Getting angled wheels and tyres to sit correctly

with Geoff Coughlin

Target subject: Special Hobby 1:72 scale rolland Gnat FR.1, Finnish Air Force

Just take a look at the photo above and notice the angle of the main undercarriage legs and then the tyres as they contact the ground. The main tyres sit at an angle on their inner faces as the top of each wheel is canted inwards towards the centreline.

Getting the tyres on your model to look ‘right’ and sit correctly at the angle you see above is a bit of a must in my view and will set your model apart from those where a modeller hasn’t noticed this feature or not added it.

Arguably, in 1:72 scale it doesn’t make a difference, but anything larger like 1:48 and above i think it is a must. Your call.

Here you can see the undercarriage units added and the tyres painted – note the round area on the tyre that will contact the ground – this is incorrect (see photo at the head of this piece).