Scale-O-Rama Glencoe Models M274 Mechanical Mule 1/15th to 1/35th

[Jeffry Fontaine]

The angled shots, in the previous post from you, Jeff, really shows how good those tyres look.


Just wondering;

Would it not have been better to maintain the Glencoe attachment method, or are you intending to upgrade the drive-train to match the Stryker attachment method?

That is an excellent observation and question.  I am not sure at this point how I will address the wheel/tire issues on the Glencoe Mechanical Mule since it is now a "scale-0-rama their is an opening here to perhaps beef up the drive train on the Mule with parts from a 1/35th scale military truck.  The Glencoe Mule has a very toy-like steering mechanism that was to be operated by an extended tab at the front of the Mule which was connected to the steering arms.  A very crude set up that I am not all that impressed with.  I guess I will cross that bridge when I get to that point on the Mule project.  As for these particular wheels/tires, I wanted to build the things so that I had "options" and would not be forced to spend more money on aftermarket bits and pieces.  Lord knows, I have enough of that stuff  already for many other projects and I thought it would be nice to save a bit of money while enjoying the mundane moments of the hobby. 

[Old Wombat]

Well, I'll be watching the build thread with interest to see where you take it!

[Ramba]

Great job on those tires. They look like they would be good for a sci fi moon rover vehicle or a 4x4 with a lift kit.

[Jeffry Fontaine]

The Trumpeter tires certainly do look like candidates for some science-fiction subject.  Not really a lot to like about the things but they will serve as excellent "place holders" for establishing an idea of wheel placement on my Great Wall Hobby 12.8cm K44 Anti-Tank Gun that has a requirement for replacement wheels and tires to replace the wagon wheels that were in the kit. 

[Jeffry Fontaine]

Two more of the Trumpeter wheels converted this evening. All of this hand work is starting to make my hands a bit sore. 

Attached images showing the two modified Trumpeter tires still wet from the final wash and the second image showing the hand tool that I have been using to modify the wheels. 

[arkon]

my dad bought the glenco model a few years before he passed. it was missing a whole sprue so he could not complete it. he WROTE A LETTER explaining what he was missing and they sent him a damn near complete whole kit to fix it.

[Old Wombat]

my dad bought the glenco model a few years before he passed. it was missing a whole sprue so he could not complete it. he WROTE A LETTER explaining what he was missing and they sent him a damn near complete whole kit to fix it.

Old fashioned customer service!

[Jeffry Fontaine]

my dad bought the glenco model a few years before he passed. it was missing a whole sprue so he could not complete it. he WROTE A LETTER explaining what he was missing and they sent him a damn near complete whole kit to fix it.

The current owner of Glencoe Models is really good about helping out customers.  In my case, I contacted him about obtaining some of the AirGeep kits without the boxes, instructions, clear parts, and decals.  He obliged my request and sent me seven AirGeep kits for a very good price.  Having these additional AirGeep kits for a basement bargain price meant that I could experiment with several different ideas using the AirGeep as a what-if. 

I am tempted to contact him again to see what can be done about obtaining some more of the M274 Mechanical Mule kits for the same purpose and to increase my chances of getting a cargo platform without the severe warping issues that most of my current Mechanical Mules appear to have. 

[robunos]

the severe warping issues that most of my current Mechanical Mules appear to have.

Here's something to try if you have a spare available. I had a Glencoe Curtiss Condor with a warped wing panel. I placed the part in a lrge roasting pan, then poured boiling water over it. At first, the part curled up alarmingly (it literally formed a horseshoe shape) but then relaxed and went flat. Once things had cooled down, I had a usable part . . .


cheers,
Robin.

[Jeffry Fontaine]

After a couple of days away to give my hands/fingers a much needed break I managed to get another pair of the Glencoe Mule wheels converted to take the AFV Club rims.  I believe that this will be enough for now. 

Attached image shows the two modified Glencoe wheels with the Stryker rims.   

[Old Wombat]

Progress!

[Jeffry Fontaine]

Another six of the Trumpeter wheels modified this evening.  Rather quick and easy this time, only the back half of the wheel required modifications to allow the brake drum from the GWH Rheinmetall 12.8cm AT Gun to be fitted to the Trumpeter wheels. 

Image shows the six wheels plus one of the brake drum pieces. 

[Jeffry Fontaine]

Just wondering;

Would it not have been better to maintain the Glencoe attachment method, or are you intending to upgrade the drive-train to match the Stryker attachment method?

Back to your question with an answer. 

The Glencoe Mule wheel hub has a spindle that is supposed to attach to a small disk that is placed inside the wheel.  The wheel is then attached to the spindle so that it is free to rotate if attached and glued properly.  It all looks easy on the instructions but it is a bit janky when you have to find a way to glue the wheel to the spindle without gluing it all together and losing the wheel rotation.  Not that I intend to roll the damned thing around on the floor but it does create some fit issues. 

The replacement Stryker wheels have a spindle moulded on to the back and this feature is mated to the brake drum and the suspension arms via another circular part. 

Dry fitting these parts to check how this can be modified suggests to me that the best approach to making this work will be to remove the spindle from the original Glencoe part so it becomes a flat surface and then attach the Stryker parts to it.  An easy modification to allow the Stryker part to be secured to the Glencoe part. 

Attached images showing the Glencoe spindle (unmodified) and the Stryker parts in and out of the modified Glencoe Mule wheel.

[Old Wombat]

 

[Jeffry Fontaine]

Four additional images of the Glencoe Mule spindle and the Stryker parts which are now modified with a larger hole to fit the Glencoe Mule spindle. 

I believe that the best option now is to cut the Glencoe spindle down to a short nub to allow the Stryker rim to fit and avoid removing the stem from the Stryker rim.  Dry-fit so far shows no issues that a good dose of cement will secure it all together. 

***Edit to attach additional image showing all parts together. --jjf

[Jeffry Fontaine]

A couple of WIP images showing some additional progress on the Glencoe M274 Mechanical Mule what-if. 

I used CA glue to attach the modified brake drum/spindles and realized too late that the damned things were upside down in relation to the steering arm connection.  Disappointed in realizing too late to make the corrections it is what it is.  I suppose it is a small blessing in that I will not have to dwell on trying to make the steering gear functional.  An additional and annoying discovery was the clearance between the tires and the underside of the platform is a bit botched at the front.  All in all a very janky arrangement with the very toy-like features on this model. 

I consider this project to be successful even with the setbacks as I was able to modify the wheels and achieve the intended goal of Scale-O-Rama in making this 1/15th scale model into a 1/35th scale what-if. 





***Edit to fix image uploads--jjf

[Jeffry Fontaine]

Two additional images from my front porch in overcast with wheels in place but not glued on.  Right side and left side. 

[LemonJello]

Those wheels turned out quite nice. This is an excellent scale-o-rama project, keep it going!

What's the cargo going to be?

[Frank3k]

That looks great, Jeff. Are you going to build a cabin (or seat/driving equipment)?

[Jeffry Fontaine]

I opted to spray the underside yesterday afternoon right after I took the last two images (right and left side with the wheels on).  While not the optimum temperature for spray painting I decided it was time to do something about obscuring all of the toy-like details on the underside of the mule.  Also it forces me to take a step out of my comfort zone and be adventurous.  Of course the rattle can was not that cooperative and I think the paint went on way too thick but what the hell, it is done and now there is no turning back.  Too be honest, the Glencoe Mule kit was horribly warped from the start and my original attempts to sort out the cargo platform were only slightly successful as evidenced with the warping that is still inherent in the cargo platform even after doubling up the damned things.  There is no escaping the problem.  A quick inspection of the next pair of Glencoe Mules (double-boxed to save space) reminded me that this warping problem is just as bad in every example of the Glencoe M274 kit that I have in the stash.  Why do I always fall for these horrible kits?  Is this some kind of psychological fault on my part to always be attracted to the shoddy things?  Philosophy observations aside, it really sucks some days to open a kit and find yourself in possession of a turd no matter how much you try and dress it up. 

Attached images showing the turd with a coat of black paint on the underside. 

[Jeffry Fontaine]

In the interest of continuity, I merged the wheel topic with the Glencoe Mule topic for anyone that noticed the increase number of pages for this project. 

[Jeffry Fontaine]

More WIP on the wheels with a bit of sanding to get rid of the seams between the tire halves.  Hoping that also addresses the interference issues with the two front wheels and the cargo platform. 

[Jeffry Fontaine]

On a roll this evening with some more WIP on wheels for this project.  Three images to show thee different tire/wheel options. 

First image with the Glencoe Mule tires and AFV Club Stryker rims. 

Second image with the Trumpeter tires and AFV Club Stryker rims. 

Third image with ESCI LAV-25 wheels. 

Fourth image shows the stock ESCI LAV-25 wheel halves and the plug for the wheel hub.  Modifications were only necessary for the rear half of the wheel which required removal of some material of the rim so the brake drum for the AFV Club Stryker would fit inside the wheel.  It was an easy task to accomplish and get four wheels ready to mount on the Mule. 

Of these three, I am finding the ESCI LAV-25 wheels to be the best option of these three.  My reasoning for this is because of the slightly smaller tire diameter which does not conflict with the underside of the cargo platform. 

Both the Glencoe wheels and the Trumpeter wheels are too large for the limited amount of space available.  I believe that some of these fit issues are from the warped cargo platform which at this point are pretty much irreparable without destroying the model. 

[Jeffry Fontaine]

On a roll tonight while I bask in this minor victory with this project. 
Three more images with all four of the ESCI LAV-25 wheels dry-fitted to the Glencoe Mule. 
in order to make the wheels fit, I had to remove the top half of the AFV Club Stryker brake drums.  All separated with minimal fuss but one of the remaining bits opted to stick to the ESCI wheel when I removed it from the Mule.  Fortunately an easy fix and the wayward part was reattached with a liberal amount of the "home-brew" Tamiya thinner/cleaner mix I have now come to rely on.   

[Claymore]

 Lookin’ good