# Chariot Wheels, White or Silver?



## DLHamblin (Nov 7, 2008)

The Moebius paint guide calls the idler wheel color as white, my initial thought was they should be silver.

But; after watching my 2nd and third season DVD's I really can't tell. In some shots I think they are silver, but in others they do look white.

I've looked at Google images, but haven't found that definitive shot.

Anyone here with knowledge of the full scale Chariot that can show what color they were??


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## Chuck Eds (Jul 20, 2009)

Hi, I'm brand new here and I've been working on all the new Moebius kits. Haven't finished my Chariot yet, but I would say that when working on an Irwin Allen kit: When in doubt, paint it silver!


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## Lou Dalmaso (Jul 13, 2004)

Chuck, you hit the secret!

Silver or Orange is always a safe bet.

I painted mine the same magnesium color as the tub


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## Tim Nolan (Jul 9, 2008)

I did them white, which is what the real ones were, but I hated it. I ended up doing them in a metalic charcoal from Tamiya, and I like it much better!


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## DLHamblin (Nov 7, 2008)

Hmmm, decisions decisions.

I think I'll also try white first and see what it looks like.

You would think there would be more pictures around of the full size Chariot, but Google images doesn't reaaly come back with much of the real one.


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## starseeker2 (Jun 13, 2008)

Chrome, just like any self-respecting hot rod. The Chariot's painting instructions are more science fiction than the Chariot itself.


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## DLHamblin (Nov 7, 2008)

starseeker2 said:


> Chrome, just like any self-respecting hot rod. The Chariot's painting instructions are more science fiction than the Chariot itself.


Yes, I agree, thats why I have been watching my DVD's and making notes.

Thanks, those are good pictures.


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## Chuck Eds (Jul 20, 2009)

Even watching the DVDs can be tricky, the colors change from one episode to another depending on the lighting. I guess you pretty much have to go with what looks good to you!


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## Chuck Eds (Jul 20, 2009)

Lou Dalmaso said:


> Chuck, you hit the secret!
> 
> Silver or Orange is always a safe bet.
> 
> I painted mine the same magnesium color as the tub


Irwin Allen must have had the monopoly on orange & silver paint at Fox!


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Well there were several filming miniatures and the full size Chariot prop. The prop itself, and probably the models, were repainted more than once. Also earlier footage was reused later... so you may not see much consistency on screen. At least some of the Chariots had white roadwheels (not idler wheel). The idler wheel would be the wheel opposite the drive sprocket, although in the case of the Chariot it has just roadhweels and no unique tensioner wheel.


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## DLHamblin (Nov 7, 2008)

djnick66 said:


> Well there were several filming miniatures and the full size Chariot prop. The prop itself, and probably the models, were repainted more than once. Also earlier footage was reused later... so you may not see much consistency on screen. At least some of the Chariots had white roadwheels (not idler wheel). The idler wheel would be the wheel opposite the drive sprocket, although in the case of the Chariot it has just roadhweels and no unique tensioner wheel.



My bad, I could'nt think of "road wheel", so I used idler (as in non-driven).

You would think there would have been some better stills shot by the studio (and vistors/guests) that would be floating around; especially of the interior.


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## starseeker2 (Jun 13, 2008)

I'd be interested to see a shot of white wheels. The miniature's were silver paint, not chromed.
Don't even think about asking if the treads were red or not...


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

starseeker2 said:


> I'd be interested to see a shot of white wheels. The miniature's were silver paint, not chromed.
> Don't even think about asking if the treads were red or not...


Oh man, love it when you break out the pics, honest and true.

Couple notes that will no doubt cause some grief 

The Chariot miniature looks like it used model airplane wheels, which would be logical as a easy and cheap thing to use.

Is it just my eyes or does it appear that in the B&W photo above, the road wheels are MUCH more narrow than what the kit used? Was this an 'endless debate' when the kit came out?

And what was the deal with the Brady Bunch girls visiting the set?


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## starseeker2 (Jun 13, 2008)

I can't find my in my notes what the tire size on the Chariot's particular chassis probably was. They used a high speed trailer tire and the size is still available 40 years later in tire shops. If today's model is the same shape as it was then, it's weird. It's 21.5" in outer diameter and it fits a wheel that is 13" in outer diameter. Where the tire seals onto the wheel, the tire is 5.5" wide but half way up the inner tire wall suddenly narrows and the tire width at the tread is only 4".


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

Just had a thought. Might the tires on the unpowered set Chariot be different from the 'practical' Chariot? More narrow on the set, wider on the Snowcat based operating vehicle?

I mean, I look at the road wheels on Tim's picture above, and the model kit seems so much more wide than the wheels in that B&W picture.


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## DLHamblin (Nov 7, 2008)

Steve H said:


> Just had a thought. Might the tires on the unpowered set Chariot be different from the 'practical' Chariot? More narrow on the set, wider on the Snowcat based operating vehicle?
> 
> I mean, I look at the road wheels on Tim's picture above, and the model kit seems so much more wide than the wheels in that B&W picture.


I thought there was only one full sized (powered) Chariot? There was a second non-powered one?


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## starseeker (Feb 1, 2006)

It was the actual Snow Cat that speced the tires that now have that weird shape. I honestly don't know if there were one or two Chariots. Almost everybody says there was only one but the interior details and the spotlights change back and forth between styles seemingly w/o any logical chronological order. But who knows what order the episodes were filmed in? Land of the Giants was aired in a wildly different order than it was filmed in, wrecking what vague story continuity they were building and bouncing the pregnant stewardess actress from fat to slim to fat to slim throughout the second season. It makes sense that there were two Chariot sets so that they didn't have to disassemble the hero for mounting on the giant gimbal and then reassemble it afterwards but who knows? The Flying Sub sets, the Space Pods, most of the J2 miniatures, none of them exist any more. Were it not for a lot of luck, the Snow Cat Chariot might have vanished too. Maybe a non-practical version did. ???


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## RogueJ (Oct 29, 2000)

Since we're talking Chariot, has the tread material attacking the plastic problem been resolved? I haven't picked up a Chariot yet and was just wondering.

Rogue


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## DLHamblin (Nov 7, 2008)

RogueJ said:


> Since we're talking Chariot, has the tread material attacking the plastic problem been resolved? I haven't picked up a Chariot yet and was just wondering.
> 
> Rogue


My kit was actually a Christmas present that I am just now getting to start on. My kit was damaged (tires/tread ate into body parts). A note to Moebius on a Friday and I had new parts on Monday.

From what I understand they were going to do future kits in the gray color (like the Space Pod), not the silver color (which was clear with silver particles mixed in) and that the treads and tires will be packaged in there own bag.

Once painted I plan to give the wheels a few good coats of clearcote just in case.


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