Dragon Late Tiger inner road wheels from Aldo Wenning

[gary1930]

These are very nicely done and match the outer road wheels from the FOA/Rolling Thunder kit both in diameter and appearance. They have about a 1/2" hole in the back which I filled with resin, then drilled a 1/4" hole into for the axle. I got mine from Battle Rhino. Panzersniper also has them loose.

 

[panzer tom]

Aren't the center wheels supposed to be in between those protruding pieces that run perpendicular against the tracks?

 

[panzer tom]

sorry for the identical post, what I meant to say was, nice sturmtiger

 

[gary1930]

Aren't the center wheels supposed to be in between those protruding pieces that run perpendicular against the tracks?

There are two sets of inner wheels. You are looking at the outer set in my pics. The track guides go around the inner set and the idler at the rear:

 

[TigerAce]

so many wheels... lol

Chris. b

 

[panzer tom]

Thanks for explaining, I thought that only the wheels for the early tiger went like that, from what I have seen, late tigers have their wheels differently

 

[panzer tom]

I don't mean to argue, but I think that the diagram you are refering to was only valid for roadwheels of early tigers. I believe that late tigers had less roadwheels. The early tiger had 48 wheels (not including drive and idlers), while the late had 32. I'm just bringing this up, because I wouldn't want you to make a mistake. Here are links to the pictures which support my idea

This is the roadwheel configuration of a late tiger
http://www.tankzone.co.uk/images/tam/ti/tmtirwl2.jpg

Notice how the roadwheels don't go up to the edge of the track (except when the transport tracks are present)
http://www.alanhamby.com/late.shtml

Compare this to the early tiger, whose wheels go up to the edge of the track, even with the wide tracks installed (compare the second picture from the bottom on the early tiger page, to the fifth picture from the top on the late tiger page)
http://www.alanhamby.com/early.shtml

Mark 1 tank site also show the difference between the sturmtiger roadwheel configuration, and the early configuration
http://mark-1-tank.co.uk/tiger-1.html#sturmtiger

I believe that the number of roadwheels was decreased in late models, in order to get rid of the need to take off roadwheels in order to put on transport tracks. Like I said, I mean no harm, I just don't want you to make a mistake with this. If you would like further detailed photos, I have a 1/35 late tiger without it's tracks, which I flipped, and took pictures of with a diagram from an early tiger next to it for comparison.


Good luck with your build,
Tom

 

[gary1930]

From Tanks in Detail #5 Panzer VI Tiger I & II by Terry Gander....

"during January 1944 the dished wheels were replaced on the production lines by steel tyred and internally sprung wheels of the same diameter. On the very last production Tiger Is the outer row of road wheels was left off altogether as the steel wheel design could handle heavier loads than its dished equivalent". (p. 30).

So either arrangement could be correct for a steel-wheeled Tiger I.

 

[mailalan]

I believe panzer tom is correct about the track guides. If you look at my Tiger suspension page (http://www.alanhamby.com/suspension.shtml) about halfway down the page right above the wheel layout diagram posted earlier, you'll see the track guides sticking up on the outside of the double wheels. Now this picture is of the left side of the Tiger but the right side would have looked the same....the entire track would just be flipped around so that the guides were to the outside. You can see this reverse track clearly illustrated on the Bovington Tiger: http://www.tiger-tank.com/secure/journal32.htm

They are also correct about the number of roadwheels. A late Tiger with steel wheels would not have the wheels shaded in black in the picture posted above from my site. On my suspension page, the steel wheeled Tiger is shown wearing transport tracks, which can be identified because they come just to the edge of the drive sprocket. Combat tracks are wider than the drive sprocket. When wearing combat tracks a steel wheeled Tigers wheels would not come out to the edge of the track. That is to say that the outermost row of wheels would be in line with the outermost edge of the drive sprocket.

It appears to me that you've got your wheel arrangement correct on the right side there....you've got one double immediately behind the sprocket and then a single and the outermost row is inline with the outside edge of the sprocket....you've just got your track flipped around the wrong way on that side.

Hope that helps.

- Alan Hamby

 

[johnro6659]

I am glad this post came about I will be getting my Tiger out of storage either today or tomorrow. I'll be living on your web site Alan. LOL Great source for info and pics. Just a question how much are they getting for these DML Tiger roadwheels? My Tiger came with the extra road wheels Bradnon thru them in when I got the kit. I doubt I'll buy the DML ones but from the look of them I probably can make something to make the FOA ones look correct.


John

 

[gary1930]

OK, I reversed the tracks so it matches Alan's picture.
What I don't understand is why they changed the track orientation (which required both the drive and idler wheels to be moved out) when they went to the steel wheels.

 

[Die Werkstatt]

No the tracks aren't flipped around, the line of text you're reffering to only means that there was only one type of link as opposed to a left and a right hand link like on early machines. The pic your looking at I guess is a narrow transport track that allows the tiger 1 to be transported on a flat car. To fix your problem you have to only move the inner wheel spacing behind the front set of guide teeth, the outer ones stay where they are.
You had the tracks on right to start with it was just the inner wheels that were wrong.

 

[mailalan]

The roadwheels look very good by the way. What paint did you use on the FOA's to get them to match the dragon wheels?

After seeing your post I went out and ordered a set for my FOA tiger which I will actually get around to one day.

- Alan

 

[gary1930]

The roadwheels look very good by the way. What paint did you use on the FOA's to get them to match the dragon wheels?
- Alan

Reizbar will have to answer that question, as the FOA wheels came from him.

Thanks for your assistance on this.

 

[mailalan]

Here is a good picture of the right side suspension of the Saumur Tiger:
http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2665555740063387170OPpfKY

The entire album is here:
http://good-times.webshots.com/album/562471654VeyGJt

Shows where the guidepins are and how far the inner wheels are spaced from the outer wheels. Might be of some help.

- Alan

 

[johnro6659]

jtrowbridge has some great photos I have his albums bookmarked right under Vince Abbott's in my favs.

Now that I have my Tiger home and I am working on it a little at a time. From the look of the inned road wheels I am going to try and scratchbuild the wheel centers and cast them for my tank. I am also going to make covers for the axle end caps so they are not so obvious.

Great stuff the more I read the posts the more I learn so keep them coming.

 

[panzer tom]

here are some pictures I took comparing the roadhweel configuration of the late tiger (the model kit) with the early configuration (the paper). Hope it helps

Here is another link to some pictures of a late tiger, except, unlike the Saumur tiger, it doesn't have the transport tracks
http://tiger1.info/vim/vimoutiersfr.html

 

[jepy]

I don't understand the confusion on this issue, it's really very simple.
The Saumur's tiger1 is wearing the narrow "transport" tracks, this is why the road wheels are so near the edge of the tracks.

The FOA tiger has the wider "Combat" tracks. Here is the VIMOUTIERS Tiger as an example of what the FOA Tiger's "wide combat tracks" should look like installed.

The difference should be obvious.

Using the Bovington tiger as a reference for the late steel wheeled Tiger is a very bad idea, the dished wheels mount in a wider stance, as is obvious in this photo.

Note: the road wheel lay out diagram on page one shows an early Tiger with rubber tires.

Note the wide "combat tracks" on the early Tiger from Bovington.
If this doesn't settle this here and now, nothing will. I was hoping some one with more credibility than me would have intervened by now, So if I'm wrong, just shoot me.

 

[gary1930]

If this doesn't settle this here and now, nothing will. I was hoping some one with more credibility than me would have intervened by now, So if I'm wrong, just shoot me.

I think my second pic (top of this page) is correct for steel wheels and combat tracks. If not. let's keep arguing.

 

[jepy]

Where did you get transport tracks from ? Is Panzerwerks holding out on us ?