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CB Model Products Scale Aircraft Wheel Sander

By Matt Bittner

CB Model Products (CBMP) has hit on an interesting idea with their Scale Aircraft Wheel Sander.  Build a product that will enable modelers to relatively easily sand their model wheels to give them that "heavy" look - as if there was "real" weight sitting on model tires.  Build that tool so that you can ensure all tires for a model will have the same look - in other words, one side won't be higher than the other because you mis-sanded one side more than the other.

But the kicker is, you need to also build the tool so that landing gear that is "tilted" - like the Bf 109, for example - those wheels can also be sanded without worrying about the mis-match.  That's where the CBMP tool really shines.  You can tilt the part with the wheel in it away from 90 degrees so you can "sand" the correct "tilt" into the tires.

Since you can measure where the tire sits in relation to the tool you can guarantee each tire will be sanded the same exact amount.

Inside the pacakge with the actual tool is a number of rubber 'O-rings' (used to protect raised, hub detail when you clamp the wheels into the tool) as well as a small piece of sandpaper.

You'll notice in my photos I sanded a Hasegawa 1/72 Spitfire Mk.IX wheel.  You can also see I sanded it using my vacuform sanding surface - basically a piece of hardened glass with sandpaper rubber-cemented to the glass.  Worked like a charm, and you can see how the one wheel turned out in comparison to the other.

All in all a nice tool to help you flatten your kit wheels.  My thanks to CB Model Products for the review tool.