This new Tool from CB Model Products
is a Scale Aircraft Wheel Sander. This is a tool that is long overdue as
far as I'm concerned. Modellers have been sanding the tires flat on their
model kits for quite a while to get that added level of realism, but it has always been something that has been less
than accurate, especially on tires with landing gear that are on an angle such
as the Bf-109. This tool comes with a variety of rubber washers of
different sizes to protect the delicate detail on the side of your wheels.
For this article I used a 1/48 Hasegawa F/A-18 tire wheel, which will give you
an idea of the size of this tool.
Click on
images below to see larger images
You simple sandwich the wheel/tire between the rubber washers and slip it into
the clamp and finger tighten the brass nuts. Now you attach a piece of 320
grit wet and dry sandpaper to your work surface with white glue or spray
adhesive. Apply a little bit of water to the sandpaper to keep the dust
under control (resin dust is very bad for your lungs). Another possible
option might be to thumbtack a longer stripe of sand paper to a scrap
piece of wood on your work surface. The sand paper must remain perfectly
flat for best results. Now flip the tool over and begin
sliding the wheel back and forth on the sand paper. I've made a simple
little video below to demonstrate.
But that is not all....say you're
working on an aircraft like the Bf-109 that has landing gear legs that aren't
perfectly vertical.....no problem. You insert the wheel into this tool and
loosen the big black knob and rotate the clamp holding the tire until you get the
correct angle for your landing gear. Then tighten the big black nut and
begin sanding. This ability to sand the bottom side of a tire at a certain
angle is something most of us just can't accurately eyeball. But with this
tool you will have no problem getting your tires sanding perfectly every time.
I like this tool very much......it
is very sturdy being made from Machined aluminum and should last for
decades. This tool takes an often hit and miss task and will give you
accurate results every time. That makes it a valuable tool in my opinion.
You can buy this tool directly from
CB Model Products at cbmodelproducts@hotmail.com
Steve Bamford
Click on
images below to see larger images
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