introduction

The UK company Grey Matter Figures has been reviving the resin upgrades & conversions of master modeler Jerry Rutman, as well as adding goodies here and there as GMF and Jerry see fit. Their latest offering comes in the form of two sets of resin replacement wheels for the 1/24 scale P-51 Mustang. Trumpeter's kit is probably the most widely-available version, and these resin tyres are a great substitute for the vinyl ones Trumpeter supplies with its kits. Modelers have a choice of the more-common diamond tread, as well as the oval tread version in two separate sets.

what you get

Each set comes in a Ziploc baggie and contains:

2 x Main wheels cast in grey resin
2 x Sets of hubs
1 x Tail wheel

The seminal questions about any resin wheel set are:

1.) Are they needed?
2.) Are the well-cast?
3.) Are they an improvement of the kit offering?

The answer to all three questions is "yes." Vinyl wheels not only have been criticized for decomposing over time, but they generally will not allow for weathering with any success. Further, they often look "wrong" or have other issues. The Trumpy kit is supplied with diamond tread tyres, while the Grey Matter oval pattern set gives modelers more of a choice.

The casting of the parts is exceedingly crisp, something I've come to expect from Grey Matter. The wheel hubs have good detailing as one would assume from a part in this larger scale. Finally, ordering from Grey Matter is always easy, and they really stand behind their products.

conclusion

There's not a lot to say about replacement wheels: either they work or they don't. In this case, they're well-cast, crisply detailed and a big improvement over the kit-supplied parts.

Please remember, when contacting retailers or manufacturers, to mention that you saw their products highlighted here - on AEROSCALE.