I have found during my various partwork builds that the instructions often tell us to install the wheel Center Caps too early. There may be times when we need to access to the screws behind them to either tighten or remove/replace a wheel. I often recommend to my readers to leave these caps off until the build is complete for this exact reason.

The same applies with our 1:8 scale Ghostbusters Ecto-1 – once the original caps are installed, they are difficult to remove without possibly damaging the cap and/or the wheel. But, thanks to the mod machine Mike Lane, we now have a solution we can all use: his new Magnetic Wheel Caps!

Included with this mod are five (5) replacement center caps with a magnetic post (one extra cap is provided as a spare). Each cap is pre-printed with a period-accurate ‘Cadillac’ logo. These magnets are so strong I had to space them far apart just to take this picture:

Installation

NOTE: These wheel caps can be installed at any point after each Ecto-1 wheel is installed (Stages 4, 17, 32, and 36). Since I received this mod after I had reached Stage 70, the photos below will reflect that point in the build.

This mod is incredibly easy to install, especially if you have not inserted your stock wheel caps yet. However, if you do have the stock caps in place, you will need to carefully remove them first. I recommend taking a piece of strong tape or Blu Tack, stick it to the cap, and try to pull the caps out. Using a sharp instrument risks damaging the chrome Hubcap, so save that option as a last resort:

Otherwise, just insert the post of one of the new caps into the center of the wheel and it will magnetically jump right into place!

Removing these new caps is just as easy. Mike includes a magnetic removal tool that pops them back out without any fuss. Be sure to use the supplied plastic ‘tab’ in between to protect the cap, then just pull them right out:

Thoughts

I love quick and easy mods the improve the look of our Ecto-1 model. And, since these caps are more accurate to the real car, I will be discarding my stock wheel caps altogether. If you never want to worry about removing or losing your stock center caps, pick up a set of these Magnetic Wheel Caps in Mike’s online store. They are totally worth it!