Eduard have released a highly detailed set of resin wheels to replace the plastic parts in their new 1:48 Hawker Tempest.

The set is sealed in a clear blister pack, with two layers of soft foam to protect the parts in transit.

The new wheels are beautifully cast and detailed; the hubs are better detailed than their styrene counterparts, while the mainwheel tyres have tiny raised ridges running around each sidewall and delicate makers names. Meanwhile, the tailwheel has a more complex profile than the kit version along with better detail.

The resin parts are simpler to use than the plastic originals, with single castings for each wheel instead of multi-part assemblies. This includes the non-castering tailwheel with its distinctive cross-section, so it's just a question of removing the parts from their casting blocks and they're ready to use. The wheels are designed "weighted" with a subtle flat-spot where they attach to their casting blocks which will help depict the bulk of the real aircraft.

Along with the resin wheels, the set includes a small sheet of die-cut kabuki tape masks to ensure a neat paint job.

Eduard provide a set of clearly illustrated instructions to show how to use the masks and line up the finished wheels correctly, but experienced modellers will hardly need them.

Conclusion

Eduard's replacement Tempest wheels are really excellent and a definite improvement over the standard parts. They are straightforward enough for beginners with resin to have no problems, and would actually make ideal first resin upgrades for anyone to try their hand with.

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