Jaguar SS 100

[Hoffman]

Quick mock-up shot. Franklin Mint 1/24 Jaguar SS 100. Wheel is by "Jack Modeling", 22 millimeter, created by Jason Hupin, sold on ebay France. https://www.ebay.com/usr/jack_modelling

Tires are from a Spec Cast model A Ford.

Edited April 8, 2023 by Hoffman
adding link to Jack Modeling

[Gramps46]

Looking real good Tim.

[Hoffman]

Thanks, Gary!

[1959scudetto]

Much better than the original spoke wheels, Tim !

[Snake45]

Very cool! Please keep us posted on this. 

[peteski]

On 4/8/2023 at 2:53 PM, Hoffman said:

Quick mock-up shot. Franklin Mint 1/24 Jaguar SS 100. Wheel is by "Jack Modeling", 22 millimeter, created by Jason Hupin, sold on ebay France. https://www.ebay.com/usr/jack_modelling

That's going to look really good.  I also ordered multiple sets of those wheels. How did you find out who designed the wheels?  They are gorgeous, but there is a design issue with them, I hope they can address (those wheels are described as for the Jaguar XKE).

[Hoffman]

Hello Peter,

The wheels Jason sells could accurately be described as 'Dunlop' wheels. They were original equipment on LOTS of different British cars. The basic design is the same for say an Austin Healey, Aston Martin, AC Cobra, Triumph, MG or E-Type Jaguar. The details varied as far as width, number of spokes, whether they were center-laced or perimeter laced, etc. The Dunlop wheel brand and designs are now owned by MWS Wheels, link below for details.

So back to Jack Modeling......my thought was, hey, Jason's offering multiple diameters, which makes them well suited to many different English cars, not just the XKE. That being the case, I figured I'd try picking a larger diameter for the SS 100 and give it a go. I've found they look great on the Monogram MG TC as well. I'll post a photo of that later. 

For model cars, I think what's more important than absolute diameter is proportion. You can scale a full size wheel down to what it should be, but what if the model you're fitting it to is not 100% accurately scaled? Also, consider that a 15" wheel for example, is not 15". Yes, that's what it measures across the barrel, but not the overall diameter from lip to lip. As a general rule of thumb, you can add an inch to get the overall diameter, but that varies from wheel to wheel, depending on what the actual lip measurement is. So when you're playing with models, there really is no substitute for grabbing a set of wheels + the tires you like, and see how they look on the car. At least, that's my view.

Now, as for the Jack Modeling wheels specifically, the only thing I could fault them on is that they're just slightly flat. The outer spokes should have a little more angle, and protrude slightly from the rim in the center. I'm OK with that though. Most other model British wires err on the other side and stick out way too much. The Aurora XKE wheels as a an example.... ?

https://www.classiccarperformance.com/collections/british-wire-wheels

[peteski]

26 minutes ago, Hoffman said:

Now, as for the Jack Modeling wheels specifically, the only thing I could fault them on is that they're just slightly flat. The outer spokes should have a little more angle, and protrude slightly from the rim in the center. I'm OK with that though. Most other model British wires err on the other side and stick out way too much. The Aurora XKE wheels as a an example...

Thanks. That is *EXACTLY* the flaw I'm talking about.  While the interlaced 72 spokes are gorgeous, and the multiple diameters are very handy, the flatness kills it for me.  And I was all excited when I found info about these wheels on this forum.

All the vintage wire wheels I have seen have the hub protruding quite some distance beyond the rim.  And as you noted, in Jason's wheels the hub is even recessed slightly.  They just don't look right to me (especially for Jags).  I'm just surprised that someone would take the time to design these in CAD, but come up with a very wrong offset.  As I see it, when designing something from scratch, looking at some reference photos or dimensions, it shouldn't be difficult to get the offset correct.

But I'm sure that I'm in a minority (being anal).  I'll see if I can contact Jason to  see if he would be willing to have another version designed and printed with the more correct offset.

[Gramps46]

You are not alone Pete and Tim in your assessment of the Jack Modeling wheels.  I have a set in front of me and am disappointed in the flatness too.  Having owned an Austin Healey 100-6 and a MGB they were not flat either but certainly not as cone shaped as the XKEs.

[peteski]

Like I mentioned, I'll try to contact Jason and see if he can offer a more correctly rendered set of wire wheels.  Unlike injection molded plastic, there is no expensive steel molds to re-cut.  The CAD drawing just has to be modified (or new wheels drawn), then the new drawing can be used for printing correctly shaped wheels. 3D printing makes modifications easier.  While it would be nice to have the wheels printed for Jaguar XKE, I would be happy with a less pronounced conical shape which might be more universal fit. But the "negative cone" just doesn't work for me.

[1959scudetto]

On 4/13/2023 at 3:07 AM, Hoffman said:

Hello Peter,

The wheels Jason sells could accurately be described as 'Dunlop' wheels. They were original equipment on LOTS of different British cars. The basic design is the same for say an Austin Healey, Aston Martin, AC Cobra, Triumph, MG or E-Type Jaguar. The details varied as far as width, number of spokes, whether they were center-laced or perimeter laced, etc. The Dunlop wheel brand and designs are now owned by MWS Wheels, link below for details.

So back to Jack Modeling......my thought was, hey, Jason's offering multiple diameters, which makes them well suited to many different English cars, not just the XKE. That being the case, I figured I'd try picking a larger diameter for the SS 100 and give it a go. I've found they look great on the Monogram MG TC as well. I'll post a photo of that later. 

For model cars, I think what's more important than absolute diameter is proportion. You can scale a full size wheel down to what it should be, but what if the model you're fitting it to is not 100% accurately scaled? Also, consider that a 15" wheel for example, is not 15". Yes, that's what it measures across the barrel, but not the overall diameter from lip to lip. As a general rule of thumb, you can add an inch to get the overall diameter, but that varies from wheel to wheel, depending on what the actual lip measurement is. So when you're playing with models, there really is no substitute for grabbing a set of wheels + the tires you like, and see how they look on the car. At least, that's my view.

Now, as for the Jack Modeling wheels specifically, the only thing I could fault them on is that they're just slightly flat. The outer spokes should have a little more angle, and protrude slightly from the rim in the center. I'm OK with that though. Most other model British wires err on the other side and stick out way too much. The Aurora XKE wheels as a an example.... ?

https://www.classiccarperformance.com/collections/british-wire-wheels

The wheels are definitely too flat, but look at the other extreme : Monogram (ex-Aurora) DB 4 gluebomb (will be restored)

[peteski]

Too flat to me is just as bad as too conical. Do we have to go to extremes?  Why not just make them correct?  It is not like cutting steel molds for injection plastic molded wheels.  Changing the design would be as easy as few clicks of the mouse (yes, I know that I'm oversimplifying the CAD drawing, but like you, I'm just making a point).

And to be honest, I don't think those DB4 wheels are all that exaggerated. Just look at the Jaguar wheel photo I posted.  The hub sticks out quite a bit.

I also want to apologize for hijacking Tim's thread to discuss the flaws of the wheels he chose. I should be discussing in another active thread about these wheels elsewhere on the forum.  Signing off here.

Edited April 14, 2023 by peteski