1:72 Junkers Ju 88 late wheels w/ weighted tires

Armory 1:72 late-type wheels for the Junkers Ju 88

A resin set of replacement main landing gear wheels with weighted tires, that is with the flattening in the contact patch that the weight of a standing aircraft creates in the rubber. The manufacturer lists them as late-type wheels, intended for the Ju 88A-4 and later variants. It is not an aircraft kit but an accessory that replaces the wheels from the plastic kit. The Ukrainian brand Armory casts the set in resin; the parts are unpainted and sit on casting blocks.

The real subject

The Junkers Ju 88 was a twin-engine all-metal aircraft that the Luftwaffe used from the late 1930s right up to the end of the war, and it was among the hardest-worked types of the whole conflict. The original fast bomber concept gradually branched out into dive-bomber, reconnaissance, torpedo and night fighter forms. The A-4 version was given a greater span and more powerful engines and became the basis of the later variants, in which the main landing gear wheels changed as well.

Usage and painting tips

Wash the castings in warm soapy water so that the mold release residue disappears from the surface. Cut the casting blocks off with a saw and level the seating face with a sanding sponge; protect your airways when sanding resin. They are glued with cyanoacrylate super glue, as polystyrene cement does not work on resin. Spray a primer before painting; the tire carcass looks better in dark gray than in pure black, and the hub is usually painted separately.

Who the set is for

• Modelers who build late versions of the Ju 88 in 1:72 scale
• Builds on the landing gear, where the wheels are visible at first glance
• A replacement for split plastic wheels with a single casting

The set does not contain the kit, glue or paints, unless stated otherwise.