1:35 T-62 - Trumpeter

1:35 T-62 wheel masking set (Quickwheel, for the Trumpeter kit)

A masking sheet that separates the rubber tire band from the rim while you paint the road wheel. It is neither a kit nor a replacement wheel, but an accessory for the painting stage. The cutouts are cut for the wheels from the T-62 tank kit by Trumpeter.

What to do when rim and rubber differ in sheen

A sharp border between tire band and rim is only half the job. The other half is sheen, because that is exactly what tells the eye whether it is looking at two different materials or merely at two colors. The awkward case is when the sheen parts company by accident, typically after a coat of protective varnish that pulls one surface up into satin and leaves the other matte. There are essentially two answers. Either you unify the whole wheel with a single matte varnish and then create the difference between the materials with weathering, dusting the rim lightly and leaving the tire band darker and deeper. Or you distinguish the sheen deliberately: leave the tire band fully matte, because worn rubber does not shine, and keep the rim a shade richer. What does not pay is correcting the difference locally with a brush, because a spot revarnish almost always reads as a blotch. If the difference has already appeared and it bothers you, spray matte varnish over the whole face of the wheel at once and only then build the effect again.

Procedure

Clean the seams off the wheels, degrease them, paint the rim and mask once it has dried. Spray the tire band in thin coats and take the mask off while the paint has flashed off. Paint the wheels before fitting them into the running gear.

Who the set is for

• Builders of the T-62 tank in 1:35 scale
• Modelers who think about sheen as well as color
• Those who want a sharp border with no lining by hand
• Builders with an airbrush and the patience to finish wheels with weathering

A painting accessory, not a kit. Paints, varnishes and thinners are not included in the package.