1:72 Sd.An 115 Wheels

The real subject

The Sonderanhänger 115, Sd.Ah. 115 for short, was a German heavy low-bed trailer of the Second World War. It served to carry and recover tracked vehicles behind a tractor, so it turns up wherever the problem was how to get a broken-down or damaged machine off the battlefield and into a workshop. For a modeler it is a rewarding subject: together with a tractor and a loaded vehicle it makes a whole scene rather than a single model.

What the set solves

The wheels on a trailer are in plain sight and in 1:72 a kit usually economizes on them. Replacement wheels tend to have a crisper tread pattern, a cleaner transition from tire into hub and a more legible outline, which shows on a finished model even from a distance. If the wheels have a flat spot molded in where they bear on the ground, that area has to point downward, otherwise the model will look as if it is floating. In the same way, check which side of the hub faces out before gluing; on trailer wheels the outer and inner sides tend to differ.

Building and painting tips

Cut the surplus material off with a sharp blade a little away from the part and sand the remainder back carefully so that the circular outline is preserved. Choose a suitable glue according to the material of the parts. Wash and degrease the wheels before painting. Do not paint the tires pure black, which in a small scale looks like a hole; a dark gray that you lighten slightly on the edges of the tread is better. Match the hubs to the color of the trailer and finally add dust and mud from the bottom upward, most of all around the bearing surface.

Terms of supply

What is supplied is a wheel set. Paints, glue and thinner are not part of the delivery, unless stated otherwise.