1:48 B-24 Liberator wheels w/ weighted tyres type “c” (GS), 2 types nose wheels, 3D-printed mudguard & PE hubcaps

Armory 1:48 B-24 Liberator wheels with the type c tread pattern (GS)

This is not a model of the aircraft but a set of replacement wheels in 1:48 scale from the Armory company for a kit of the four-engine B-24 Liberator bomber. According to the name it contains main wheels with the tread pattern the manufacturer lists as type c (GS), two nose wheel variants, a 3D-printed mudguard and photo-etched hubcaps.

How they differ from the wheels in the box

A plastic wheel from a kit always has a parting line right around its circumference and only a suggested tread pattern. A printed resin part has no seam anywhere along the tread and the engraving is markedly finer. The main reason to replace them, though, 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 model then does not stand on contact points alone and the landing gear looks loaded. The photo-etched hubcaps cover the center of the wheel with a clean metal part.

The real subject

The B-24 Liberator was a four-engine heavy bomber with nose landing gear and retractable main gear. Tires for this type were supplied by several makers and the tread patterns differed from piece to piece, so the tread pattern is one of the details by which particular machines are told apart in period photographs. Armory therefore releases the individual patterns as separate sets.

Building and painting tips

First wash the parts in warm soapy water and let them dry; any uncured resin residue would otherwise prevent the paint from adhering. Cut the print supports off, do not snap them, as resin breaks unpredictably. Level the mating surface with a file and sand wet or with a respirator. They are glued with cyanoacrylate glue (super glue). Once cleaned up, apply a primer, then matte black or dark gray on the tire and the shade of the rim separately. Turn the flattened area straight down when gluing.

Who the set is for

• Builders of the Liberator in 1:48 who object to the seam on a plastic wheel
• Modelers who want a loaded and convincing landing gear
• Those building a particular machine from a photograph who care about the type of tread pattern
• Modelers who have already worked with resin and cyanoacrylate

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.