I was read this and that about several armor kits and one of the “features” was authentic parting lines on the road wheels. So does that mean that the mold line that runs ‘round the center of rubber road wheels is supposed to be there? I can see that being similar to the “flash” on new tires. But, and there is always a but, on the DML Pz. IV G I am currently working on, the mold line on the road wheels is uneven as if the molds were slightly misaligned. And yet the rest of the parts on that tree are fine. Are these molded correctly? Should I be leaving those “seams” intact? How quickly will a real road wheel wear down and be smooth? If I sand them down would it be logical to leave some of the line behind to look like they are wearing down?
I know… so many questions…sorry. But one of the things… and there aren’t many… that bugs me about my new interest in armor is that I really don’t know what parts need to be improved. Like being too thick or a mold line that is in the same place as a cast mold line so it does not need to be sanded off. I know that I don’t sand the seam off an Me 109 G exhaust pipe since there was a weld there so it looks better to just leave it, but don’t know this stuff for armor.
i to would like to know the answer to this question. i am working on a priest-kanagroo and the road wheels have a line right down the middle of it so is it suppose to be thier or not. great question wing_nut.
Unless you’re modeling a tank right off the assembly line, that line would wear down anyway with travel.
Here’s a StuG wheel. Note the lack of line…
Since the rubber is molded right onto the road wheel, there is often a visible seam on the road wheel. And since the rubber is molded to the wheel, it is often overpainted and only the elasticity of the rubber is what causes the paint to chip off of the rubber.
Also bear in mind what a 1/35 scale mold line would look like and add in how quickly it would wear down (all vehicles were tested before leaving the factory so even a brand new vehicle shipping out would have had some miles), you’re best off removing the seam IMHO.
The posts above have addressed the seam on the rubber road wheel, a couple other things to consider would be the age of the vehicle and the type of terrain it operates in. An older vehicle could have a mix of old and new road wheels due to battle damage and maintenance issues. Vehicles operating in rugged terrain will often get rocks between the track and the road wheels resulting in chunks of rubber being knocked off the road wheel. Naturally a crew would replace these when time and replacement wheels were available but the tempo of their operations may dictate otherwise. Just my 2 cents, I hope it helps.