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In-Box Review
135
Sd.Kfz. 7 road wheels (slick)
Sd.Kfz. 7 Front Wheels (slick tread pattern)
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by: Bill Cross [ BILL_C ]

introduction

The Sd.Kfz. 7 is probably the most-famous half track used by the Wehrmacht during World War II. Developed by the firm of Kraus-Maffei, it served in all theaters and in roles that included troop transport, artillery prime mover and a platform for various FlaK guns (as well as a mobile control cabin for the V2 rocket). The Seven has also enjoyed a veritable Renaissance in plastic kit form over the past two years that has taken it out of the primitive versions still being pedaled by Tamiya into a flurry of new kits by both Trumpeter and Dragon.

One of the problems with both lines are the road wheels supplied. Sd.Kfz. 7s sported several makes of tires and tread patterns, yet the Trumpeter kits have a post-war vinyl tire, and DML has a Dragon Styrene tire in one tread pattern with no commercial markings.

Into this vacuum has come QuickWheel, the Polish company known for its excellent painting masks, and (under the brand name BitsKrieg) a growing line of superb resin road wheels for a variety of Wehrmacht halftracks. Their newest offering includes two versions of road wheel for the Sd.Kfz. 7: a "diamond" tread pattern and a "sleek" tread pattern with the Fulda logo on it that is one of the most-common treads seen on period photos.

what you get

Inside QuickWheel's usual zip lock bag stapled to a pasteboard hanger are:

2 resin tires with the Fulda logo on the side
2 six-spoke hubs
1 painting mask
a sheet of instructions with photos of original wheels

the review

Vinyl tires simply aren't an acceptable solution to many modelers: you can't paint or weather them properly, and some vinyl has been known to disintegrate over time or after exposure to the solvents in paint.

A number of companies have released AM resin road wheels for the Sd.Kfz. 7, but none of them reaches the same level of execution that QW has with its resin offerings. There is almost no sign of a pour plug-- a relief for those of us who remember sawing off large plugs on other resin tire offerings, then trying to hide the ugly scar on the bottom. These wheels look as if they were reduced from the real thing to 1/35th scale. There is no clean-up, no need for tools, not even a hobby knife, just assemble and paint.

And the painting is a snap thanks to the QW vinyl mask included.

You might think you can paint a wheel by hand, but you haven't come as close to perfection as these masks will get you. And if you insist on making your own masks from tape, then I say "please, will you mask my kits?" Because I don't have the time to waste on home-made masks.

conclusion

Despite the cost, I don't think a better or even an equivalent solution exists. These wheels will give either Trumpeter or Dragon Sd.Kfz. 7s the best-looking wheels around. Be sure to couple them with QW's bogey wheel masks (reviewed for the Trumpeter kit here and the Dragon kits here).

Thanks to Quick Wheel for providing this review sample. Be sure to say you saw it reviewed here on Armorama when ordering.

Click here for additional images for this review.

SUMMARY
Highs: Quick Wheel's usual amazing accuracy and detailing. Replaces supplied wheels for both the Dragon & Trumpeter kits. No tools needed, no clean-up required.
Lows: A bit pricey for some.
Verdict: Highly-recommended, especially for the Trumpeter kits with their vinyl wheels.
Percentage Rating
97%
  Scale: 1:35
  Mfg. ID: QWX-026
  Suggested Retail: NA
  PUBLISHED: Aug 01, 2011
  NATIONALITY: Germany
NETWORK-WIDE AVERAGE RATINGS
  THIS REVIEWER: 90.08%
  MAKER/PUBLISHER: 88.69%

Our Thanks to Quick Wheel!
This item was provided by them for the purpose of having it reviewed on this KitMaker Network site. If you would like your kit, book, or product reviewed, please contact us.

View Vendor Homepage  |  More Reviews  

About Bill Cross (bill_c)
FROM: NEW JERSEY, UNITED STATES

Self-proclaimed rivet counter who gleefully builds tanks, planes and has three subs in the stash.

Copyright ©2021 text by Bill Cross [ BILL_C ]. All rights reserved.



Comments

Can ANYONE please tell me where in Great Britain (or UK , if you was born in Great Britain and cant/ dont wann use ya Countrys Proper Title !!) I can buy a 'Quick Wheel' wheels & masks set , for 1:35 Sd.Kfz.-7 ???? Cheers in advance . 😊
JUN 19, 2017 - 06:32 AM
Not quite sure if you are talking about the above set, or one of their other Sd.Kfz 7 sets... but anyway... There is a UK ( ) based seller on eBay that sells some of their sets. Try a search on there, for example: 1/35 Quickwheel QW-029 Sd.Kfz.7 for Trumpeter kit It seems there might even be a bricks and mortar shop with this seller, but no idea if you can actually go there, some of these places are just warehouses for mail order. Try giving them a ring if you prefer turning up in person. Must be said that QuickWheels own website gives no information at all on where to buy them. Main stockists seem to be those big model shops in Germany with their odd insistence on sending everything DHL. Otherwise there is a Polish seller for the above set, postage is only £3.53 which seems OK. 1/35 QUICKWHEEL QWX-026 Sd.Kfz. 7 Sleek tread pattern Front Wheels
JUN 19, 2017 - 05:48 PM
Get yourself one of these: I paid £2.55 for mine far cheaper. I have tested most 1/35 road wheels,they do Tiger/Panther/Panzer IV/III Panzer II/Sherman/Cromwell and most russian tanks,it may take a bit longer to paint all the wheels but what ever hole I use I just mask off around it so there is no over spray. And you can even do most return rollers.
JUN 19, 2017 - 06:08 PM
You can order direct from the QuickWheel store. I've not had any issue having them direct ship to me in India. LINK
JUN 19, 2017 - 06:17 PM
Odd there was no link to the store from the web site I got to... LINK out of date link on ScaleMates On the home made masking, you can also get a paper circle cutter.
JUN 19, 2017 - 06:31 PM
Greg has mostly gone dark and operates his business from eBay. I have purchased stuff more recently than this ancient review, and would say to you DIY guys that life is too short to waste it making your own masks.
JUN 20, 2017 - 02:16 AM
Though hopefully not so short that I don't need to save some of my money for my pension...
JUN 20, 2017 - 04:20 AM
   
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