This set provides replacement nosewheels and main wheels for 1/72 F/A-18C/D kits. It includes two nose gear tires, two main gear tires, and is designed to provide one-for-one replacement parts for the kit wheels. The set does not specify which kits it applies to, so I assume it is intended to be a generic set applicable to any 1/72 F/A-18C or D kit.

I had a Hasegawa F/A-18C kit on the workbench, so I used the wheel set on it. All four wheels are very well cast with excellent hub details and tread along with the brakes on the main gear tires. The detail is very crisp and a big improvement over the kit wheels. The wheels are molded with a flat spot on each one to simulate weight on them.

After washing the wheels and separating them from the pour stubs, I painted the tires Tamiya NATO Black and the hubs Tamiya Flat White. After sealing them with clear flat, I applied a dark brown wash to the hubs to bring out the bolt and brake assembly details.

In order to attach the wheels to Hasegawa’s gear legs, I had to slightly enlarge the holes on the main gear wheels so that the stub axle on the kit gear leg would seat properly. The holes on the nose gear tires also had to be enlarged slightly, but I also had to shorten the nose gear axle stubs, otherwise the wheels were too far apart. I used slow setting superglue on all four wheels and then placed the model on a sheet of glass to allow me to line up everything and ensure that the four flat spots were squarely on the ground.

The set provides a nice and simple upgrade for a Legacy Hornet kit and should fit pretty much any 1/72 scale F/A-18C or D kit.

Recommended

Thank you to Brengun/Hauler for the review set and to IPMS-USA for letting me review it.