basically I got a HO scale military Jeep. A quick repaint and it could resemble a CJ-4.
Reason I am wondering is because I think it would be interesting to have a lifted 4x4 on a layout maybe tackling a trail or rock pile. I’ve looked under the donor Jeep and it has all the detailing goodies. Solid (Looks like Dana brand) axles, clear as day transfer case, and all the underbody detailing.
Another thing, how can I model aggressive tires? (Super Swamper, BF Thompson, brands like that.)
Your best bet may be to find some HO scale construction equipment or earth movers and take the wheels off one of those. They won’t be perfect but I would venture a guess no one will notice. Or you could try and mold/crave your own tires with the desired tread.
I am not rivet counter. Or would it be a tread pattern counter?
I modified a few when I was a kid, but I was not (and still am not) a perfectionist when it comes to minute details.
We (a friend and I) often scavenged yard sales for old slot car sets so we could get the wheels and axles off the cars.
Next, we would remove the wheels from the Matchbox or Hot Wheels vehicle to be “jacked up.”
Then we would cut a swizzle stick (coffee stirrer) to fit between the flanges on the underside of the carriage and Superglue it into place.
After that dries, insert the slot car axle through the swizzle stick and put the tires on it.
This takes the axle from inside the undercarriage to outside of it. Maybe a 1/16 of an inch, but it does give it a jacked up appearance…and free moving wheels!
The problem with adding equipment tires from say a front end loader to a car is that they may not fit the wheel wells and they still don’t really jack it up any.
A few months ago in RMC, there was an article about kitbashing a Payloader using Hot Wheels Monster Truck as a donor kit. This would be a good source of the wheels you need for a really jacked up swamper.
About the best off-road style tires you can find are those that come on the Roco Hummer. They seem to scale out to about a 36" tire, a little big as most daily drivers stop at about 33"s. True off-road rigs get much larger of course. This model also has a nice brush guard attached. Expensive option but they don’t (as far as I’ve been able to find) offer the tires separately. They look great on a Trident Chevy Blazer or short bed.
Option two for mass-produced models would be the awesome tires used on the Wiking Unimog.
It would be nice if one of the resin guys like Dennis Aust or Ralph Ratcliffe would tool up some light truck tires but they seem content to produce every semi-truck tire/wheel combination ever made. Another option in resin are the Praga V3S or Tatra wheels offered by Hauler, D&K makes a resin set that would look good on a “Bigfoot” 1980’s Ford, Jay’s Custom Trucks makes resin Hummers but again doesn’t offer the tires/wheels as a stand alone option.
Most of these are available through Truck Stop Models.
33" tires are the limit for daily drivers, unless you got one ton axles. I have an idea on 4x4s because I am an offroader myself.
The idea with the coffee stirrers were a pretty good idea. I’m trying to stay away from cutting up a good model for wheels because of price. May have to try and find some in my junk drawer
Go here and check out the PN 741408. It may not be what you want, but these guys have tons of different tires you can get. It may take a while to find the exact style. This company is associated with Busch which releases the Monster Trucks every now and then with very large tires–bigger than you want, but they give you other possibilities.
