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Post by El Caracho on Dec 9, 2017 13:06:56 GMT
This thread is about Cobi's cool "steering" feature and how to upgrade your existing models with it. Cobi introduced this feature with the "Sd.Kfz.251 Hanomag" from the "Battle of Berlin" magazine issues No. 17-20 (5566-5569), which was later re-released as an updated set 2442 (with the same set number as the previous grey Sd.Kfz.251 Hanomag set without steering). It's not really a fully working steering operated via the actual steering wheel, but at least you can manually put the wheels in a tilted position for display and photoshoots. Sets that have this feature (so far):2361 "Armoured Command Vehicle" 2368 "M3 Scout Car" 2442 "Sd.Kfz.251 Hanomag" (re-release of the vehicle from the "Battle of Berlin" issues) 2479 "Zil-157 Katyusha BM-13" 5566-5569 "Battle of Berlin No. 17-20 - Sd.Kfz.251 Hanomag" 24260 "Jeep Wrangler" Sets I have upgraded so far:2378 "GMC CCKW 353 Transport Truck" 2441 "M3 Half-Track" 2446 "Sd.Kfz. 234 Puma" 2448 "Katyusha BM-13N" (original 1st release) 5561-5564 "Battle of Berlin No. 12-15 - Katyusha BM-13N" (later re-released as an updated set 2448) 2472 "Sd.Kfz.251-10 Ausf. C" 2497 "M8 Greyhound" 2499 "M16 Half-Track" Sets that unfortunately cannot be upgraded due to the narrow one piece mudguards:2349 "T17E1 Staghound MK I" 2449 "Opel Blitz 3t (4x2)" 2455 "MB L3000 4x2 3.1 Ton Truck" 2468 "Opel Blitz 3t (4x2) with 2cm Flak 38" 2469 "M16 Half-Track" Sets that unfortunately cannot be upgraded due to smaller wheels with a different mounting (pin): 2366 "Sd.Kfz.222" 2463 "Battle of Berlin" (The Jeep in this set) 2187 "VW Kübelwagen Type 82" 2188 "VW Typ 166 Schwimmwagen" 2339 "Kübelwagen Type 82" 2375 "Armoured Vehicle Kubus" 5511 "VW Type 82 Kübelwagen" 5575-5576 "Battle of Berlin No. 26-27 - VW Typ 82 Kübelwagen" The cheapest full set containing the needed steering parts is probably 2361 "Armoured Command Vehicle". If you just need the "steering" parts, the most affordable way is to get the single "Battle of Berlin" issue No. 19 "Sd.Kfz.251 Hanomag" (5568). I've already bought 20 of these issues (so far) ...   Unfortunately it looks like Cobi is already discontinuing this feature, as all more recent vehicle releases (2497 "M8 Greyhound", 2378 "GMC CCKW 353 Transport Truck", 2499 "M16 Half-Track") sadly did not have this feature anymore. But luckily you always have the option to modify the official set and incorporate this cool feature using the scrapped steering parts from sets that have them  |
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Post by El Caracho on Dec 9, 2017 13:10:52 GMT
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Post by El Caracho on Dec 9, 2017 13:12:47 GMT
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Post by El Caracho on Dec 9, 2017 13:14:57 GMT
"Steering feature" upgrade for set 2499 "M16 Halftrack"I wonder why Cobi did not release the new "M16 Half-Track" set 2499 with their new "steering" feature? Because an upgrade can be done quite easily with just a minor modification. After the "upgrade" the only difference is that the front bumper had to move 1 plate height forward to make some room to tilt the wheels. Also, the image on the box and the building instructions differ from each other regarding the mounting of the front bumper: On the box picture the bumper is mounted onto the lower studs of the bracket, but the instructions say the bumper has to be mounted onto the top studs of the bracket. So for my "upgrade" I opted for a "compromise" height right between those 2 stud rows   
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Post by achtungpanzer on Dec 9, 2017 15:23:54 GMT
These are all really great modifications
I really like how you pulled it off on the m8 greyhound, fantastic
I like the way the hood stays fixed and how the steering fits tightly
it is indeed strange Cobi stopped making it in the newer sets, but now you have a more exclusive set if you do it like yours
There is a way to make those smaller wheels which are attached by pins in a fixed steering position, you'll have to use the 1x1 with pin and attach it in a way you want to have the vehicle steered
The oppositie side has to be placed 1 stud forward or backward
This is a fixed position only, you can't manually turn the wheels, but it looks great on display or pictures
I can show some pics to show you what i mean
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Post by El Caracho on Dec 9, 2017 21:57:54 GMT
There is a way to make those smaller wheels which are attached by pins in a fixed steering position, you'll have to use the 1x1 with pin and attach it in a way you want to have the vehicle steered The oppositie side has to be placed 1 stud forward or backward This is a fixed position only, you can't manually turn the wheels, but it looks great on display or pictures I can show some pics to show you what i mean You probably mean like this, right? Using the 1x1 pin plates, you can "fake" steering, but the two wheels are not connected to each other, so you have to tilt each wheel individually to a matching angle  At least that's the construction I had used for my all tan "Afrika Korps" Sd.Kfz 222 MOC, but more on that later ... I tried to connect the two wheels together, but not with a satisfying result (yet), but nevertheless, as you said, it is still great for display or photo shootings this way |
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Post by El Caracho on Dec 9, 2017 22:08:15 GMT
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Post by El Caracho on Dec 9, 2017 22:11:00 GMT
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Post by El Caracho on Dec 9, 2017 22:19:58 GMT
"Steering feature" upgrade for set 2448 "Katyusha BM-13N"(from the original 1st release of this set number) In contrary to the "Battle of Berlin" Katyusha above, upgrading the old 2448 set was pretty straightforward, as there was already enough space available for the wheels to be able to be tilted  There was even enough room at the very front to place the connecting rack in front of the front axle  
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Post by El Caracho on Dec 9, 2017 22:28:39 GMT
"Steering feature" upgrade for set 2472 "Sd.Kfz.251/10 Ausf. C"Pretty obvious to make an upgrade for this set, as the original parts from the "Battle of Berlin" magazine are also for this type of vehicle For these "tutorial" pictures, I used my all tan "Afrika Korps" Sd.Kfz. 251, which only differs in color from the official 2472 set, but not construction-wise  For the upgrade I wanted to keep the exact shape of the original Sd.Kfz. 251 model (unlike Cobi's "Battle of Berlin" one, which shape has changed slightly compared to set 2472 due to the incorporation of the steering feature) For example I wanted to keep the 1x4 slope brick as "stone guard" beneath the front armor plate (and not change it to the parts used on the grey "Battle of Berlin" model), so I had to find another way to hold the front armour plate in place, not the construction used on the "Battle of Berlin" Sd.Kfz. 251 version  You can see on this picture which parts I used to hold the front armor plate in place  Also some slight changes beneath the hood and to the hood itself were necessary  Here are my Sd.Kfz. 251s in all their "steering" glory:  I didn't (yet) upgrade the first grey one from the 2442 set, as I already have a grey one with steering from the "Battle of Berlin" magazine (which has replaced the old 2442 set content now anyway)
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Post by El Caracho on Dec 9, 2017 22:34:33 GMT
"Steering feature" upgrade for set 2446 "Sd.Kfz. 234 Puma"This upgrade is for the "crownjuwel" of all vehicles with steering, the SdKfz "Puma" with steering on all 4 axles (Which meant I needed 4 of the No.19 "Battle of Berlin" magazines alone for this baby!)      As you can see, the original construction of the 2x2 double-stud plates with two 1x2 upside-down slope bricks attached to them between the 1st/2nd and 3rd/4th wheel had to be reduced to half the depth to leave enough room for the tilted wheels   There's just enough room between the suspension for the steering to fit the hinge for attaching the rear body to the chassis   Some modifications to the mounting of the front bumper were necessary to make enough room for the tilted wheels  If you do not have enough 1x2 plates with studs on both sides (in the correct color), you can always use the most universal part ever invented, the "single stud on demand"!  A good source for this part are the WoT nano tanks, because the part is used to attach their wheels For example in set 3016 "Leopard I Nano Tank" you get 14 + 1 spare = 15 of these parts
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Post by achtungpanzer on Dec 9, 2017 23:19:02 GMT
You probably mean like this, right? Using the 1x1 pin plates, you can "fake" steering, but the two wheels are not connected to each other, so you have to tilt each wheel individually to a matching angle View AttachmentYes, that's about it But i would place your left wheel (in the pic left) 1 stud lower, so that the wheels are horizontal in line with eachother ( your left wheel is to high compared to your right wheel) This means your 1x1 with pin are not horizontal in line with eachother, but this creates the effect that the wheels look to be in line |
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Post by achtungpanzer on Dec 10, 2017 12:21:35 GMT
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Post by El Caracho on Dec 10, 2017 20:16:59 GMT
Regarding the smaller wheels attached by pins, here are some pics of what i'm trying to explain Left and right steering and placing of 1x1 with pin; Check out those placing of the pins; one is 1 stud lower/higher than the other, but the allignment of the wheels is realistic OK, I see. And you're right, placing the pins this way looks more realistic, probably because on a real vehicle the rotation point of the wheel is more inside the rim. The more this rotation point moves to the middle of the vehicle, the more unrealistic the wheel position looks. Take the steering of Cobi's official 24260 Wrangler Jeep for example. This vehicle is 2 studs wider than all the other vehicles with these steering parts, so they turned the axle holder part with the extension facing outside, thus achieving a track extension by 2 studs. But as a result, the position of the tilted wheels looks VERY unrealistic:  |
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Post by achtungpanzer on Dec 10, 2017 22:05:18 GMT
Aaiii, that Jeep Wrangler certainly doesn't look good with that extension part facing outside....
If you use the smaller wheels with the pin aftachment and use the bigger tires around it (which i use on every bigger vehicle in my collection), you now can use this combo on the tighter round fenders from for instance the Opel Blitz and make it steer too (the type where you can't use Cobi's steering system)
I was thinking of buying the Luftwaffe blitz and use the smaller dark grey wheels from the pak40 set to make those combo wheels (and make a fixed steering model), and use the bigger Dark grey Mercedes wheels for the pak40
Also, did you know that the large cloth trunkcover from the light grey opel blitz has a matching dark grey color which would match that luftwaffe Blitz perfectly?
I'm going to use that too
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