Introduction:
The TPz (Transportpanzer) Fuchs is a German armored personnel carrier originally developed by Daimler-Benz but manufactured and further developed by the now Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles (RMMV).
The Fuchs was first produced as a 1/35 scale plastic kit by Revell back in 1998. Although the company later released several slightly different kit iterations, none of those was a newly tooled offering, and… well, the age of the kit shows. This is particularly evident on the rather poor representation of the Michelin tire on early-style rims. DEF Model to the rescue…
DEF Model’s latest offering are two resin replacement wheel sets designed to upgrade the Revell’s kit. This review covers the wheel set which features Michelin XL tires: German TPz-1 Fuchs ABC Sagged Wheel Set (1) (DW35128).
Review:
The set is packed in a typical DEF Model hard cardboard box (11 x 8 x 3 cm) with the box art showing the model with resin replacement wheels. The box art also states the set is designed for Revell kit and contains 6 resin parts and easy mask seal.
Opening the box reveals a zip-lock bag with resin pieces, masking sheets and instructions.
The resin pieces look amazing, with loads of sharp details superbly delivered. I noticed no casting imperfections, no air bubbles or seam lines. Absolutely astonishing… although I’ve come to expect the best quality resin from DEF, closer inspection of each new set of wheels still leaves me very impressed.
The part cleanup is very easy. The casting blocks are located on the bottom part of road wheels, which ensures no detail is lost in the process.
The set depicts Michelin XL 14.00R20 tire. These are tactical vehicle radial tires with the dimensions of 1255 x 374 mm (49.4 x 14.7 in) and the approved rim width of 254 mm (10 in).
I was able to find very detailed images of real Michelin XL 14.00R20 tires on-line.
Comparing these images with DEF Model 1/35 scale version revealed a really good match. The distinctive tread pattern is accurately delivered and the sidewall details perfectly reproduced… the inscriptions MICHELIN X, 14.00R20 and RADIAL are all clearly recognizable under high magnification. The rim and the 10-bolt pattern are nicely defined, as well as the hub with another set of 10 bolts. Last but not least, the DEF Model tire is sized to 35,45 x 10,60 mm, which makes them only a fraction of the millimeter smaller in diameter than the real tire in 1/35 scale.
The details on these wheels are just amazing... wow!
The road wheels in this set are depicted with a slight sag. The compression in the wheel is not overdone and I feel it conveys the weight of the vehicle well.
This set includes 6 slightly different wheels, labeled from A to F. Due to the asymmetrical directional tire tread, tires A-C should be installed to the right side of the vehicle, while the tires D-F to the left side of the vehicle. Moreover, each wheel is differently oriented (regarding the compression where the tire contacts the ground), which ensures the wheels fitted to the same side of the vehicle do not look repetitive, but slightly different, adding to the realism of the model. All DEF Model wheel sets follow this principle.
Right hand side wheels.
Left hand side wheels.
Fitting the wheels:
This wheel set is designed as a resin replacement for kit vinyl tires/plastic rims. The thing to note before installing the resin wheels is to trim the plastic axle stubs of the Revell kit to 2.5 mm length, as this ensures the optimal fit of replacement wheels… images on DEF website could provide some help: link.
Wheel masks:
Three identical pre-cut masking sheets are included in this kit. 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:
German TPz-1 Fuchs ABC Sagged wheel Set (1) (DW35128) provides a set of resin replacement wheels for 1/35 scale Fuchs kit from Revell. The set includes 6 road wheels, perfectly cast and full of superbly delivered details. These resin wheels present a huge improvement over vinyl tires supplied with the Revell kit and offer an essential upgrade for anyone building a 1/35 scale Fuchs.
A big thanks to DEF Model for this reviewsample.
One more thing... The set depicts Michelin XL 14.00R20 tire. Reference photos show TPz-1 Fuchs with several different tire types (Michelin XL, Michelin XZL, Continental HCS), and interestingly, some vehicles display a mix of different tire types on the same vehicle… DEF Model offers another set of replacement wheels for Fuchs delivering Continental HCS tires… well, I’m sure you get my idea.
Courtesy of http://www.primeportal.net/
This particular vehicle is fitted with Michelin XZL, Continental HCS and Michelin XL.
