Alright, final update for today I think.
Since the wheels are void of detail, I needed to fabricate the wheel hub covers.
First I measured the wheels to determine the correct diameter for the covers in mm. I set the measurement on my circle cutter and using the 30° blade cut out circles from thin styrene sheet.
Consulting my references, I scribed a single line down the center of each disc. Then using a pencil I marked out the position of the six bolts that would secure the cover to the wheel. I pierced each mark with a thumb tack to represent each bolt recess.
Here are the new covers ready to be installed after painting. Another plus of choosing to go this route of making the wheels is that I can paint everything separately and assemble later without the need for masking. Woohoo!!
Next I moved onto the landing gear legs and covers.
I drilled holes in the torsion links per the actual aircraft. A simple yet effective way to add a touch of interest and refinement to the kit parts. These are the gear legs from the Nichimo kit, far more accurate and detailed than the Otaki/Arii parts, plus they have the oleo boots that were on the particular aircraft I am modelling, another win.
The gear covers from the Nichimo kit are nicely detailed with subtle rivets that matches that of the rest of the aircraft. I thought the appearance could be improved though by making the covers closer to scale by making them thinner.
Instead of spending a lot of time sanding down the parts, I decided to scratchbuild new ones. I applied masking tape to the Nichimo covers and trimmed it to match. I used this as a template, placed it on thin sheet styrene, traced with a pencil, cut out two new covers with my X-Acto and cleaned up the edges with a sanding stick.
Using the original covers as a guide I scribed in the separation line with my scriber and added rivet detail with a thumb tack.
The new covers with the original Nichimo part. It does not show from this angle, but the new pieces are about 1/3 the thickness of the original parts. I still need to make the small rectangular covers that will be at the top of each leg.
That's it for now guys. All these small details drag out the project but hopefully it will make a difference in the end.
Chad