Some time ago, I acquired a “Military Tractor Vehicle” from an online store and it’s quite fascinating, though the trailer that came with it is a tad undersized. Enlarging the trailer would be necessary to accommodate a contemporary tank. Therefore, I put it aside for a while until a few weeks back when I purchased the new 1/16 M5 Stuart. This is a marvelous little tank, especially considering its price of $126 with delivery and ready-to-run. It was also ordered from the same online store. Below is a video of unboxing the M5, although the main focus of this post is on the towing setup, perfectly suited for the M5, and they make a fantastic duo (in my opinion).
Originally, the “Military Tractor Vehicle” featured the cab from the Ural, which I replaced with a cab from a JJRC Q60. Below is an image after the cab replacement, with the original tires still in place:
Here is the setup with the trailer attached and the M5 loaded. If you observe closely, you’ll notice that the M5 is missing its tracks in this particular photo:
Currently, I am contemplating different types of tires and rims. The options are:
I am inclined towards the 3D printed tires and dual rims, thanks to ex-pat tanker, Martin. Which of these three options do you prefer and why?
One aspect of concern for me is the traction. The 3D printed tires made of TPU on a Creality FDM printer have the correct tread pattern, but they are somewhat rigid, raising doubts about their ability to gain traction. In contrast, I have experienced excellent traction with the metal rimmed tires on my tank hauler for Erik, as they effortlessly transported my JS2, arguably my heaviest tank, perhaps even more than the Jagdtiger, despite the opposite being true in reality. Further experimentation is warranted. It’s a tough life to have to indulge in toy testing again to determine the optimal setup.
