Scale Spokes 1/48 DH-2 Wheels
By Matt Bittner
Wheels from years gone by were built just like bicycle wheels. There was a hub which had spokes emenating out of it to the actual wheel, where the tire was added. Until it was figured out that these "open" spokes could be providing adverse aerodynamics, WWI wheels were left uncovered, revealing their spokes. So, when you deal with earlier aviation during that war, there were a lot of wheels left uncovered.
It did happen later in the war but it was a more conscious decision. When you build early aviation during WWI there is a lot of times you want to have your wheels uncovered. There is definitely a lot of work involved, but no longer do you have to worry about doing that work yourself. Scale Spokes now has a whole line of WWI wheels in 1/72, 1/48 and 1/32 (plus special-order for 1/144). They provide wheels for a lot of the "main" WWI aircraft.
This includes the DH-2 in 1/48. These wheels are not kit specific so will cater to any DH-2 in 1/48. They come with black and white rubber for the tires, along with unpainted resin (rubber isn't naturally black so you'll have to either use the resin wheels or re-paint the black ones). The resin tires will need resin-webbing removed from the center of the tire.
If you're looking for a fast way to put spoked-wheels on your WWI aircraft, then you'll want to pick up these wheels sets from Scale Spoke.
My thanks to UMM-USA for the wheels. You can find more information on the Scale Spokes site.