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PE wire wheel assembly help


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I posted this request in General, but really didn't get any experienced responses.

I have a set of Model Factory Hiro PE 16" wire wheels, with instructions that are very hard to follow, but the main deal is knowing what glue to apply, and where. Can anyone help with a tutorial?

MFHwirewheelinstructions.png

Edited by sjordan2
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I got a set of these for the Revell AM DB4. They're kinda tricky, but they look nice. You should notice on both the sprues and the plate of PE parts that everything is numbered. I would recommend a toothpick and superglue around the inside edges of the main plastic wheel assemblies. There should be a lip on the sides of parts H-1, H-2, H-4 and H-5 with a little key that should match the small indentation in the edges of the PE parts.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I really struggled with the one from my MFH Ferrari 500 f2 kit. In fact, I've only done the front ones and need to get up the courage to crack on with the rears. I found aligning the notches in the PE bits easy enough and could see the sequence in which to assemble them. I ended up only applying a dab of superglue right at the last minute to the hub and inner ring to hold everything together. It seems to have done the trick. The bit I struggled with most was getting the 3D angles to the spokes: as I understand it from the reference books, the knock-off centre caps stand out proud so the spokes need to be 'bent' to stick out. When I assembled the wheels initially, there was nothing to force them to bend so they sat flat which didn't look right. Nothing in the instructions though about having to manually bend them. No tips on how to do it, or how much, etc... That's when I started to realise that an early MFH kit MIT not be the best way for me to start in the model-making game! Still, in for a penny...

So as for a tutorial, I'm not experienced but I did the below for my wheels. This tutorial is for the rears. If you want to try them, start by following the instructions but without glue. See if the bend of the spokes looks right - I don't understand what is supposed to put the necessary bends in PE1 and PE2...:

1. Lay H4 face down on the table. Face down means that the wider opening is facing up.

2. Use a pencil to carefully mark a straight line on the inside of the hub, running from the inside edge to the outside edge.

3. Cut PE1 and PE2 from the photo etch sheet and remove any sprue marks.

4. Align PE1 and PE2 with one another to ensure the notches align.

5. Drop PE1 and PE2 into H4 and ensure that the notch lines up with your pencil line.

6. Insert the centre of H7 into the centre hole of PE1 and PE2 ensuring the hole for the knock-off is facing downwards.

7. Cut PE3 and PE4 from the photo etch sheet and remove any sprue marks.

8. Align PE3 and PE4 with one another to ensure the notches align and their spoke direction is correct.

9. Drop PE3 and PE4 into H4 and ensure that the notch lines up with your pencil line.

10. Drop the H5 spacer ring into H4 to trap the PE pieces assembled so far.

11. Cut PE5and PE6 from the photo etch sheet and remove any sprue marks.

12. Align PE5 and PE6 with one another to ensure the notches align.

13. Drop PE5 and PE6 into H4 and ensure that the notch lines up with your pencil line?

14. Apply a dab of glue to the inner edge of H6 and press it into H4 until set.

15. Apply a dab of glue to the rear face of H7 to attach it to PE5 and PE6.

16. Glue the centre knock off into H7.

I hope this is of some help.

Thanks,

Andy

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For getting the proper "dish" either in or out look at drawer pull knobs and some of the craft turnings.

Ah OK, so do you mean that before I assemble the wheel, I ought to dish the relevant bits of PE? Silly question then: how do I know which ones to dish - all 6 pieces or just the outer 2? I wish MFH had just included a tiny bit of instruction around this like "for the front wheels, PE1,2,3 and 4 need to be pre-dished approx 5mm before assembly." Goes to show that these things aren't aimed at novices like me! :)

Thanks,

Andy

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