1:144 upolev Tu-134 wheels set (weighted)

The real subject

The Tupolev Tu-134 was a twin-engine airliner for short and medium routes that first flew in the first half of the 1960s. It has its engines mounted at the rear on the sides of the fuselage and a T-tail, and some of the machines carried a glazed nose for the navigator. It flew with Aeroflot and with most of the Eastern bloc carriers, and for a number of years it served with Czechoslovak Airlines too, so it is a type with a firm place in Czech collections.

What the set solves

The replacement landing gear wheels have tires with flattening, that is with the area on which a real tire sits when loaded by the weight of the aircraft. A model standing on round wheels looks as though it were floating, whereas a flattened tire optically plants it on the ground on its base. When gluing, the flattened area must point down toward the base and the axis of the wheel must stay horizontal, otherwise the model will lean.

Building and painting tips

The parts in 1:144 scale are tiny, so work over a surface with a raised edge and use tweezers. The material is not polystyrene and ordinary modeling cement has no effect on it; make the joint with cyanoacrylate glue. Cut excess material off with a sharp blade a little away from the part and sand the rest down. Wash the wheels in lukewarm soapy water before painting and let them dry. The hubs and the tires are painted separately, as a clean boundary between them shows at first glance on the finished model.

Supply

The set contains replacement wheels. The model of the aircraft, paints and glue are not included, unless stated otherwise.