TFF

All the pictures I have seen are smooth wheels. I dont know if they are all metal; some clearly show fabric but no spoke show through. Some covers are concave some are convex. One crash photo looks like it could be wood as it looks shattered. I bet wood and metal were used depending on the supply line.

summerwind

well this wheel thing is confusing even though jtisch has spelled it out about the 700mm being too small on the german fighters.
what is more confusing is that GTM lists both the Dubro (7") and the Williams (6.625") wheels for the 1/4 DR1.

LOL....i don't mind buying wheels, but the USA kit will be a bash, so i don't want it to look like a clown

i bought the GTM cowl and i think that will look really sweet on the plane.

foodstick

You could always sand the wheels...glue on some fabric covering..weather them up...

TFF

As best as I can measure, the Windsock DR1 3 view is drawn pretty darn close to the 700mm. I was guessing 27" from the scale and 700mm is 27.5 inches.

summerwind

i think the williams are too small, but the tire is the right size.
the dubro is closer to perfect diam., but the tire looks a bit fat.
may have to buy both and just decide as i go............

Ken Kehlet

My Feedback: (89)

Hello DR-1 builders

I have a small car. I built my Balsa USA 1/4 Scale, DR-1 Fuselage in two halves, split behind the cockpit. Front half has wings, G-26 motor, gear, & radio. Rear half has two servos, rudder & stabilizer. They are aligned by 3 1/4" dowel pins and a lower plate that locks the front and back haves together. Easy to transport, the two complete half sections fit my small station wagon and assembly time at the field is just a matter of a few minutes. Put the two halves together, lock into place, plug in the two servos and it's ready to fly.

Williams Brothers 6 5/8" wheels painted.

Regards,
Ken AMA 1528

abufletcher

Ken, that looks like a great solution. So all you have to do is plug the rudder and elevator servos into the Rx?

A little paint and weathering does wonders for either the WB or Dubro wheels. However, one more thing to fret over is the color of the tires. Only WB offers white as a choice (and you can turn them "grey" the natural way).

abufletcher

On SOME German fighters. The 700mm Continentals were still a mainstay of many German and French fighters. I don't know specifically about the DrI though.

jtisch

Wait wait wait wait!! My point was that not all German fighters had 700mm wheels.

CKLLOYD

GOOD MORNING GUYS HAVE YOU CHECK WITH JOE AT PROCTOR. HE HAS BOTH THE WHEELS AND SELLS SOME OF THE BEST WW1 KITS OUT HERE. HE ALSO HAS LOTS OF SCALE HARDWARE FOR MOST PLANES THAT YOU MIGHT BUILD. ALSO I HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT STARTING BACK UP MY OLD TIME WIRE WHEELS COMPANY. THESE WERE A TRUE WIRE SPOCK WHEEL FROM 5.5-9.25 INCH IF I GET ANOUGH PEOPLE HOW MIGHT BE INTERESTED I MAY BUILD A FEW EXTRA SETS

BobH

My Feedback: (2)

I think if you build some decent wheels there would/should be a market. Of course we all know that most modlers are cheap in some areas lol so that might be a consideration.

ARUP

Proctor Enterprises has wheels.... The Fokker DVII ones are 'dead on' except the color of the tyre.

jtisch

The DVII wheels are really nice but are too big for the DRI at 7-1/2". They also come with aluminum cover plates while the DRI should have fabric covers. Oh no! I guess I really do have a wheel fetish![X(]

J

abufletcher

Is it a fetish to want the wheels, one of the most visible parts of a scale WWI model, to be as scale as the rest of the model? If so, count me in! BTW, if it'll help resolve the size question, the 1/6 scale enlargements I made of the Joe Nieto DrI drawings show the wheels to be 119mm in diameter so at 1/4 scale that would be 178.5mm (7.02 inches).

flygilmore

I built the BUSA DR.1 3yrs. ago....one of my favorite planes of all time!!!!! I used LOTS of GTM accessories and it made a huge difference in the finished model. As far as the undercarriage goes, I used GTM alum. fairings (as DelJon did in his 1/3 build) and made the gear both taller and narrower along with a scale bungee system. This was a def. worthwhile mod. I framed the plane up in 2 weeks (evenings/weekends) but spent almost another whole year with covering/details!!! I still take her out on a regular basis for a early morning scouting mission....so much fun!

BTW, I used the Dubro wheels but "stained" the tires with black/white shoe polish to give the light gray.

mike31

My Feedback: (67)

I have VK plans for sale on RC U. Buy those and get enlarged to 1/4 scale. Build from scratch.

Nieuport nut

My Feedback: (10)

It's dangerous to get pedantic, but....
Most German and Austrian fighters use 760 X 100mm wheels. The DrI was unusual in its use of 700X 100mm wheels. Most British French and Italian fighters used 700 X 100mm wheels. There were lots of other sizes - Spads had 650 X 85mm wheels from the factory but a lot seem to have been refitted with the 700 X 100s. Halberstadt CLIIs were fitted with 850mm wheels, Albatros DI and DII were listed as having 800mm wheels. Then you get into the amount of "coning" inside and outside, spoke patterns and numbers........Before you know it, stamp collecting looks like a more sensible hobby!

Martin

abufletcher

Thanks for that information. This is why I've always found it comical when companies talk about "1/4 scale wheels."

abufletcher

Have any photos you could share? Besides the mod to the UC which other mods would you recommend to bring the kit more into scale?

summerwind

i am waiting for the plane to arrive before making any final decisions on this.
the Williams bros wheels (White) are always "order pending" when i go to Tower. i may go somewhere else to buy if that's what i get. i use Tower because i am a saver member, but that is quickly to change.
anyways i have these photos that i shot at one of our Giant planes meet.......forgot about them till now.
both are using the Dubro, so they too don't look bad.

jtisch

Update. I went through my files and I have DRI wheels at 700, 710 and 720mm, depending on the source. I have my doubts about 720mm being correct.
DVII sources that I have all seem to agree on 760mm.

J

summerwind

trying to find out when GTM's 1/4 DR1 will be available, but have had no luck via email or phone messages.
anyone know if Glen is still with us?

BobH

My Feedback: (2)

I just spoke with Glenn the other day VIA phone.. He's alive and well.

summerwind

thx Bob,
i'll keep trying.
really got the urge to do his DR1.
what makes this project a good choice for me is the ease of transporting.
as much as i love the N28 and wanted to finish and fly it, the transporting of it made it a big hassle.

abufletcher

Do you think he's going to use the same "removable top-half" that the 1/3 scale uses? His old 1/4 scale DrI kit was "state of the art" when it first came out. But scale modeling, and scale kit manufacturing has moved on since then. Similarly, Proctor's newest "museum scale" offerings, such as the DVII are of a higher standing that older kits. MR also has a new version of his 1 1/2 strutter kit that is apparently better in many ways It's just the natural way of things.

But I tell you, if the GTM's new 1/4 scale DrI turns out to be just a "miniature" 1/3 scale kit, he's going to have a definite winner on his hands!