set of KT studded tyres was supplied for off-road use".

There's a small photo of the one illustrated in the centre of the paint guide which is noted as belonging to the 17th (Armoured Car) battalion in 1918 and painted in "sky blue and khaki in the hope that they would not show up against the horizon" The photo is of the right hand side and there's a white/red white identification square on the side panel in the same position as on the illustration centre left.

Chris

Edited November 29, 2015 by Chris B

[Kiwikitbasher]

I've recently bought David Fletcher's 'War Cars - British Armoured Cars in the First World War'.

The WW1 photos of the Austins all show the type of wheels shown on the paint guide. There is nothing in the text that refers to alternative wooden or steel wheels.

As regards tyres, for normal road it's said they used Dunlop or Palmer Cord pneumatics "while a set of KT studded tyres was supplied for off-road use".

There's a small photo of the one illustrated in the centre of the paint guide which is noted as belonging to the 17th (Armoured Car) battalion in 1918 and painted in "sky blue and khaki in the hope that they would not show up against the horizon" The photo is of the right hand side and there's a white/red white identification square on the side panel in the same position as on the illustration centre left.

Chris

Thanks Chris,

That's most helpful information, and reinforces why photos of steel-wheeled machines are so hard to find! I think I'll run with with spokes. Thanks also for the additional markings info on the car with the sky-blue uppers.

[Sgt.Squarehead]

I suspect that the steel wheels might be for a future boxing, Russian/Soviet maybe?

How is the kit, as is now par for the course for me, I shelled out on the Extratech resin version all of about a fortnight before this came out!

[Kiwikitbasher]

I suspect that the steel wheels might be for a future boxing, Russian/Soviet maybe?

How is the kit, as is now par for the course for me, I shelled out on the Extratech resin version all of about a fortnight before this came out!

I think you may be right about the steel wheel option. The kit is very nicely moulded and looks the part. I can't comment on precise accuracy as I don't know much about the type, plus some items may be over-scale thickness due to tooling limitations, but I need to look at photos more to say this is the case and where it may apply; so it's just speculation for now.

[Sgt.Squarehead]

Look forward to seeing your build.