1:72 B-24 Liberator / PB4Y Privateer wheels w/ weighted tyres type “b” (FS), 2 types nose wheels, 3D-printed mudguard & PE hubcaps

Armory 1:72 B-24 Liberator and PB4Y Privateer wheels, type b tread pattern (FS)

This is not a kit of the aircraft but an accessory wheel set in 1:72 scale from the Armory company. It is intended for kits of the four-engine B-24 Liberator bomber and of its naval patrol relative, the PB4Y Privateer. The name gives main wheels with the type b (FS) tread pattern, two nose wheel variants, a 3D-printed mudguard and photo-etched hubcaps.

How they differ from the wheels in the box

In 1:72 scale a plastic wheel is small and the engraving of the tread pattern on it tends to be only suggested; on top of that a parting line runs across the tread. A printed resin part is one piece and the pattern on it stays legible. The main benefit is the weighted tire effect: the lower part of the tire is flattened the way the rubber sits under the weight of the aircraft. The photo-etched hubcaps cover the center of the wheel with a part as thin as plastic can barely manage.

The real subject

The B-24 Liberator was a four-engine heavy bomber with nose landing gear and retractable main gear; the PB4Y Privateer grew out of it as a naval patrol machine. Tires for this family of aircraft were supplied by several makers and the tread patterns differed from each other, so the type of tire is one of the details by which a particular machine can be told apart in a period photograph.

Building and painting tips

Wash the printed parts in warm soapy water and let them dry, to rid them of uncured resin. Cut the print supports off with a saw or a knife, never snap them, and level the area with a file and fine abrasive paper; sand wet or with a respirator. They are glued with cyanoacrylate glue (super glue); cement for plastic will not help here. Apply a primer, then dark gray on the tire and the shade of the hub separately. With small wheels, work over a light surface so that a tiny part does not get lost.

Who the set is for

• Builders of the Liberator or the Privateer in 1:72 scale
• Modelers who object to the seam and the coarse engraving on a small plastic wheel
• Those building a particular machine who keep an eye on the type of tread pattern
• Modelers with experience of resin and cyanoacrylate glue

The set is an accessory, not a kit of the aircraft. It is supplied unpainted; glue, paints and the base kit are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.