Introduction:
ACE is a company from Ukraine specialized in producing 1/72 scale plastic kits. The company ventured into 1/35 scale in 2023 with their 0,5t Light truck 4x4 (Type 183) Iltis (35101).
DEF Model soon released two resin wheel sets to upgrade the ACE offering by replacing the plastic rim/vinyl tires supplied with the kit. This review covers German VW ILTIS Sagged Wheel Set (2) (DW35170), a set that features Good Year G90 tires.
Review:
The set is packed in a small top-opening cardboard box.
The box contains a zip-lock bag with resin pieces, masking sheet and masking instructions.
I inspected the resin pieces and found an excellent cast with no imperfections whatsoever. The details are impressively defined and sharply delivered.
The casting blocks are large but have rather thin attachment point located on the bottom part of the wheels. Removing those should not present a problem to anyone with basic resin working skills. Moreover, the blocks attach to road wheel tire ground contact which ensures no details are compromised during cleanup.
This set recreates Good Year G90 6.50R16C Flexsteel tire fitted on 5.50F x 16 five-hole rims.
I managed to find good reference images of this wheel setup on-line and compared DEF Model offering to the real thing. The 1/35 scale tire recreates all of the features of G90 tire well… the intricate tread pattern is authentically delivered, the sidewall details sharp and easily recognizable with the inscriptions GOOD YEAR, G90, 6.50R16C, FLEXSTEEL and other markings clearly identifiable. The rim also looks authentic with the valve and the wheel bolts nicely defined.
The tires of the road wheels are depicted slightly sagged, depicting the compression of the tire due to the weight of the vehicle.
source: http://primeportal.net/
The set includes two slightly different versions of road wheels, labeled A and B on their carrier blocks. The versions differ in orientation of the tire sidewall markings, as well as rim details, in relation to the tire ground contact compression. This ensures that wheels A and B fitted to the same side of the vehicle do not look identical, adding to the realism of the model.
The spare wheel is included in the set and the wheel mount details (check out the padlock) follow that of the real thing.
The resin wheels are designed as direct replacement for ACE kit, so no modifications are needed when fitting these to the model.
Wheel masks:
A pre-cut masking sheet is 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:
The first thing many modelers do after buying a model of a wheeled vehicle is to look for the resin replacement tires. Far superior to vinyl tires usually supplied in plastic kits, resin tires are better detailed, easier to clean and paint, and do not crack over time.
German VW ILTIS Sagged Wheel Set (2) (DW35170) from DEF Model provides resin replacement wheels for 1/35 scale 0,5t Light truck 4x4 (Type 183) Iltis kit from ACE. The set contains 4 road wheels and a spare wheel, featuring Good Year G90 tires. The wheels are perfectly cast in resin, with superbly defined details, and provide authentic miniature copies of the real Iltis wheel. Wheel masks included in the set are a bonus.
Highly recommended.
A big thanks to DEF Model for this review sample.
