Super Singel tire with spray protection rib
In early 2010, Heinz Schwarz informed me that he had convinced Guido Kehder to develop the master model of a Super Singel tire with spray protection rib in Scale 1/24. Such a tire was not yet available on the market and would fill a significant gap in the truck modeling world. Unlike traditional tires, however, this new tire was to be made not from resin but from a flexible, rubber-like material. The requirements Heinz set for the final product made the project even more challenging.
The model tire needed to be:
- of high quality,
- made from flexible black material,
- uand have minimal or no spure marks.
Given the planned production run of fewer than 1,000 tires, mass production (e.g., injection molding) was ruled out due to the high costs. Thus, only small-scale production was an option.
Shortly thereafter, I received the master model made of polystyrene and faced the challenge of transforming it into a soft, rubber-like tire.
I had often made silicone molds from hard master models and cast them in resin to produce copies. However, for this tire, I needed to adapt the process: a soft copy of the hard master model could only come from a hard mold.
After thorough consideration, I developed a prototype mold and searched for the ideal material for the casts. My previous experience in molding and casting techniques proved invaluable during this process.
After an intensive development and testing phase, small-scale production and sales of the Super Singel tire with spray protection rib in Scale 1/24 began in April 2010.
Shortly afterward, I also developed various matching rims with hubs and nut protection rings. Together with the tire, these became practical accessory sets that I still offer in my online shop today.
