Introduction:
The Oshkosh M1070 is a US Army tank transporter tractor unit engineered to provide responsive, rapid movement of mission-critical equipment – tanks, armored vehicles, recovery vehicles and construction equipment.
The M1070 is available as a plastic 1/35 scale kit from HobbyBoss in several versions. The kit features vinyl tires which many modelers opt to replace to get a more realistic look of their finished model.
Review:
DEF Model offers M1070 Truck Tractor Sagged Wheel Set (DW35030) as a direct resin wheel replacement for HobbyBoss kits.
The set is packed in a side-opening cardboard box featuring a box art image that shows the assembled M1070 model sporting DEF Model resin replacement wheels. The box also states the set is designed for HobbyBoss kit as well as that it contains 9 resin parts and a masking seal.
Opening the box reveals a plastic bag with resin pieces, pre-cut masking sheets and masking instruction leaflet.
The resin pieces look really good. Upon closer inspection I was impressed with the quality of resin as I found no air-bubbles, seam lines or any kind of imperfections, with the details sharp and perfectly delivered in scale. The carrier blocks are very easy to remove; a pair of side cutters and a modeling blade can do the trick. Since the blocks are located on the bottom of the piece, at tire ground contact, no detail on the tire tread pattern is compromised during cleanup.
There are four slightly different road wheels in the set, two each, labeled 1 to 4 on their carrier blocks. These wheel variants are differently oriented, the rim as well as the sidewall details in relation to the tire ground contacts, so they don’t look identical when fixed to the same side of the vehicle.
The wheels in this set are depicted with a slight bulge at the tire ground contact. The compression of the tire is not overdone and it conveys the weight of the vehicle really well. I also have to commend the sidewall “stressed skin” effect due to flexible radial sidewalls… this is clearly visible on real tires and DEF 1/35 scale version replicates the effect very realistically.
Spare wheel is also included in the kit.
The wheels in the set are depicted sporting Michelin XZL 16.00R20 tire. This is an all-terrain, all-position radial tire designed for special service and tactical vehicles, with dimensions of 1343 x 438 mm (52.9 x 17.2 in) and the approved rim width of 254 mm (10 in). The tire features non-directional tread with open shoulder design.
I found a large number of reference images showing Michelin XZL 16.00R20 and compared the 1/35 scale offering from DEF Model to the photos of the real tire. The elaborate tire tread pattern is faithfully reproduced and sidewall details perfectly delivered with the MICHELIN X and 16.00R20 XZL labels easily identifiable… absolutely amazing details! Also, with the dimensions of 38.25 x 12.50 mm, the tires in this set are perfectly sized 1/35 scale copies of the real thing.
Vast majority of M1070 reference photos show the wheels with the CTIS/wheel protection cover. DEF Model resin wheels are cast with this M1070 specific feature and, as far as I can tell, it looks the part.
Fitting the wheels:
The set is designed asa direct replacement for the HobbyBoss kit and the resin wheels have the same rear mounting as the kit wheels. Therefore, no alterations are required when fixing DEF Model offerings to HobbyBoss kit.
Wheel masks:
A nice addition to the set are 5 pre-cut masking sheets. These can be used 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:
M1070 Truck Tractor Sagged Wheel Set (DW35030) is a very impressive resin set designed as a direct wheel replacement for M1070 truck tractor kits from HobbyBoss. The set delivers 8 road wheels and a spare wheel, all featuring perfect resin cast and exquisite details. The road wheels are delivered in four slightly different versions, offering variation when fitted to the same side of the vehicle. The wheels are well sized and can be easily fitted to the model. Pre-cut masks which help in painting the wheels are an added bonus.
Altogether, this is a great set of wheels, which provides a big improvement to the kit vinyl tires/plastic rims. Highly recommended.
A big thanks to DEF Model for this review sample: