Pegasus Wheels - scale issue with 1/25th tires...

[Daf57]

Hi all,

First time to try to use some aftermarket wheels. I'm building the Revell 2010 Mustang and thought it would be cool to try some Pegasus wheels (I hear about them all the time in the builds on forums) - I found some I like and ordered them. I got the #1240 1/24 "Phat Boyz" Rims W/Tires and the #1204 1/24 "Tri-Blades" Rims W/Tire. I don't care much for the tires but wanted to use the wheels with the Revell tires. Well ... and this is where my ignorance with aftermarket wheels comes to light ... the wheels don't fit the tires. They push right through - even tho the wheels are labeled 1/24 they are actually smaller than the 1/25th tire. I tried them with some 1/24th tires from another kit and they are still too small. Both the kit and the Pegasus wheels are suppose to be 19" - I didn't think the scale difference would be that big - and then reversed...

Weird. Anyway - I know you guys use the Pegasus wheels - do you have to use the Pegasus tires or what is a common way to adapt (and look good!) the wheels to the Revell tires. Anyone run into this before?

Thanks!

Daf

[Ace-Garageguy]

This is a pretty common occurrence, and part of it is that not everyone in the industry seems capable of doing the simple math required to ensure a 'scale part' is actually 'to-correct-scale'. Or maybe they just don't care. Either way, one option is to find either plastic or machined aluminum 'sleeves' that allow smaller-diameter wheels to be used with larger tires. Pegasus makes these, as do some other manufacturers, and some Pegasus and Aoshima centers are made separate from the rims and will actually snap out, allowing you to use the rims on other wheels, or to substitute different centers.The sleeves are essentially wheel rims that the take up the extra space around the wheel and give a great-looking fit in the tire. The number of possible combinations is probably astronomical, so finding exactly the right one for matching what you've got can be problematic. If you can machine your own, you're ahead of the game.

I've got a shelf of wheels and tires and am constantly fiddling to see which parts can be adapted to accomplish exactly what you're trying to do. It can be frustrating.

Edited November 21, 2012 by Ace-Garageguy

[Ace-Garageguy]

There is another issue to consider too. In the 1:1 world, the wheel 'size' (diameter) is the dimension across the tire-bead sealing face. That's why real-world 19" tires, no matter who makes them, will fit any 19" wheel. This kind of standardization doesn't exist in most of the model car world, and I doubt that all of the aftermarket wheel or kit manufacturers even know this, or care, and what they call a "19 inch" wheel may turn out to be anything sorta close, depending on where they measured. So, getting it all to work right is entirely up to you if you want to color outside the lines.

[Daf57]

Thanks for that, Bill! Looks like I need to find some sleeves - I see that Pegasus sells what they call a 23" stepup sleeve with an OD of 1" - the tires I have have a 13/16" opening. That won't work. Will have to keep looking. I do appreciate your reply and advise!

Thanks again!

Daf

[Guest]

I mess with wheels all of the time on my builds. I usually change them out five or six times before I get them finished. One thing I just learned is that the Pegasus 19" wheels will fit perfectly inside the front tires from the "California Wheels" kits if you trim out the center divider ring. They will also fit inside the older Good Year Eagle Gatorbacks that came in the Revell/Monogram kits like the Alternomad, Mustang Mach III, Vettagin and a few others. The wider Gatorbacks make the perfect rear tire on Pegasus wheels. The smaller front Gatorbacks don't look good for a front tire IMO. Even though they are a little shorter and more narrow,they will give the illusion of looking bigger than the rears for some reason.

[Daf57]

Good info, Roger, thank you very much!

[Kaleb]

As far as the scale issue, I ran into the same thing. I used Pegasus chrome T's on a 2010 mustang, it did not look right. But on my 66 olds they look right at home. One of the big differences is that the Pegasus are around 16 to 17 inch as opposed to fords 18 to 20 inch factory wheels. So with ford wheel openings the 16 inch wheels will be off unless you use a thicker tire.

If that is read any different than above.

[Daf57]

Thanks, Joshua - more good info and I appreciate it. I suppose I was naive to think that aftermarket wheels would fit kit tires just like that. Wishful thinking. I've decide to use the kit rims, which are very nice, until I sort all this Pegasus stuff out.

[ll Brandon ll]

The 19in from Pegasus is more like 18-17in in other scales. The 23in wheels are gonna be closer to 19-20in in most scales if that helps. I just got 2 sets of the 23in sleeves an an 18in wheel fits in them with a little trimming and overall they look like the same size as most manufacturers 19in wheels.

[Daf57]

Thanks, Brandon - that's interesting and at the same time makes no sense... I hate to spend another $11 on sleeves for these wheels, that's just crazy. Thanks for that info, I do appreciate it!

[Steven Zimmerman]

When measuring, remember a 19 inch wheel when scaled out in 1/25th would measure a scale 20 inches.....'Z'

[Steven Zimmerman]

And on a related point, does any one else HATE these new wheels with the'bulge' around the outside of the wheel, as opposed to the older style that was smooth ?