How to build Hobby Design 250TR wheels?

[Chillyb1]

Has anyone built these from this photoetch detail set?:

The deluxe detail set from Hobby Design comes with rims and hubs, as well as instructions. This set provides the spokes you clearly see, but there are no rims or hubs. There are also NO INSTRUCTIONS! Anyway, are we supposed to despoke the kit wheels and use the rim and hub? IF SO, how?

If you have built these, or can through other modeling experience provide a course of action I'll be eternally grateful. Bear in mind that I don't want to buy anything else, including tools to do the job. Surely there must be a way to do so with the basic tools and modeling skills of an advanced intermediate modeler.

[Chillyb1]

All right, then. I guess I'll go with my original plan to modify the kit wheels to take the photoetch spokes. I'll let you know what happens.

[Mike Kucaba]

The best way I have found to do PE wire wheels is look at wooden drawer knobs at a home center or craft store, You can use these as forms when you want to form the basket dish. I give credit to Wayne Moyer who showed this method in a couple magazine build-ups. I have knobs that are rounded and concave and one that appears to be for a handle.

[Draggon]

I've seen the build-up on these somewhere. Might be the "other place". If I can find it I'll let ya know!

[Chillyb1]

If I can find it I'll let ya know!

If you can find something, i'll be eternally grateful.

[Chillyb1]

Well, I have discovered that my method will work. Here are some photos of the process:

First, I removed the spokes from the wheel using a sprue cutter. Then I used my handy-dandy Dremel Stylus with a sanding drum to remove the spoke ends in the wheel and carefully removed the rest of the spoke ends from the hub using the sprue cutters. Next, I chucked the hub piece into the Dremel and used several needle files to shape the hub, working as though it were a lathe. I got the shape I wanted and test fit the spokes. I also lathed away some of the rear of the hub so it would be the proper length to fit into the finished brake drums on the kit. In order to keep the rear spokes realistically angled, I created a spacer for from a leftover polycap.

This rough job took less than an hour. With some cleanup, I think these are going to work just fine and look great.

[MikeMc]

Excellent !!!

[Mike Kucaba]

Will/can you send the rims out for chroming or use Alcad? I saw another set for thsi same model that had aluminum rims as part of the set.

[Chillyb1]

Will/can you send the rims out for chroming or use Alcad? I saw another set for thsi same model that had aluminum rims as part of the set.

I used the Hasegawa wire wheel set when I built this kit before. That set had the rims and hubs (seen in the photo below), which are plastic. Some detail sets (from KA Models and the deluxe version of this Hobby Design set) have rims that are turned aluminum. I won't be going for a chrome look, so I'll probably shoot some metalizer when I get them finished.