Ju 88 Wheels Late &

Fw 190 Wheels Early

Eduard BRASSIN, 1/48 scale

Reviewed by Brad Fallen

Eduard BRASSIN WGr.21 for Bf 109 G will be available online from Squadron.com

These Brassin wheel sets offer simple upgrades for two popular 1/48 Luftwaffe subjects. 

The Ju set is marked as ‘for Dragon kit’, which in its Dragon, Promodeler or Revell guise is I think the only 1/48 Ju 88 series in this scale.  The Fw 190 wheels, while identified as ‘for Eduard kit’, have a broader applicability given the wide range of 1/48 Würger kits.

As usual with Brassin products, the parts are perfectly cast and come with clearly illustrated instructions.  Casting blocks have been engineered to make the wheels easy to remove and clean up, while pre-cut masks make hub painting an easy job.

The Fw 190 set requires virtually no effort to install.  It consists of two mainwheels that are direct replacements for their kit equivalents.  Detail is noticeably crisper than on the plastic wheels in my 1/48 Hasegawa Fw 190 A-4 and Eduard Fw 190 A-5 kits.  Another difference is that the circular perforations on the inner hub of the Brassin wheels are noticeably larger than the perforations on the Hasegawa and Eduard wheels.  Period photos suggest the Brassin holes may be closer to the mark, but it’s hard to be emphatic because the photos I found weren’t great quality.  A final detail worth noting is that the Brassin tyres have a ribbed tread, whereas many early Fw 190s had tyres without tread; check your references to make sure you choose the right wheels for the aircraft you are modelling.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

• 
• 

Thumbnail panels:

The Ju 88 set is slightly more complicated because the hubs have been cast as separate parts. 

They will need to be carefully sawn off their blocks and inserted into holes on the mainwheels, but this should be straightforward if you take your time and test-fit as you go.  Care will also be needed bending and attaching the photo-etched brace that links the tail wheel with its mudguard.

I haven’t been able to compare the Brassin wheels with those in my Dragon Ju 88 G-6 kit because the kit is buried at the back of my stash, but I can’t see the 23 year-old Dragon mouldings comparing in terms of finesse and detail.  

These sets will add a subtle touch of detail to your next 1/48 Fw 190 or Ju 88 model, for little extra effort on your part.  The sets are well produced and presented, and therefore highly recommended.

Highly Recommended.

Thanks to Eduard for the samples and images.

Review Text Copyright © 2016 by Brad Fallen
Page Created 5 August, 2016
Last updated 5 August, 2016

Back to HyperScale Main Page

Back to Reviews Page