F-14A Wheels and Tires

Published on
July 15, 2014
Review Author(s)
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$9.50
Product / Stock #
2099
Base Kit
Hobby Boss 1/32 F-14
Company: Wheeliant - Website: Visit Site
Provided by: Aires Hobby Models - Website: Visit Site
Wheeliant Package

Thanks to Aires for providing IPMS/USA this wheel set for review… As ALWAYS we appreciate your support, and thanks to IPMS USA leadership for allowing me to review this set.

About 20 years ago I never thought we would be living in the age of such cool resin parts… and then I receive this set for review. The “Oh cool” factor (some call it ‘wow’) is very high here.

The Hobby Boss F-14 appears to be a great kit. One area that needs a bit of picking up the bar on is the wheels and tires. Enter Aires Wheeliant!

Inside the Retro-red slip cover are 8 wheel halves, and four tires which have been pre-flattened to a proper level for high pressure tires. Also included (at least in this package) was a length of copper wire to add brake lines. Absolutely a great idea!

As you peruse the pictures, notice the detail on the wheels. Now, to be fair, the kit wheels are good; but many of us absolutely despise rubber or vinyl tires. The rubber is usually OK (Trumpeter does rubber, not vinyl) but over time can crack due to age/stress. The vinyl, well, that is a “Dissimilar materials” issue within a year. How many of you have had the plastic wheels eaten by Vinyl tires? (The crowd raises their hands)

Here’s the solution; all-resin wheels and tires. Detail level is fantastic; the tires have readable raised lettering and treads, with flats already in place for the weight of the jet, the wheels have deep, well-defined nuts, bolts, and cooling vents, and all you have to do is carefully paint everything and get them together. At touch of thick superglue holds it all together, and you are done! Check out the pix for what only took an hour and a half including painting… on that note as well, easy as the wheels are already separate. I really appreciated that!

10 of 10 on this set; its’ worth every penny!… Thanks again to AiresWheeliant for providing this review package to IPMS/USA!

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