1:48 Messerschmitt Me-163B wheels

The machine that left its wheels on the strip

The Me 163B Komet was no ordinary aircraft. Its rocket motor gave it a rate of climb that nothing could match in 1944, but the fuel barely lasted a few minutes of flight. The wheeled undercarriage was jettisoned: the takeoff dolly dropped away right after liftoff and the pilot came back on a retractable skid, touching down on grass. That is exactly why the wheels of this machine are a separate pair rather than part of the airframe.

What replacement wheels bring

The tread pattern and the bulge of the tire under the weight of the machine are legible and even on the castings. Plastic wheels tend to be split in halves and after gluing the tread is lost at the seam; here it stays continuous all the way round. The hub has a sharper edge, so it is easier to separate by masking when painting.

• A pair of wheels for the jettisonable dolly of the rocket fighter
• A legible tread pattern all the way round, not interrupted by a glued seam
• The bulge of the tire under load is suggested
• 1:48 scale, meant to replace the kit parts
• It is worth roughening the smooth surface of the casting slightly before gluing

When building it is a good idea to think the scene out beforehand. A Komet standing on its dolly looks different from a machine resting on its skid, and a jettisoned dolly beside the aircraft is a rewarding way to show both states at once. The wheels are bonded with super glue, and on the slippery surface of the casting it is worth roughening the area first.

The tires of the rocket machine were never in service for long, and yet they carried traces of grass and mud from the fields it took off from. A light dusting of the lower part with pigment therefore looks more convincing than clean black rubber.