How to remove Maisto Rims and Brake Discs

[Gafoto]

The first thing to do is get ahold of your axle. Most maisto cars have a panel that holds the axle in and is kept in place by two screws and mebbe some tabs. Pop it off and get out the axle. Next you will notice that if it has brake discs it is pretty hard to work with. Usually it helps to take small pair of scissors (my preffered tool when working with rims) and push the brake disc OUT towards the rim. It will become loose and will spin freely. This allows you to get the wheel off. To remove the wheel you will place the scissors tip inside the location of the former brake disc like you see in the picture. When pushing the scissors out towards the wheel the pressure (in concept) should force the wheel off. This is how I broke my first axle. Place your finger opposite the scissors and keep the wheel from twisting (essentially you want the wheel lifting straight off the axle). The wheel is connected to the axle by a very small and sadly breakable piece.
If this piece is broken it is VERY difficult to fix. If you feel that you are applying alot of pressure and its not coming off: stop. Sometimes the little fat piece of spinning plastic that holds the wheel on is so tightly placed that it takes more force to get it away from the wheel than it does to break the plastic piece holding it to the axle.


The spinning plastic piece that holds the wheel to the axle. It is tightly attached to the axle by a piece that can easily break.

These rims are completely unremovable as far as I'm concerned. You WILL break the plastic if you keep forcing it. It really isn't very strong. The spinning plastic piece that holds the rims on is only holding it to the axle by pressure so you will feel it slid out away from the axle. Try to avoid pulling directly on the wheel since you are usually gripping the axle when pulling and you end up weakening the plastic.


This is a pic of the wheel once it is off.


The brake disc is usually located right around that flat disc shape right above the wheel. If there was one in the picture you would push it DOWN into the wheel. It will become loose. You cant keep it in its normal position bcs if you do you cant fit scissors into the wheel and pry.


This is me prying off the wheel. Note the position of my finger and the location of the scissors. The little disc gives you some leverage.

I hope this has been helpful (I know it was repetetive). Let the questions roll.

[Midnight Racer]

Very first diecast tutorial.

[KrNJuN]

aww cant c pix but ty very much fer tha tutorial

[Car Lover CL]

from what model are this wheels from ?

[KrNJuN]

i dun hab those on my h2 or any otha maisto models tha i hab

[Gafoto]

Those rims are from a Jaguar XJ220 and are stuck on a lamborghini murcielago axle. That isn't the point though. All the maisto rims are essentially the same and function on the same principals. And Krnjun you have to be really careful with Hummer rims they are easy to break.

[StygianMax]

Awesome details Gafoto! I have a few 1:18 Maisto Le Mans cars that I want to paint the rotors to a steel colour. There's just one detail I don't know....are they carbon fibre discs? And if they are, what colour are they??

[Gafoto]

If the rotors are steel I can't really help you. They would be a straight silver in color. If they are carbon fiber they would be a glossy black. The actual effect of carbon fiber is difficult to reproduce since it has a shiny reflective look that reflects oddly. For either color I would reccomend spray paint (I get mine from Wal-Mart). A few very lights coats will be good. If you put too much on at one time the paint can fill in the holes in the brake disc and make it look poor.

For a custom look you could try some chrome paint or even gold such as the style found on the maserati 3200GT. I also like to take tape (I use packing tape) and tape of the brake disc and paint the caliper. In that situation you can choos a myriad of stylish colors. If you want to make the car look stock I would reccommend a glossy red or black. Of course you will loose any lettering that might have been present....

[StygianMax]

Originally Posted by Gafoto

If the rotors are steel I can't really help you. They would be a straight silver in color. If they are carbon fiber they would be a glossy black. The actual effect of carbon fiber is difficult to reproduce since it has a shiny reflective look that reflects oddly. For either color I would reccomend spray paint (I get mine from Wal-Mart). A few very lights coats will be good. If you put too much on at one time the paint can fill in the holes in the brake disc and make it look poor.

For a custom look you could try some chrome paint or even gold such as the style found on the maserati 3200GT. I also like to take tape (I use packing tape) and tape of the brake disc and paint the caliper. In that situation you can choos a myriad of stylish colors. If you want to make the car look stock I would reccommend a glossy red or black. Of course you will loose any lettering that might have been present....

Thanks for the ideas. I actually painted the calipers on my own car red.

[supramike420]

hey i have a maisto but the axle isnt like that i have the RSX and its different so this tutorial doesnt apply. Maybe u know how to remove RSX rims? Thx

[Gafoto]

Is the RSX a 1:24? Usually the maisto 1:24s have pop-off wheels. They work on the same concept (a large axle fitting into a slightly smaller wheel hole) but don't often slide as well as the 1:18 cars. Also the axles may not all look like the one in the picture. Just take the time to try and figure out how it comes out. It really sux to break axles...

[jcz1987]

Thanks for this info. I am going to remove my stock rims on my Maisto 1/18 Corvette ZO6 and replace them with some new racing rims I bought on www.tuning18.com.