I remember there was some talk about replacing the Academy MUTT vinyl tires with the Tamiya plastic ones. Can anyone confirm if the plastic tires are better than the vinyl ones and why?

Thanks !

I don't care for vinyl tires. The seams are hard to clean up (I think), some are paint resistant and I have even had a pair split and come off the hub 6 months after the half track was finished (Italeria Maultier).

Other than that...

Shaun

I have not found a set of M151 tires (never called it a MUTT in 20 years of service, and don't plan to begin!) that seem to capture the full profile of the tire. The Tamiya seemed thin, while the Academy ones seem not as thick, that is, the distance between the tread and the wheel rim when viewed in profile. Academy makes great wheels, with the drilled out holes and tie-down rings, I just wish there was a fuller tire to compliment the rims.

By the way, some resin company advertised a set of "Israeli desert tires" some time ago. I don't remember if it was AEF, might check their www site.

Jim Peterson

Well, I have just compared Academy vinyl tires and Tamiya and here is what I've found:

Academy tires are about 1 mm smaller in diameter. I know that Tamiya wheels didn't fit well under the rear fender, so maybe Academy wheels are more correct size. I tried to take some measurements form photos and I think that indeed Academy wheel's sizes is closer to reality.

Academy tires are more sharp-edged in section (the part of tire that touches the ground is more flat), while Tamiya are much more rounded in section. The real tires are much more sharp-edged than Tamiya, but probably a bit more rounded than Academy... doh... Tamiya tires can be flattened with a file or sandpaper - it would correct their size at the same time, but tread pattern can be lost. Academy tires are vinyl so modifying their shape is almost impossible (It may be possible if they are frozen - I never tried it myself).

On Tamiya tires there is "Firestone" embossing and on Academy there is "Hooper Cross Country" - correctly it should be "Cooper Cross Country". I don't know if Firestone tires were ever used, but Cooper's definitely were.

Tread pattern is slightly more accurate on Tamiya tires, but Academy ones are very close.

Honestly I don't see a point in replacing Academy tires. It would be a lot of work, unless someone wants to replace the whole wheels and even this would require some surgery to axes. But then you also need to consider the accuracy of rims. Tamiya rims have a bit more accurate profile, but they don't have holes in them, just indents. Academy wheels have full lightening holes and this makes them look better.

But of course if someone hates vinyl tires, replacing them with plastic ones from Tamiya may be his way to happiness...

Regards,
Pawel

Heck, never called it a M151 either. Still and will always say "quarter-ton"!

Ditto on vunyl tires in general. I've had DML vinyls split several times. Good news is tht it responds well to c/a glue. Vinyls are paint resistant, especially acrylics.
To the specifics...Vodnik has done a masterful comparison. The Tamiya/early Academy rims can be easily drilled out. AEF probably sold Israeli tires seperately, since these were some of the few usable parts in their conversion sets.

Wow Vodnik - you scare me - in a good way!

I just replace the tires for the, um, "little truck" (don't know what else to call it now) with AFV Club Rims and Tires from the M102 Howitzer kit. No "Cooper" stamp on the sidewall, but that's okay. I like the way they look on the model better than either Tamiya or Academy Tires. I do raise the rear suspension with three discs of .010" sheet punched out to fit in the cavity where the Springs locate. This provides me a realistic "stance" for the truck and no other work inside the wheelhouse is necessary.

I don't mind the polyvinyl tires too much - other than what everyone else says about the cleanup. Makes me glad I have a battery powered Dremel to clean them up with. Those seams mar otherwise attractive models. I never have messed with the DML "splitters" - but I trust everyone else's experience with them...

Gunnie

When I was taking shots of the M102 howitzer today, I noticed that the wheels and tires were the same as an M151 Jeep. I just went out into the rain and double checked. There are three different brands of tires on the two howitzers. One has Mansfield tire, the other has one Cooper Cross Country and one Nitro brand. That tire pattern is much different than the others, more modern as opposed to the standard military tread pattern.

My guess is that the original M151s came with Firestone tires. The quarter ton was made by Ford and Ford vehicles went hand in hand with Firestone tires (up until the recent Ford Explorer/Firestone Tire recall).

BTW, we called it either the "quarter ton" or "jeep".

Yes - that's what I learned in researching the M151A1D for my Davy Crockett Transporter/Launcher. I've been messing around (while forced to watch Friends with the wife) on trying to put a Firestone scrawl on the sidewalls and fashioning a set of decent Magnesium Hubs that the original truck had. Too many ideas, too little time to get to them all. The early hubs weren't used all that long, but would have been a nice option to have with the new Academy release.

Gunnie

I just checked AFV Club tires from M102. Nice rims with holes, but no tie-down rings - easy to add. Tires are not so good however - they look a bit too wide for me and again are too round in section. Nice tread pattern though...

And they are have Good Year embossed on sides

I think I'll stick to original Academy tires, but now start to think about these AFV Club rims...

Rgds,
Pawel

Gunnie, those magnesium wheels you mentioned, did they have eight slots instead of the holes? I used to own a 1962 M151 (no A-1) manufactured by Ford, according to the data plate. As the availability of the steel wheels was much greater than the scarce mag ones, i swapped them out for steel with good rubber, and eventually gave the mags away. I knew they were special, but not how special until I sold the jeep two years ago. The buyer almost cried to hear the mags were history! Live and learn.

Jim Peterson

Thanks for the replies, folks. Since I airbrush on weathering with acrylics, I'll use the Tamiya plastic tires.

I also noticed I can't spell -OR-! "Plastic of vinyl!" Hahaha!

I'm still not sure about the front bumper in the M151A2. Doesn't it look EXACTLY like the A1? I was thinking of hacking off the Tamiya M151A2's bumper and attaching the Academy A1 bumper one to get the bumper looking like this ] U channel instead of the solid box [] look. Is the A2 bumper the same as the A1?

Thanks again!

Jim - they had four oval (better described as capsule shaped) slots spaced equally around the circumference of the rims. I thought they were really rare too - I never learned why the truck came with them in the first place. Even more interesting to model now...

Gunnie

Gunnie,

Original Ford's prototype of the new 1/4 ton truck was very modern design for its time: the whole body was built using light magnesium/aluminum alloys. But it was way too expensive, so decision was made to revert to more conventional materials for M151. The only remaining lightweight parts in early production trucks were these magnesium wheels, and as you know they were also quickly replaced with the steel ones. So these lightweigth wheels were just relics of the modern design that was unfortunately too far ahead of its time.

Regards,
Pawel

[quoteSo these lightweigth wheels were just relics of the modern design that was unfortunately too far ahead of its time.[/quote]

This is one reason why I enjoy modeling 1950's US vehicles. Many interesting ideas that were ahead of their time...

Gunnie