WWI wheels color

Modeling Subjects Aircraft
1

Hi everybody
The wheels of wwi aircraft was natural rubber
what color is this?
with all that dirt the natural rubber was in his natural
color?
now i use a dark grey is this right?

Thanks for the help

2

Can’t say you 're wrong with dark grey. Never seen any other ‘colour’ on WWI aicraft wheel…

3

Neptun,
That is a good question. natural rubber comes in a variety of shades and colors. Tires on the landing gear of WWI a/c, and i can assume trucks and cars as well, have been documented as being varying shades of grey, brown, and even pink! I’m not sure of your age, but when i was a kid in the 60’s ican remember seeing baby buggies with white rubber wheels! That is always possible as well.
Your use of dark grey is fine, as are lighter shades of grey. The thing you want to avoid is the use of black, or very dark grey (almost black). This is the result of adding carbon black to rubber, and that did not become a common, accepted practice until after World War I.

Hope this helps,

Warren

4

thanks both of u

Dixiflyer i am almost 40 years old
In my sources they mension also pink
but with all that dirt in the primitive arfields dark brown sound more
logical,but i don’t think that any ww1 model will win any contest with
dark brown tyres!!

Thanks again