Sources for "wood spoked" wheels?

Rainsford Saturday, 2/13/2021

So, this might be a newbie question and I just haven't spent enough time googling yet, but are there any readily available sources of Model T etc. style spoked wheels for 1:64? What I'm looking for is an accurate thin profile. The only ones I have seen so far are on the old Matchbox Apple Jacks and Corn Pops Model T delivery trucks, but without any handy I'm not sure how well they would fit a potentially slightly smaller car, or what kind of shimming/washers/etc they might need on a different chassis. I'm asking as I'm planning to make some better looking 1910s racers with "The Great Race" movie as my inspiration. Any thoughts appreciated!


Discussion

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SpyDude 2/13/21

Yikes! That's going to be a tough one ......

The only spoked wheels I know of like that have been on the railroad version of the Back to the Future DeLorean.  Other than that, I am lost, brother.

One of the mods in the modding section was to make "skinnies" out of regular-sized wheels. The mod goes into a little more detail, but in general, you are taking off material from the back side of the tire and leaving the front alone.  You may have to resort to this method.  Maisto wheels are somewhat thinner and taller than standard Hot Wheels, so there's a possibility there, too.


  • I took a look at the Maisto wheels the other day at Dollar Tree - their spoke pattern puts me off, but I could potentially slap a sticker over it...might be the quickest way to get these cheapo "High Speed" (not) old-timers I have rolling. — Rainsford
  • They aren’t great, but throwing a sticker on could work. — SpyDude
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Chaos_Canyon 2/14/21

Probably easiest to see if someone can 3D print them


  • Any issues with 3D printed wheels rolling well? I guess after sanding they would be pretty smooth, but with a more scale-like thin spoked wheel there wouldn't be much available material to sand. — Rainsford
  • I’m not sure if the 3D printing method would be good for rollers. You not only have to consider printing and then sanding the wheels, but also having to drill each and every wheel for axles dead center EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. Right there is enough to put off printing wheels unless you are using them as static displays. — SpyDude
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SpyDude 3/21/21

Suggestion for the wheels:

There is a current casting out called the Formula Solar. It is usually a peg warmer in my area, but you may want to look closely at the latest release (yellow body). The wheels are skinny black,  and may be good wheels for your track with a little creative work to make them look old-timey. (The original casting was red and white with blue skinny wheels.) Another one is Pedal de Metal, which is a two-passenger pedal car, also with skinny wheels, although the only versions I have found so far are neon green - not exactly within the steampunk era. The last vehicle I can think of would be The Nash, with black skinnies - you may be able to repaint the blue on the rims to a wood-spoke theme.

One of the other steampunkers here in Arizona and I were discussing possible ways to introduce diecast steampunk racing to the community at large. Like teapot racing, this may have a following. (I was the one who put forth the idea to Madame Askew and the Grand Arbiter to bring teapot racing to Wild West Con, and the event has been going strong ever since.)


  • Oh, I have seen a lot of those hanging around, but hadn't looked closely enough at the wheels! — Rainsford
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