What is the best method for painting rubber tire wheels on AFVs? I do it before mounting usually while still on the fret but I don't like it (have to clean up the areas not painted after cutting, and paint affects mounting). In both modelling books and on websites models occassionally appear fully constructed, with accessories (engineering tools, bedrolls, weapons, etc.) but unpainted. How is such detailed painting accomplished at this stage with the excellent results so often displayed?

Rubber tire road wheels are a pain....it's one of the drawbacks of armor modeling....much like aircraft canopies for the flyboys. One simple method is to paint the entire lower hull, roadwheels and all with a dirty muddy color and then go back with some base color during the drybrushing stage. For a slightly cleaner look, you can paint the centers first, then push each wheel onto a suitable tapered rod (I've used things like toothpicks, paintbrush handles, and sprues) to hold it and paint the rubber portion by brush. You can hold a brush against the wheel and spin the rob to get a nice edge. Some people use drafting templates, spraying the black first, then using the template to mask and spray the centers. Then mount to the tank when dry. It's very tedious, especially for things like Pz IV's and others with lots of little wheels but gives a clean result

Another way is to use sharpie pens to "color" the tires. If you use a very fine pen, you can get a pretty sharp demarc line between the tire and the rim, then fill in the rest with a wider pen. After you spray a dullcote it tones down the shineiness of the ink.

First step, go to an office supply store and buy a circle template. Should be no more that a buck or two. Mine is semi transparent green plastic. Remove your tank wheels from the sprue. Smae withthe halves for pneumatic wheel/tire assemblies. Assemble and dress pneumatic wheels. Sand off the attachment points and mold seams from tank wheels. Pray the rubber sections with Floquil rimy black or a similar dark gray (panzer gray is close to this). Take your circle template and match it to the wheel section. Tape off the adjacent circles to the one you'll be using. Spray the base color of the vehicle through the opening of the templates as you hold it flush to the wheel. Repeat for the other side. Weather as you like when this is fully dry. :-)

Not being an airbrush user my method involves brushes and artist technique.

First paint the wheels in their final colour. When they are cured you can start on the tyres.

Get a pallette, an old tin lid or margerine pot lid will do (clean of course). Put a drop or two of matt black enamel on the pallette and then a seperate drop or two of matte light grey. Using your brush, which should be a quality sable hair pointed tip brush, a No 2 does nicely for me, you can blend the spots of paint together a little at a time to a suitable dark grey colour.

Apply the mixed paint to the tyre. If you thin the paint slightly you will find capillary action draws it into the tyre/wheel rim area and leaves a nice even edge without any messy/fiddly masking. Continue to blend and apply until the tyre is complete and start on the next.

Hold the wheels on suitable round objects while painting and drying, brush handles, dowels, etc.

The nice thing about this method is that each mix of paint will be slightly different so you end up with a set of different coloured tyres. Much more realistic than a sprayed finish in one colour, especially matte black which does not look at all realistic.

Regards Dave

i usually do the rubber first. any over paint onto the wheel actually helps with the weathering. i find the metal rims are the high point of the wheels so when hand paint the wheels it is usually successful. I agree, this is oe of the "chores" in building armor

Thanks very much for your suggestions and taking the time to describe what is a tedious process. I will certainly try a few. My only regret being that evidently there is no magic bullet for the task.

Keiler,
I go with painting the rubber portion first and then using a circle template. However, I like to ust Testors "Rubber" in the little square bottles. After you weather and drybrush, it still looks like rubber. Don't you just love doing roadwheels?
HTH

I agree with Ron. I discovered Testors "Rubber" enamel thanks to this very forum and I'm very happi with it!

Here is how I paint mine, for what it is worth. Paint the road wheels the base color (chassis) color while they are still on the sprue. Airbrush, spray can, whatever. Let them dry. Cut 'em off and clean up the parting line. Stick them on bamboo skewers. Get a decent brush and some black acrylic paint. Hold the brush stationary and turn the bamboo skewer to paint one side and the outside diameter of the road wheel. You should be able to get a pretty crisp line between the wheel and the hub. If you get some paint on the rim of the road wheel just wipe it off with your finger tip while the paint is wet and give it another try. Stick the skewers in some florist foam and wait for the paint to dry. When the wheels are dry, pull them off the skewers, flip them over and repeat. Pretty wordy, eh?

circle template method works great for me.

skewer, panzer grey and a good brush then the template and base colour for me.