New MTL Hummer Preview.

[cfritschle]

I am not trying to hijack Joe's thread, but on the subject of tire treads on "N size" tires, I sure wish I knew how the factory in China was able to mold the tread pattern on these tires.



The tread pattern is faint, but think it is about right for 1:160 scale.

And for more on how these tires look, here is a side view of the pickup with the custom wheels.



For comparison purposes, here is a photo of a "stock" Atlas F-150 with the F-150 sporting the custom wheels.

[peteski]

Those treaded tires (IMO, still oversize for N scale  ), appear to be made from soft vinyl.  Molds for soft vinyl (because the part is flexible and easier to remove from the mold) are less complex than for making polystyrene parts, so fine detail can be molded.

I'm not a big fan of vinyl model tires in general.  I have observed many of them starting to leach out thick clear liquid after few years have passed.  They probably use cheap vinyl which is unstable, so the plasticizer (which makes the vinyl soft) slowly leaches out.  Also, in some instances, the vinyl tiers do not fit the wheels very well, so the wheels do not look very realistic. Atlas produced some vehicles with vinyl tires (IIRC, one of them was '80s Ford Fairmont).  I don't recall if those had a tread pattern.  I think they did (or at least they might have had grooves in the tread.

The stock wheels/tires on that Atlas F-150 are rather basic - not a best example what can be done with injection-molded polystyrene in N scale.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

You can add tire treads by using this:
http://www.archertransfers.com/AR88043.html

Or this:
http://www.archertransfers.com/AR88042.html

Not sure which would be closer to the correct size in N.

It's not 100% correct, but it's not bad either. Here are the prototypes:
http://www.treloargroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/military-hummers.jpg

[Chris333]

If the tires end up that bad I'm sure Mark will be along shortly with new Photon rubber 

[cfritschle]

I should have provided more information about the custom tires I put on the Atlas F-150.  They are a hard plastic, and appear to be injection molded.  About all of the information I have on them can be found here:  http://nscalevehicles.org/tips_n_tricks/atlas_f150_wheels.php

As for the "scale" of the tread, the set of new tires that I put on my SUV last fall have an aggressive tread pattern that I believe would be about the same size of the tread found on the custom wheels if scaled down to 1:160.   

[peteski]

I should have provided more information about the custom tires I put on the Atlas F-150.  They are a hard plastic, and appear to be injection molded.  About all of the information I have on them can be found here:  http://nscalevehicles.org/tips_n_tricks/atlas_f150_wheels.php

As for the "scale" of the tread, the set of new tires that I put on my SUV last fall have an aggressive tread pattern that I believe would be about the same size of the tread found on the custom wheels if scaled down to 1:160.   

Interesting.
 But Microns Customz do not seem like an affordable option for getting tires/wheels, assuming that they are no longer available at Walmart. Only one listing shows up on eBay with 2 vehicles for $12 plus shipping.

I also poked around the Internet a bit and found a thread from 2007 (when they first came out).
https://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/690-1-144-1-148-1-160/191801-malibu-international-microns.html

One of the posts there states:
These actually have rubber tires. Found 8 different ones but only bought 4 of them.

I suspect he just meant that the tires were soft ("vinyl" and "rubber" are used interchangeably).  I wonder if the tires on your F-150 simply hardened over time?

[cfritschle]

Interesting.
 But Microns Customz do not seem like an affordable option for getting tires/wheels, assuming that they are no longer available at Walmart. Only one listing shows up on eBay with 2 vehicles for $12 plus shipping.

I also poked around the Internet a bit and found a thread from 2007 (when they first came out).
https://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/690-1-144-1-148-1-160/191801-malibu-international-microns.html

One of the posts there states:
These actually have rubber tires. Found 8 different ones but only bought 4 of them.

I suspect he just meant that the tires were soft ("vinyl" and "rubber" are used interchangeably).  I wonder if the tires on your F-150 simply hardened over time?

They may have gotten harder over time, but when I tried to remove a tire from the rim back in 2007, there was no elasticity in the tire.  So, I did not remove it out a fear of destroying it.  The Customz tires are nothing like the soft vinyl tires Athearn used on the Flxible buses, or the soft gummy material Atlas used for tires on the Fairmont and Explorer.   

That is interesting they have gone from $0.99 to $12.00 in 12 years.   

[peteski]

They may have gotten harder over time, but when I tried to remove a tire from the rim back in 2007, there was no elasticity in the tire.  So, I did not remove it out a fear of destroying it.  The Customz tires are nothing like the soft vinyl tires Athearn used on the Flxible buses, or the soft gummy material Atlas used for tires on the Fairmont and Explorer.   

That is interesting they have gone from $0.99 to $12.00 in 12 years.   

It seems that the company that made them is gone, so no more are to be had for low-low Walmart prices.  As for the price, it was $12 for 2 vehicles in that eBay listing.  At least, that's what the seller wanted for them (these are collectibles, which means pricey, right?).   The listing also had a "best offer" option, and you got me curious, so I offered $9.50 for both and the offer was accepted.  So now I'll be a proud owner of a couple of Microns Customz vehicles. 

[John]

I think you guys are going overboard !!!   I just checked a bunch of MicroMachines, and the other little cars .. and most dont have any treads .. and quite frankly, I can't notice any different without my optivisor .. The M1s are a different story ..

[Ike the BN Freak]

I can't seem to find it, however I swear that I saw or read somewhere in the past, that ATSF had a small fleet of open bilevel auto racks they kept around just to haul around hummers. Now I can't find any photos, and of the photos I do see, they are just of them being hauled on standard flats

[cfritschle]

I can't seem to find it, however I swear that I saw or read somewhere in the past, that ATSF had a small fleet of open bilevel auto racks they kept around just to haul around hummers. Now I can't find any photos, and of the photos I do see, they are just of them being hauled on standard flats

Ike,

If you use Google Earth and search for "Orchard, ID" you will find the Orchard Combat Training Center (OCTC) just southwest of Orchard.  The  OCTC has a 4 track intermodal yard with a ramp for unloading autoracks.  The August 2011 views show an autorack in position to be unloaded or loaded at the ramp.  Note:  The August 31, 2011 view is better than the August 29, 2011 view.

Of course, there is no way to tell what the reporting marks are on the autorack, or if it is or was hauling Humvees.   

[EspeeGoldenState]

This the only photo that I can currently find with Humvee's on a Bi-Level open autorack.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/101561334@N08/10589007726/in/set-72157637147169563

But here's a youtube, though they are enclosed racks:

/>
Chris

[James Costello]

I can't seem to find it, however I swear that I saw or read somewhere in the past, that ATSF had a small fleet of open bilevel auto racks they kept around just to haul around hummers. Now I can't find any photos, and of the photos I do see, they are just of them being hauled on standard flats

The bi-levels lasted longer and certainly weren't uncommon into the 90s hauling SUVs, vans, trucks etc. The black CN ones pop up all the time in that era.

I couldn't find any photos of hummers, but there's these jeep loads:
https://www.railcarphotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=66415
https://www.railcarphotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=69229
https://www.railcarphotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=69954

[John]

I received my HMVWWs today .. they look good .. you even get to do some modeling ..