1:72 Supermarine Spitfire Wheels with IJ12 Tyres

Spitfire wheels with IJ12 tires in 1:72 scale

A set of printed main landing gear wheels for the Spitfire in 1:72 scale from the maker IBG. This is not an airplane kit but a replacement part for a model. Printing from resin gives the tire a clean tread pattern with no parting line and the hub a detail that gets lost in a plastic molding in a small scale.

Why wheels in particular

A wheel is one of the parts everybody looks at on a finished model. A plastic molding has its parting line running across the tread and cleaning it up usually damages the pattern. A printed part does not have this problem at all, so work is saved and the result is better. On Spitfires the form of the wheels changed during production as well, so the maker offers several variants that belong to different periods and forms.

Usage tips

Separate the parts from the print supports, smooth the pads and wash them in lukewarm water with dish soap before painting. They are glued with super glue. For a tire choose dark gray rather than pure black, and a hub takes a metallic tone with a fine dark wash added. Dust on the lower part of the wheel will give the model contact with the ground.

Who the set is for

• Builders of Spitfires in 1:72 scale
• Modelers who are bothered by the parting line on plastic wheels
• Display-case models judged from close up
• More experienced builders used to working with resin

The set is an accessory to a plastic kit, not a model in its own right. The kit, glue and paints are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.