Ju 88 Wheels Late
(for Revell)

Eduard BRASSIN, 1/72 scale

Reviewed by Mark Davies

Eduard's 1/72 scale Ju 88 Late Wheels is available online from Squadron.com

For me, Eduard is a brand name that has become synonymous with superb quality and value for money. Their Brassin range looks set to continue in this vein.

There are several brands of replacement resin Ju 88 wheels in 1/72-scale, and some are very good. You could be forgiven for wondering if we need more options and improved rendering. Eduard obviously thought there was room for improvement, and I think they found it.

Eduard’s wheels are specified for the Revell’s new-tool Ju 88 kit, but would obviously suit other brand kits as well. They come attractively packaged in a blister pack with sponge cushioning. Very clear instructions are included, with colour call-outs are cross-referenced to the Gunze Aqueous and Mr Color paint ranges. The Pour stubs attach to the tyres at only three small points despite appearing to run around half the circumference of the tyres at first glance.

The quality of casting is exquisite, with a wealth of detail on the wheel hubs. The tyres are not weighted, which is fine by me, but can be flattened slightly to simulate some weight bearing on them. Also included are pre-cut paint masks to aid painting. There is a rear wheel mudguard made of resin along with PE braces to replace the kit part. 

The combination of top-quality packaging, superb detail rendition, separate hubs, and paint masks make Eduard’s Ju 88 (Late) wheels the best of the brands with which I am familiar. Eduard’s wheels have a close-run advantage compared to the best of the other brands. Perhaps only the more discriminating modellers will opt for them, as top quality in this case carries a definite price premium of around double the competition from Aires and Pavla. Neither of these brands includes a tail-wheel, and only Aires has a paint mask. However, this is only a very small cost in reality as they are low-cost items to begin with. I leave it to the reader to judge overall value in this case. 

These are excellent replacement wheels, which seem just a little ahead of the best competition in all respects (and the only one to offer a tail-wheel). A distinct premium over other brands reflects this; but to equip one model we are still only talking very small change – Definitely recommended.

Thanks to Eduard for the samples.

Review Text Copyright © 2013 by Mark Davies
Page Created 28 July, 2013
Last updated 28 July, 2013

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