bigphoto Posted January 1, 2012 Posted January 1, 2012 OK, am I just old or do others not like the current trend of oversized wheels in rods? Case in point would be the 1/24 Monogram 30 Woody and 36 Ford kits, while I am very happy about seeing these kits back out and new parts like in the Woody but c'mon wouldn't it be nice to see the Halibrands back in the 36 instead of the other wheels or even the old mags or the slots from the 29 p/u. The same for the the Boss 429 Mustang and some of the other vintage Monogram 1/24 kits. Ok I am done lets see where this goes.
MikeMc Posted January 1, 2012 Posted January 1, 2012 Then revells 48 ford and 49 merc wide whites and steelies dont count?....Not all kits have the large wheels,I happen to use many larger combos on my street cars....but here are the steelies and whites on the new 48....
58 Impala Posted January 1, 2012 Posted January 1, 2012 I like steel wheels with wide whitewalls, they also look good with trim rings and some babymoons.
Rob Hall Posted January 1, 2012 Posted January 1, 2012 The model companies are just responding to real-world trends in hot rodding...I've been a couple of the Goodguys shows here in recent years and the big wheels and tires are definitely popular in 1:1. Some kits are anchored in a specific point in time, and others get updated..like the Monogram '40 Ford truck, stuck w/ those '80s wheels..
bbowser Posted January 1, 2012 Posted January 1, 2012 I too do not like the trends in wheels/tires these days. 22" hoops with rubber band tires just look ridiculous to my eye on anything. But it's all a matter of taste. Anyone remember the monochrome paint jobs of the 80's?
SuperStockAndy Posted January 1, 2012 Posted January 1, 2012 Like large wheels do ya? On a serious note, I absolutely cannot stand wheels bigger than 18". That includes modern STOCK cars, not just old cars with big rims.
Guest Johnny Posted January 1, 2012 Posted January 1, 2012 Like to see the wides and narrows from the 60's back. A nice set of Daisy mags or Keystone Classic or Snow Mags! Aluminum slots and even the old standard Cragar SS or Rocket wheels. In 5-6 inch wide fronts and 10-12 inch rears! All with rubber to match!
Harry P. Posted January 1, 2012 Posted January 1, 2012 Like the guys have said, the model companies are just trying to stay up on current fads, and the big wheel thing is popular right now (among some people... ) Wheels and tires are easy enough to swap out. I say ignore the fads and trends and do it your own way, whatever that may be.
bigphoto Posted January 1, 2012 Author Posted January 1, 2012 Then revells 48 ford and 49 merc wide whites and steelies dont count?....Not all kits have the large wheels,I happen to use many larger combos on my street cars....but here are the steelies and whites on the new 48.... I do like the new 48 Ford and the Merc. kits but the extras are also more inline with period styling ques. I am talking more inline about the old 1/24 re issues I guess it started back when they repopped the 55 Ford p/u and put the billet upgrades in the kit, but I guess I am just an Old Shool hot rodder that believes in mechanical fuel pumps and carbuerators are the coolest way to go. The model companies are just responding to real-world trends in hot rodding...I've been a couple of the Goodguys shows here in recent years and the big wheels and tires are definitely popular in 1:1. Some kits are anchored in a specific point in time, and others get updated..like the Monogram '40 Ford truck, stuck w/ those '80s wheels.. Oh goodness those are bad! I have an original 1964 issue of the kit and would like to see all those parts back!. I also realize they are following trends but if they are going to tool the new parts why not leave the old parts in too. However just curious what others think as most of the fellas in the clubs I belong to are kinda like me with their train of thought.
tooltas Posted January 1, 2012 Posted January 1, 2012 tell that to the 12 or 14yr olds thats like them
SuperStockAndy Posted January 1, 2012 Posted January 1, 2012 (edited) tell that to the 12 or 14yr olds thats like them Heck, I'm 13 and I hate them!! Edited January 1, 2012 by Andy C.
Rob Hall Posted January 2, 2012 Posted January 2, 2012 I can't imagine 12-14yr olds having any interest in '30s-50s cars w/ big wheels. At the car shows, it's older gray haired guys that seem to be driving them..
Casey Posted January 2, 2012 Posted January 2, 2012 OK, am I just old or do others not like the current trend of oversized wheels in rods? Case in point would be the 1/24 Monogram 30 Woody and 36 Ford kits, while I am very happy about seeing these kits back out and new parts like in the Woody but c'mon wouldn't it be nice to see the Halibrands back in the 36 instead of the other wheels or even the old mags or the slots from the 29 p/u. The same for the the Boss 429 Mustang and some of the other vintage Monogram 1/24 kits. Ok I am done lets see where this goes. Yes, you are showing your age. The 14" and 15" 5-slot wheels and Goodyear Rally GT tires in the Monogram '36 Ford, '55 Chevy Street Machine, '29 Ford roadster pickup, etc. kits were boss in 1973, but they are dated now. Very dated...and I like them, too. Wheel and tire diameters have been increasing since the '60s, so this trend is nothing new, and the kit companies are always looking to provide added value to kits, so tooling up some new, larger diameter wheels and tires is one way they can do that. The recent Revell snap-tite '57 Chevy, '77 Monte Carlo, and '63 Vette 'very kits have some of the nicest wheels ever given to us in kit form, so I am very thankful to have them. The California Wheels series from Revell also provides more modern 19-20" wheels and tires, which I think look pretty good on most '60s and '70s vehicles. They're not all home runs, but at least Revell is giving us lots of options. The optional wheels and tires in Monogram's 1/24 scale musclecar kits were nice in the '80s when a set of 14" American Torq Thrust wheels on Goodyear GT Radials (new for '79 IIRC) were the hot ticket, but the times they are a changin'. The good news is Revell has left some of those wheels and tires in some of it's (well, Monogram's really) kits like the '69 GTO Judge kit, and they did tool up some Centerline style wheels in the mid-'80s and included them in the '70 Challenger T/A kit and others, so they are not hard to find. Plus, there are always people casting some of these wheels in resin, for those who don't wish to buy and entire kit just for the wheels.
Guest Johnny Posted January 2, 2012 Posted January 2, 2012 Sorry Casey but not since the 60's (I was deep into it 60's thru late 80's) but more from the early 90's! 15' wheels were the norm up until then! The big wheels on 90's and up are one thing and that is what the youngin's would buy. The older cars are what the old guys tend to build and the majority of those I know just don't dig the "wagon wheels" on muscle cars and rods!
SuperStockAndy Posted January 2, 2012 Posted January 2, 2012 I personally think that they started increasing in the 80's...when, in my opinion, cars all went to heck.
Rob Hall Posted January 2, 2012 Posted January 2, 2012 I remember back in the late '80s when real cars started getting 16 inch wheels..one of the first that I remember was the Camaro IROC-Z. IMO most of today's cars look fine w/ 17-19 inch wheels, some cars look good w/ 20s, like the Challenger which has large wheelwells, it doesn't look good w/ small wheels. As far as old cars in scale go, I generally build stock or period street machine styles, though I do like the Pro Touring style with realistic wheel sizes--maybe up to 18-19 inch on a '60s car.,don't care for the Jada style approach w/ 22-24 inch wheels w/ zero room for suspension travel.
weasel Posted January 2, 2012 Posted January 2, 2012 a lot of times, for me, the 'rubber band' 20-30 series tires just don't do it ....
martinfan5 Posted January 2, 2012 Posted January 2, 2012 I cant stand the big wheel craze that has taken over, I mean wheel size from the 20's and up, its all about what size of wheel tire combo looks best on the car for me. I cant stand the whole donk thing going on right now, Its one of the dumbest things done to cars now a days. But I have to agree with the ones that said its not you cant change out the wheels and tires, its not like we dont have the resource's for aftermarket wheels and tires .
Guest Posted January 2, 2012 Posted January 2, 2012 OK, am I just old or do others not like the current trend of oversized wheels in rods? Case in point would be the 1/24 Monogram 30 Woody and 36 Ford kits, while I am very happy about seeing these kits back out and new parts like in the Woody but c'mon wouldn't it be nice to see the Halibrands back in the 36 instead of the other wheels or even the old mags or the slots from the 29 p/u. The same for the the Boss 429 Mustang and some of the other vintage Monogram 1/24 kits. Ok I am done lets see where this goes. The '30 Woody has a nice looking set of wheels IMO. Those old 1/24 Monogram wheels are roughly the same size as some the wheels in kits now. They're just more dated looking. I didn't know the '36 Ford came with big wheels. The '70 Boss Mustang NEVER had a nice set of aftermarket wheels until recently. The Magnums were OK, but those Shelby wheels always went straight to the trash. Fifteen inch wheels are pretty much a thing of the past in the real world. Just go look at any new car on any lot and see how many you can find. They have now become more expensive also. I bought a new set of fifteens for my old '78 Ford pickup and they cost the same as the seventeen inch tires I bought for my Mustang.
Swifster Posted January 2, 2012 Posted January 2, 2012 For modern cars... Large Wheel = Lower RPM = Better Fuel Economy
Harry P. Posted January 2, 2012 Posted January 2, 2012 For modern cars... Large Wheel = Lower RPM = Better Fuel Economy How does a lower wheel RPM equal better fuel economy?
Rob Hall Posted January 2, 2012 Posted January 2, 2012 I like the Pro-Touring/G-Machine/Nellisized style of modern wheels and tires on old cars, like these..tasteful, not blinged or donked..
Gluhead Posted January 2, 2012 Posted January 2, 2012 (edited) I think 18's and 20's can look pretty good on a late 60's gmachine type car (thanks Rob...excellent examples). And of course modern cars lend themselves well to the larger sizes (but I have zero interest in those). But as far as this "bolt them on anything just because we can" thing...just another trend. It'll pass, and people will fall back on what doesn't look ridiculous. Gimme Astros, Hursts, steelies, reverses, Halibrands and Cragars (that's CragAr...hate seeing them called Cragers. lol) and the like. And I'll take them all in sizes under 18 inches, please. Oh, and donks are clown cars. That (thankfully) isolated bit of one-upsmanship cannot hit the has-been wall fast enough in my opinion. I'm no good with what will help the model companies sell model cars, though. I am too opinionated and self-centered to be realistic about what other people want, and my own tastes are usually a little off-beat when compared to the masses. (or are they?) Edited January 2, 2012 by Gluhead
SuperStockAndy Posted January 2, 2012 Posted January 2, 2012 How does a lower wheel RPM equal better fuel economy? Not sure about EFI cars but in carbureted cars, it's simply because the less manifold vacuum that pulls less fuel from the jets.
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