1:32 F-104 undercarriage wheels early (Eduard Brassin)

[JeroenPeters]

1:32 F-104 undercarriage wheels early

Eduard

For Italeri kit

 

Catalogue # 632045

Available from Eduard for €11,25

Bunny Fighter Club price: €9,56

 

 

Eduard has jumped on the new Italeri 1/32 F-104 Starfighter and gone to town! A total of 28 sets have seen the light, including two Big Sin sets that include all you need to spice up your Starfighter. (Almost) All of these sets are or will be reviewed here on Large Scale Modeller so you can decide for yourself whether you need or just plain want it

 

 

The early wheels

The significant difference between the early and late rims on the F-104 wheels are the spoked or smooth hub. Most F-104’s had the late spoked wheels, but the earlier F-104C and A types still had the smooth hubs with 9 round holes. The insides feature the brake system. The Goodyear tires between the early and late types are different too, so make sure you buy the right ones’! The nose wheel is a one-option open styled hub, whereas with the late type nose wheel you get the option to opt for a closed version.

 

 

The real deal!

 

 

 

What do we get?

Six pieces of resin, packed in the typical Eduard blister packaging with a piece of foam to protect them during transport. Also included is a sheet of wheel masks. You might think: the hubs are separate so why not paint first and glue later?? I guess this is just a matter of personal taste. I like to glue as much together as I can, because I don’t want to mess with glue once and risk my paint job.

 

The main wheel hubs:

 

 

 

 

Inside brakes on the main wheels:

 

 

 

Main tires:

 

 

 

 

Nose wheel hub:

 

 

Nose wheel tire:

 

 

 

Mask:

 

 

The resin is as sharp and crisp as we can expect in this material. Visible in one of the 9 holes in the main wheel is the air valve. The Goodyear logo’s on the tires are sharp and clearly readable. And the inside brakes are works of art. The hexagon bolts look like you can twist them right off. You can just make out the flattening of the weighed tires. When studying photo’s of the real thing this looks to be right. 

 

 

 

Conclusion

When modeling an early F-104A or C this is really the way to go. On a kit this size you really want some detail in a visible place like this. The casting and mastering is first class, which makes this little set another step towards a show stopping 104. 

 

Very highly recommended

 

My sincere thanks to Eduard for this review sample. To purchase directly, click THIS link.

 

Jeroen Peters

[James H]

You're a machine!

 

I'm a big fan of Eduard's Brassin releases. The sharp detail and casting quality if perfect.

 

Very nice review, cheers!