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Where can I get 1/32 wire wheels?


roymattblack

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I've been looking for 1/32 etched wire wheels for some time now, to be able to make some half-decent models from some of the older Airfix cars.

I'm frequently told 'Try slot car wheels'......

Searching shows zero results!

There was someone called 'Pete' - or 'Peter' who did some a while back, but they were a limited run and aren't available now.

Does anyone here know where 1/32 'proper' wire wheels can be found?????

PLEASE - don't just say 'try slot car wheels' unless you can provide a link to a page I can buy them from........

Roy.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Those certainly look interesting! Where can they be got from? How do they look from side-on?

To my eye, they don't really convey the "spider web" complexity of Borranis, but that may just be the angle in the photo... On a "classic" Borrani, every spoke crosses 4 or 5 others below it on the way to the rim... meaning there really ought to be three layers of etch for the front dish.

bestest,

M.

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The wheels are my own design and of course trying to get enough, or the right number of spokes in a 10mm diameter rim isn't easy. I have tried numerous variations and because of the limitations of photo etching, ie the spokes are actually flat and not round, it can end up with too much metal inside the inner rim. I tried 72 spokes and they looked just awful. Even with three etches I think they look too much personally. The idea I had was to have the spokes actually crossing, which I think I achieved with some success. They are of course just an arty form of wire wheel with more emphasis on an impression rather than total accuracy. Here's a pic which will probably give you a better idea of what they look like side on.

G

P5159562.jpg

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I too would be interested in a set or three - if I can afford them.

I'm glad this thread was started cos I too was looking for wire wheels for 1/32 cars, not only Airfix ones but the old Gowland & Gowland ones too.

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  • 1 year later...

Hi Roy,

I think the Peter you're thinking of is Peter Sussex. Both he and Graham (Zagato) are regulars over at Slotforum. Or were as of a couple of years ago, I dropped out of that scene a little while ago so I'm not 100% current.

Peter dropped out as well for a while, I believe, but it seems like he may have got back into it as this is a post from April - http://www.slotforum.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=85249

I haven't read all the way through it but I knew he'd be over there somewhere. Super nice guy and I remember he sent me a few spinners some years ago for a car I was building - free. Zagato had his own slot car business going but for the life of me I can't remember what it was called or if it's still going. It was all short run resin specialities.

Whilst the wheels both of these guys make look good, they also have to work for a living on slot cars so they're not of exactly the same fine quality as some AM stuff we get for scale models. Still really nice - don't get me wrong.

Good luck though.

Cheers,

Roger

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Hi Roy,

The best wire wheels ever (in my opinion) were made by Peter Seager- Thomas. He made sets for specific cars but stopped last year because they took up too much of his time and were too costly to produce. He made no profit at all on them.

Graham Poulton (Zagato) traded as GP Miniatures and had his own website but now appears on Facebook only.

Try Pendle Slot Cars for wires. Their site takes a bit of time to find your way around but they post stuff really quickly and are very helpful.

I've just googled 1/32 wire wheels and found a number of leads. Also google slot cars. Most sell wire wheels.

In 1/24, there's Fernando Pinto on eBay, excellent wire wheels complete and Profil 24. There are others too if you search them out.

Dave

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Hi Roy,

The best wire wheels ever (in my opinion) were made by Peter Seager- Thomas. He made sets for specific cars but stopped last year because they took up too much of his time and were too costly to produce. He made no profit at all on them.

Graham Poulton (Zagato) traded as GP Miniatures and had his own website but now appears on Facebook only.

Try Pendle Slot Cars for wires. Their site takes a bit of time to find your way around but they post stuff really quickly and are very helpful.

I've just googled 1/32 wire wheels and found a number of leads. Also google slot cars. Most sell wire wheels.

In 1/24, there's Fernando Pinto on eBay, excellent wire wheels complete and Profil 24. There are others too if you search them out.

Dave

Peter Seager-Thomas - that's the name! Peter Sussex is his Slotforum.com name. Excellent wheels, I agree.

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  • 2 years later...

Most of us call him Peter Sarsons but you'll have to guess why<G>.  And he has stopped doing them because the CNC machinists couldn't work that finely.  So they told him to go elsewhere.  I know as I introduced him to them. In fact I introduced him, Graham Poulton (GP Miniatures) and Penelope Pitlane to them. Pendle seem to have found someone else to use up their way from what I can work out.

Penelope Pitlane's stuff was all, unfortunately, sold off to Pendle Slot Racing. They sometimes re-stock, but more and more they claim that they are "Out of stock" on most of PP's old stuff.  RS Slotracing do Mitoos wheels and tyres and a range of their own tyres for smaller ones which would suit the 32nd scale models needing 15" wheels. Mitoos are about £16 a set of four or 19 with tyres.  They have a clever half etch to them which makes them look like layers of spokes. RS also do 19" skinny wheels with p/e spokes in 36, 48 and 60 spokes available for pre-War cars, like Austin 7 Ulster and Amilcar which they make and they are set to make p/e wire wheel inserts for their own 15" aluminium wheels, to suit the Lotus Elite, AC Ace, Ace Competition and Aceca., with they also have awaiting production.

I make all RS's masters, so I know where they are with things.

 

Cheers,

Martin

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Cast metal hubs and rims to fit orings or kit tires.

Or for the hub a combination of p/e and tubing like the MFH Brough kits wheels.

A sturdy hub/rim combo and a simple jig and you are on the learning curve to lacing wire wheels.

Oooo , lacing , the same repetitive action 30 -40 times 'ow  bleedin' 'ard could that be?

40 spoke wheels in 1/8 scale:

17.jpg

Brass wire spokes , resin rims and hubs (don't do that again) Harley factory manual lacing guide a few simple jigs. To fit existing kit tires. Nipplies recreated wit repeated careful applications of white glue.

36 spoker cast rim and generic hub in metal , to fit existing kit tires:

IMG_0907.jpg

Nichrome spokes , ally tube nipplies.

 

Biggest pitfalls for me were the hub strength and the nipplework as well as sourcing the tires, which is the starting point. Start with tire selection go from there.

 

Scale Spokes on UMM's

https://umm-usa.com/onlinestore/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=spokes&osCsid=a104116eadb118e3c02d735de9f99e0b&x=0&y=0

website , was doing these 1/32 scale wheels . They use orings I believe and two rim halves . I hate the center seam in a rim , cant have it , one of the reasons I went to making my own.

I have a Gotha thread on the forum , I would like to have one or two of the wheels on that spoked. The price of the set of wheels drove me off , but I can appreciate the work that goes into a set.

Edited by krow113
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  • 2 months later...

As a bit of lateral thinking, have a look at Grand Prix Models PE wire wheels ranges. A larger wire wheel for an old classic in 1/43rd scale may look OK by ratio on a more modern 1/32nd scale car that has smaller wheels if the diameter works out to be the same.

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  • 1 year later...

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