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Why Do Some Model Companies Still


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decide to include vinyl tires in their kits?

 

IMHO, they don't look realistic, detail is softer in many cases, they are harder to paint/weather/work with, some of the nastier versions react negatively with the plastic rims and they probably cost the model company more to include vs molded plastic.

 

I know that these are kind of gimmick, just like folding wings and landing gear on some aircraft kits. However, is there any "real" reason I'm missing why this is a good idea?

 

Please enlighten my Friday... won't you?

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Hi Patrick:

 

I like them and this is one of those polarizing things- either you're OK with them or not. Doens't seem to be much middle ground. Might have to do with cost also- resin and white metal are outrageously expensive to make. Styrene is much less and vinyl maybe cheaper yet. No real idea.

 

Dave

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Folding wings and gear were gimmicks? Oh man! No wonder none of my old Monogram stuff ever got much "push" in contests! I thought that was neat stuff!

Actually, I don't mind the vinyl tires in my NASCAR kits. I don't try to paint them....I beat them up with a sanding stick and pastels.

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Hey,

Rubber tires bite. I can not believe AFV Club included them in their Centurion kits....especially the way they were designed. Part of the metal wheel in on the rubber. Gimmick or not, they should have been made out of plastic.

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It has to be the idea of some marketing dolt who clearly does not build models him or herself but who thinks the kit will sell better with "realistic" "rubber" tyres. Trumpeter was doing this for the longest time with their large scale kits, but appear to have seen the light with their beautiful 1/32 scale Crusader and molded the tyres in plastic. Vinyl tyres are harder to paint and worse, getting rid of the parting seam is much more difficult than on tyres done in plastic! Nick Filippone

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Agreed...some marketing genius is behind almost all such decisions....but without their uninformed and baseless decisions where would the resin aftermarket guys be? Gotta have something amiss to fix!

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Unless it is a softskin of some type with inflated tires, I am at a loss as to why vinyl parts are needed for tanks.

 

I remember back in the 1970's when AMT, after two decades of issuing car kits with rubber/vinyl tires, switched to split-half injection molded plastic tires. This was seemingly OK because it permitted mastering only one half of the tire and the "accuracy" of the tread and side wall lettering was better. The down side was that the draft angles required on the tires for the molds resulted in a crowned tire tread surface with a visible seam when the two halves were joined, making the tires look severely overinflated. The AMT truck kits suffered this change as well. After a few unpopular years, AMT rediscovered hollow vinyl tires and the plastic ones disappeared. I do not believe that either Revell, Monogram, MPC, ERTL, or Lindberg tried to issue car kits with hard plastic tires.

 

The Italeri softskin I am working on in 1/35 has hard plastic tires.

 

Ed

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Well I didn't have a good time working with Trumpeters LAV vinyl tires as the paint didn't want to dry on them so I ended up buying some resin replacements. I would think their quality control would catch this as would some other companies.

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GH...funny you should mention the paint wouldn't dry on the vinyl....a friend of mine was having the same issue and I had no clue as to any aid...I suggested about an hour in the oven at minimum heat.....

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Another problem I have experienced with vinyl tires is that over the years they dry out, shrink and crack!

 

As to paint on vinyl, check with the fantasy figure people. This is a problem they have been wrestling with for years. I had the problem on a toy elephant that I "converted" to a Honda Element. I solved it by coating it with dull coat. That seemed to eliminate the tackiness. Only of the paint, however, not the project itself.

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Not sure if Trumpeter uses vinyl, plastic or what on their track, but it is the last time I attempt to use their track period. The paint doesn't stick and these were NEVER designed to fit around the idler and sprocket without bowing. I purchased Master Class PT-76 track and they were not what I expected but will use those if my LHS doesn't have the new Fruilmodel ATL97 PT-76 track. Regardless....I am now stuck waiting on track.

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Dunno what they use, but I always use something aftermarket now. Fruil supposed to have their PT tracks out already, just heard that through the grapevine, so who knows.

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These #%$&* vinyl tyres can be painted with Polly Scale acrylics- at least the Trumpeter tyres can. They do seem to dry but they tend to stick to a glass shelf, making it risky to disturb the model in the display case! Nick Filippone

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