Messerschmitt Me.262 Wheels (for Tamiya) - 1:48 Eduard Brassin

[Mike]

Me.262 Wheels (648106 for Tamiya)
1:48 Eduard Brassin

These wheels can be used for any boxing of Tamiya's 1:48 Me.262, and having used a set of Tamiya wheels on a Dragon 262, you can also use them on those, and that is a blessing, as the Dragon tyres are horrible. They have poor fitting hubs, and flexible "rubber" tyres that split and disintegrate in a surprisingly short time By the time I'd finished building my recent Dragon 262A-1/U4, the nose wheel tyre had fallen apart along the tread lines. I also have a few Hobby Boss 262s, and having just checked, they will also fit these kits, which is a good job, as I have four sets including the review sample! The HB tyres have a rather overdone radial banding on the sidewalls, and these replacements blow them out of the water.

Arriving in a standard bubble-pack, inside are three highly detailed resin tyres, and three casting blocks containing six hub parts, two for each tyre. The tyres are superbly cast, with fine diamond tread blocks on the contact patch, and tyre data in relief on the sidewall. The hubs are similarly well detailed, with tiny spokes between the rim and hub body, axle holes, locking pins and brake hoses (on the main wheels) all moulded in. The hubs and tyres are both keyed, so that they fit together correctly, and if using the Tamiya kit, the keyed hole in the hubs will ensure correct positioning of the hub detail against the ground.

There are no painting masks included in the kit, but they shouldn't be needed due to the separate hubs.

Conclusion
Lovely detail, simple construction and a vast improvement on the kit parts for all 1:48 262 kits really. You might need to do a little trimming or bulking out of the axles if you use them for other manufacturer's kits, but the effort will surely be worth it.

Very highly recommended.

Review sample courtesy of