1:48 Hs 129B - Wheels for Takom

Eduard Hs 129B wheels 1:48 (for the Takom kit)

An accessory set of replacement landing gear wheels by the Czech maker Eduard. It is not an airplane model but replacement parts in 1:48 scale that you swap for the plastic wheels from the box. The wheels are made of resin by 3D printing and are designed for the Hs 129B kit by Takom, so they fit its landing gear legs. The main benefit lies in two things injected plastic manages only with difficulty: a sharply rendered tire tread pattern and the flattening of the tire where it meets the ground, thanks to which the model on its base looks as if it really were carrying its own weight.

The real subject

The Henschel Hs 129B was a German twin-engine ground-attack aircraft of the Second World War, designed for the direct support of ground troops and for fighting tanks. It had a heavily armored forward fuselage with a very cramped cockpit, and in the production B version the aircraft was powered by captured French radial engines. It was deployed above all on the Eastern Front and in North Africa; it became famous for the large-caliber gun pods that made it a specialized tank destroyer. For the modeler it is an unusual, easily recognizable and heavily weathered machine.

Use and work tips

• Separate the wheels carefully from the print supports with a fine saw; never break them off.
• Before painting, wash the parts in lukewarm soapy water to remove any uncured print resin residue and let them dry.
• Bond with super glue (cyanoacrylate): cement for plastic does not hold on resin.
• Sand wet and with respiratory protection.
• Do not paint the tire black; a dark gray shade looks noticeably better and takes dust pigment well afterwards. Paint the hub separately and use a mask or a circular stencil.
• Glue the flattened wheel the right way round: the contact area has to be perpendicular to the ground, otherwise the model stands on an edge and the effect is lost.

Who the set is for

For modelers who are building the Hs 129B in 1:48 scale by Takom and want to raise the realism of the landing gear markedly with very little work: the wheels are at eye level and the first thing a viewer notices on a finished model. Working with resin is simple but assumes super glue and basic experience with resin accessories.

An accessory set, not a complete model; the base aircraft kit is not included in the package. It is supplied unassembled and unpainted; glue, paints and accessories are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise. Use respiratory protection when sanding.