Introduction:
Probably one of the most famous WW2 German vehicles, the Kubelwagen was the brainchild of genius engineer Ferdinand Porsche, and the axis equivalent of the "Jeep". Simple, reliable, rugged, with good cross-country performances, cheap and tailored for mass-production the Volkswagen Kubelwagen was everything needed for a versatile standard liaison/staff/recce/utility vehicle of the Wehrmacht.
Photo from: https://www.worldwarphotos.info/
Kubelwagen is available as a plastic model kit across the different scales, with Hasegawa being the only option in 1/24 scale. DEF Model recently released the first aftermarket upgrades for the Hasegawa kit, in the form of resin replacement wheel sets. This review deals with WWII German Kubelwagen Sagged Wheel Set 1 (DW24001).
Review:
The set comes packed in a nicely designed hard cardboard box. The box features an image displaying the Hasegawa Kubel with resin replacement wheels… a very clever way to promote an aftermarket product.
Opening the box reveals a zip-lock bag with 5 resin pieces (4 road wheels and a spare tire), as well as wheel masks and masking instruction sheet.
DEF Model resin is of the highest quality and I found no casting imperfections on the pieces whatsoever.
The details are sharp and superbly defined.
The casting blocks should prove very easy to remove. These are located on the bottom part of the wheel and the “scar”resulting from the cleanup process is at ground contact, which makes it invisible once the wheels are installed on the vehicle. The block on the spare wheel is a bit larger, but it has several smaller contact points to the piece, which follow the tire tread. I would suggest being a bit more careful when removing this one and the tread pattern would not be damaged in the process.
The German Army used several different tires for the Kubelwagen during the WWII. DEF Model set represents Continental 5.25-16 tire with a non-directional cross country tread pattern.
I came across some reference images of the tire on the internet, compared them to 1/24 scale DEF Model offering and found a really good match. The complex tire tread is realistically portrayed and the sidewall embossing details with CONTINENTAL and 5.25-16 EXTRA GELANDE inscriptions clearly recognizable. The rims and hubs are nicely delivered with excellent bolt head details. As for the size, I found several different 5.25-16 tire sizes on-line and, to be perfectly honest, I’m not sure which is correct. The tires in the DEF Model set are scaled to 29 x 6,60 mm.
The road wheels feature a slight compression where the tire contacts the ground.
The set includes two front road wheels (marked as A), two rear road wheels (B), and a spare wheel (S). A and B have the hub and the tire sidewall embossing orientated differently in relation to the ground contact, so the wheels on the same side of the vehicle don’t look identical.
Fitting the wheels:
The DEF Model wheels are designed as direct replacement for Hasegawa 1/24 scale kit. The rear of the resin road wheels features specific locating holes, which enable fitting the wheels with no further modifications needed.
Wheel masks:
Three pre-cut masking sheets are included in this set. The masks are of help when painting the wheels, allowing airbrushing without overspray. Also included is the instruction leaflet which shows two different ways of applying the masks and painting the wheels.
Conclusion:
WWII German Kubelwagen Sagged Wheel Set 1 (DW24001) from DEF Model delivers direct resin replacement wheels (4 road wheels and a spare tire) for 1/24 scale Kubelwagen from Hasegawa. The wheels are perfectly cast in resin, with the tire and rim/hub details impressively delivered. The set also includes paint masks, which are an added bonus.
Highly recommended.
A big thanks to DEF Model for this review sample.