1:72 Arado Ar234 Wheels

The real subject

The Arado Ar 234 Blitz was a German jet aircraft of the closing stage of the Second World War. It was deployed above all for fast reconnaissance and, to a lesser extent, for bombing as well. Production machines stood on a nosewheel landing gear, and on them the wheels are among the parts that stay in full view on a finished model.

What the set contains

Replacement landing gear wheels for an Ar 234 model in 1:72 scale. The point of such a replacement is a more accurate tire shape and a cleaner rendering of the hub than injection-molded plastic allows. The parts are not polystyrene, so they are bonded with cyanoacrylate glue rather than with cement for plastic models.

Building and painting tips

Cut the surplus material off with a sharp blade a little way from the part and carefully sand the remainder away, so that the seating surface stays flat. Wash and degrease the wheels before painting, or the paint will hold badly. It proves worthwhile to spray the whole wheel in the tire shade and only then to paint the hub in with a brush, or to mask it off with a circular mask. Once the tire surface has dried, a light pass with dry pigment will suppress the sheen and the wheel then looks more natural. Compare the detailed procedure with the manufacturer's instructions.

Who it is for

The set suits a modeler who is building the Ar 234 in this scale and wants to raise the level of the landing gear without cutting into the structure of the model. Test the fit of the new wheels dry beforehand, so that the model stands level and both main wheels touch the surface.

The package holds only the parts stated. The model, paints, glue and masking material are not included, unless stated otherwise.