Wheel Sets for F-15A/B/C/D and F-15E/IK

North Star Models, 1/72 scale

Reviewed by Mark Davies

Eduard's 1/72 Avia B.534 IV serie Weekend Edition is available online from Squadron.com

North Star is a Latvian company I first heard of a month or so ago. I placed an order with them and my goods arrived in perfect order in New Zealand within 10 days; so order from them with confidence.

Each wheel set comes in a small re-sealable cellophane bag enclosing a zip-lock plastic bag of resin parts; and in the case of NS72074a, a tiny PE fret and a folded A4 sheet of instructions are also included. No colour call-outs are provided, but the images of the real aircraft wheels are abundant and readily available on the web. The packaging does not mention which versions of F-15 the wheels are intended for, but this information is included on North Star’s website.

The quality of resin casting and PE production is very good, and the instructions provided with NS72074a are clear and easy to follow, not that any are really needed.

North Star’s tyres all have a very flat crown to the tread area when viewed head-on, which is more typical of radial than bias-ply tyres, whereas bias-ply tyres typically have a rounded tread area where it is not in contact with the ground. I think this flat-appearance is correct. Also, the fact that the tyres are un-weighted is in their favour, as at 305psi inflation it takes a lot to bulge a tyre to the extent seen with some aftermarket resin wheels.

North Star’s website had a number of CAD images applicable to NS72074a, and photo images of NS72074b, so that is how to easily distinguish them in the gallery section of this article.

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My own contents images are annotated with the applicable set’s part number.

NS72074a – F-15A/B/C/D

NS72074a is for the F-15A/B/C/D and features Goodyear tyres on all four wheels. North Star’s website describes them as ‘No Mask Series’, requiring no masking because the wheel rims are cast separately from the tyres, plus they have separate small PE hub-caps for each main wheel. I am unsure of why the F-15J & DJ are not listed with this set as they are essentially a Japanese F-15C & D respectively.

One small issue with this set is the F-15C/D initially had different main wheels to the F-15A/B as part of a strengthened undercarriage for the later variants’ heavier operating weights. It is true that most F-15A/B’s were fitted with F-15C/D wheels after going through the Multistage Improvement Program (MSIP) which began in 1983, and it is the later wheel type that NS74074a provides. As such, North Star’s wheel it is not suitable for a pre-MSIP F-15A/B, but fine for all F-15C/D’s and any late-service F-15A/B’s after 1995.

If modelling an F-15A/B as it appeared between 1983 and 1995 ideally you should determine if it had gone through the MSIP to determine the correct main wheel style to use.

NS72074b – F-15E/I/K

NS72074b is for the F-15E/I/K, with Goodyear tyres on the main wheels and Michelin tyres on the nose wheels. Described on North Star’s website as ‘Light Series’, perhaps because the one-piece wheels and tyres price is lighter, or this set has fewer parts when compared to the ‘No Mask Series’. These wheels will of course require masking, but this represents only a small chore.

I knew that F-15E/I/K Eagles have larger main wheels (and bulged wheel doors to accommodate them) to cope with higher operating weights than the F-14A/B/C/D air-superiority versions. So I compared the main wheels from the two sets rule graduated in 0.5mm increments under magnification as I do not own a micrometer. I could find no discernible difference in tyre diameter or cross-section between them, so I did some more research.

My Aerofax reference indicated that the F-15E uses Bendix wheels with Michelin Air-X radial tyres on nose and main wheels (the set provides Goodyear tyres for the mains), the main wheel tyre size being 36x11-18, whereas the F-15C/D uses and Bendix wheel with 34.5x9.75-18 Goodyear tyres. This represents a difference in diameter of 1.5” and 1.25” in section width, or just 0.53mm or 4% and 0.44mm or 13% respectively in the “One True Scale”. 13% greater section width might be noticeable, but only the really pedantic would worry about this difference (but I felt I should check!). Frankly, I think your could use either set on any F-15C/D/E etc and post-MSIP F-15A/B for the sake of about 0.5mm difference in diameter and width.

In case readers should wonder, the nose wheels the F-15C/D (and MSIP A/B) uses a Goodyear 22x6.6-10 whilst the F-15E has a Michelin 22x7.75-9 tyre; which equates to 0.4mm difference in section width in 1/72 scale.

To be honest, I would not put too much weight on what brand tyre was used according to my reference, as government contracts for expendable commodities like tyres can change, so  Michelin or Goodyear logos on tyre sidewalls is probably not worth worrying too much about.

I have no idea why the F-15A/B/C/D should be chosen for the ‘No Mask Series’ and the F-15E/I/K for the ‘Light Series’.  Frankly, I think the time spent removing the ‘No Mask Series’ wheel rims from their casting blocks does not compensate for the time saved not having to mask or the extra cost. But that is just my opinion.

Both wheel sets are very good quality and nicely detailed. They will enhance any applicable F-15 Eagle model.
I believe that in 1/72 scale there is no worthwhile dimensional difference between the F-15C/D’s tyre size and the F-15E/I/K’s, and I cannot measure closely enough to tell if North Star has allowed for the approximately 0.5 mm diameter and section width difference between the two sets anyway.

So I would say use either set for air superiority or strike Eagles depending on your preference for ‘No Mask’ or ‘Light’ series wheels; although personally, I see little to no advantage in the ‘No Mask Series’ when the extra parts removal work and their 46% price premium is taken into account.

Just remember these wheels will not suit pre-MSIP F-15A/B’s (pre 1983, check references for 1983-1996), but are fine for A/B’s from 1996 onwards.

I am happy to recommend both wheel sets.

Thanks to North Star Models for the review samples.

Review Text Copyright © 2016 by Mark Davies
Page Created 22 June, 2016
Last updated 22 June, 2016

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