I’ve gotten into the habit of adding True Details and other aftermarket wheels and tires on my models as a matter of course. They are cheap and often dress up the kit with better tread, no seam, etc. However, after finally carefully examining some of these from the largest manufacturer of these wheels, I notice that many are nothing more than the kit wheels flattened and molded in resin. The effect, in at least the case of a couple of planes – like B-25 nosewheel – with open spokes on the wheels, is closed-off spokes. So watch out about using AM parts, taking for granted that if you paid extra for them, they must be better or more accurate. With my experience and addiction to AM parts, I should have known better long ago.
Tom[8]
To me, the True Detail resin wheel/tires are flattened way to much. I bought a set for the Hobbycraft P-59 to replace the rubber tires in the kit & they are so flat no airworthy plane could have taxied on em. Tires should have a slight bulge and small flat spot, but these had no bulge and a very large flat spot that look kinda strange to say the least.
You hit right on another matter I forgot to address. They are overexaggerated, and if you screw up and cut off too much of the pour stub, it’s even flatter. No crew chief would let his a/c taxi out with tires like that. Now, to be picky, wouldn’t an a/c that operated from muddy fields, like those Pacific Theater gun-nose B-25s, A-20s, and Aleutian B-24s have less pressure in the tires? Or is it the other way around? You can tell I’m from a warm part of the country. No snow driving experience to speak of.
I’ve tried these wheels for three different a/c. On my Hasagawa Val, the wheels were too narrow to stay on the little pegs inside the spats. On my Tamiya Zero, the mounting hole was too small an the wrong shape. Everything went together well on my Tamiya Wildcat. Also, in all three cases the wheels’ circumference appears to be too small when compared to the kit wheels.
Steve
I really haven’t got many complaints about the appearance of the TD wheels overall, other than what I wrote above. However, just take it for granted that you’re going to have to modify the axle hole either deeper or wider or both. And the wheel painting masks are a godsend for me.