1:48 unkers Ju-88 late wheels with weighted tires and paint masks

The real subject

The Junkers Ju 88 was a twin-engine combat aircraft of the Luftwaffe which served as a bomber, a reconnaissance machine and a night fighter, and which in its various forms stayed in production throughout the Second World War. The landing gear wheels changed during that time as well: the late machines received wheels of a different type from the first batches, which on a model is a small thing that a knowledgeable eye picks up at first glance.

What the set offers

The set holds late-type wheels in 1:48 scale with a flattened tire contact patch, and painting masks to go with them. The flattening reproduces a tire loaded by a standing aircraft, so the model looks as if it were really resting on its landing gear. The masks separate the rubber from the hub and save the laborious work of painting around it with a brush. How many pieces the package holds is given by the manufacturer in the instructions.

• 1:48 scale, late-type wheels for the Ju 88
• tires with a flattened contact patch
• painting masks are included as well
• the parts are not polystyrene, they are glued with cyanoacrylate glue
• the number of pieces is given in the manufacturer's instructions

Building and painting tips

The flattened face of the tire has to point toward the ground when gluing, otherwise the wheel will look cracked. Cut excess material away with a sharp blade a little way from the part and sand the rest without disturbing the circumference. Apply the mask to the hub before spraying and take it off while the paint is still fresh; that way no edge is left under the rim. Do not paint the rubber of the tire a pure black, as a dark gray with a hint of brown looks more convincing in scale.

Who it is for

It suits a modeler building the Ju 88 in 1:48 scale who wants loaded wheels with cleanly separated hubs under the machine. The paints, the glue and tools are not part of the delivery, unless stated otherwise.