1:24 19' Yokohama Advan A048 Tyres

Yokohama Advan A048 in 1:24 scale

This item is not a model of a car but a set of tires for a build in 1:24 scale. The name ties it to a wheel size of 19 inches, so it reckons on matching rims. The tread pattern grows out of the circuit semi-slick that Yokohama supplied to amateur sport.

The real subject

The Advan A048 was for many years among the most widespread rubber at track days and club races. Sparse longitudinal grooves, a wide center band and a soft compound that comes up to working temperature quickly were characteristic of it. On period shots of racing cars you therefore see almost smooth shoulders with a minimum of pattern. The difference against a touring tire is apparent in miniature too, because the area of the tread comes across as more of a whole.

Working with the part

Before fitting, check against the light whether the rubber seats into the bead seat of the rim without play. Leave the surface matte, or else level it with very fine abrasive paper so that it loses an unwanted sheen. Dust and deposits on the sides are made by pigment applied with drybrushing, while the tread should be left darker and clean. A valve suggested with thin wire is a small thing the viewer notices only with a model on display.

Who it suits

• builders of Japanese circuit cars from the turn of the millennium
• modelers who tune a build to a particular racing specification
• those who want to match the tread pattern with period photographs
• makers of paddock scenes where the wheels are seen from close up
• collectors putting together a series of cars from one era