Q and A Guide
Q: What wheels and tires are you talking about?
A: The subject of this guide targets 1/43rd and 1/20th scale Formula One kits.
Q: What do I need to perform before assembling the wheels and tires?
A: All parts must be cleaned (with soap water is fine) especially the rubber tires. Please try not to touch these tires as much as possible; I have noticed that some of the material used to make these tires attract dirt and dust. I would keep them in a secured place till I actually assemble them. Thus, in this guide, we will also apply a protective coat to ensure the clean tire surface.
Q: What do I do to bring out the alloy wheels finish?
A: For the aluminum finish, I am having a good luck with a buffing metallic paint. Try MM-1451 Aluminum Plate. This Model Master's metalizer lacquer paint works very well for me. I prime all the wheels first and then apply the metalizer.
These paint can be buffed with towel to bring out a shin after 10 minutes or so. For 1/43rd wheels, I use cotton swabs to polish/buff the hard to reach areas. Please note that the metalizer does not cure. Be careful not to damage to painted surface by touching it accidentally. Model Master does sell the sealer for their buffing metallic paints, but I wouldn't recommend as it tones down the shine.
Bringing out the alloy wheel finish
Q: Why do I need to treat the surface of tires?
A: It is not necessary to treat the surface with various coats if there are no decals to be applied onto the surface side-wall of tires. On the other hand, most of racing cars have the tire logos written on tires, and these are represented with decals.
Often the decals will not stay firmly when they are applied onto the surface of untreated tires. The problem is that the surface of tires are somewhat rough, the decals do not set tightly; the decals will stick to only smooth surfaces, otherwise they will simply peel off. These decals will often show the "silvering" (when decals do not seal completely) effect on these tires.
To correct this annoying problem, I give an initial coat of gloss finish on the sidewall of tires. Then I start applying the decals followed by another gloss coat on top of the decals. Make sure each process is fully dried. The initial coat of gloss will provide smoother surface for decals to stick, and the second coat of the gloss finish will protect the decal from peeling off. Then finally, I apply a flat finish coat to tone down the shine caused by the gloss finish.
One note, it is important to use acrylic based paints instead of enamel paints on these tires.
The oil based paints will not simply dry on these rubber tires.
Applying various surface coats
Q: The wheels supplied by the kit aren't as good as I wanted to be. How do I improve the quality of these parts?
A: One way to improve them is to use aftermarket products available from the various scale model companies. Some of these companies are Studio 27, Modeler's, and Perfect Parts.
The aftermarket wheels pictured below are from the Perfect Parts and they are direct replacement for 1/20th scale BSS wheels used by many F1 cars. The brass tuned parts and photo-etched parts are used to bring out the higher detail. They also have parts included for air valves, balance weights, and the lug nuts.
Applying various surface coats
Since these parts are metal, I can also use a metal polishing compound to easily bring out a nice metal shine.
Q: What can I do to bring out the definition of the wheel?
A: I usually give an overall "wash" to enhance the look of finished wheels. This is a technique where I thin down a black paint and carefully brush it onto the entire surface. I use acrylic based paint and I have a good result using Windex to thin down the paint. Of course, you can also use acrylic paint thinner. The thinning ratio should be 4:1 of the thinner and paint respectively.
Applying a wash
The wash will bring out the definition of the wheels by darkening the recessed areas as the picture shows above.
