MOONBASE CENTRAL: LP MOON EXPLORER CAR WHEELS: POSSIBLE ORIGIN BY ANDY B

Saturday, 28 July 2018

Hi Woodsy,

I have always liked the LP Moon Explorer Car you featured recently , which was the Spanish version this time.

It led me to wonder about the inspiration for the LP wheel system. It is pretty definitely a WW2 German tank, either a Tiger or Panther.

I wonder if the wheels were copied from the much smaller Roco Minitanks Panther model pictured above?

Andy B

LP Moon Explorer original pictured below for camparison.

Unknown7/28/2018 1:31 am
The moon explorer road wheels look like early panther wheels(rubber tyres, dished and domed), actually they look more like panther wheels than on the roco panther.
The drive wheels on both models are very crude representations of a panther drive wheel. Plus the ME has 2 drive wheels and no idler.
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Anonymous7/28/2018 9:40 am
LP has also used a Panzer IV chassis for their smaller Explorer Car, which was very likely copied from a Roco model, see:
http://www.triangspacextoys.info/SpGAderv/LPHK/LPhkSmTy/LPexplCr/LPexplCrB.html

The comparison between the Moon-Explorer Car and Panther tank is illustrated halfway down here:
http://www.triangspacextoys.info//SpGAorig/MbHQ_OrF/MbHQ_OrP.html

Best -- Paul
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Anonymous7/28/2018 9:48 am
... but I forgot to add that you're absolutely right, Andy.
The sprocket wheels having identically simplified spokes on both proves it nicely I think.

Best -- Paul
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Andy B7/28/2018 12:19 pm
Yes, it was the simplified drive sprocket that made it a possibility as the source.
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