Introduction:

I got the British Army Husky TSV from Meng Model (VS-009) about a year ago. It was an impulse buy, but after opening the box and seeing all the impressive details inside and out, I decided to start building the kit right away. It turned out to be a wonderful kit, a real pleasure to build. The only thing I found in need of upgrading were the vinyl tires.

Browsing the internet, I realized my favorite aftermarket company producing resin replacement wheels, DEF Model, offers Husky TSV Sagged Wheel Set (DW35111). About a week later I had the wheels on my workbench.

Review:

The set is packed in a typical DEF Model hard cardboard box. The front of the box features an image displaying the contents of the set, as well as a note the set includes 4 resin parts and an easy masking sheet. Opening the box reveals a zip-lock bag with resin pieces, pre-cut masking paper and masking instruction leaflet.

The resin pieces look really good. Upon closer inspection I was impressed with the quality of resin; there are no imperfections on the wheels, no air-bubbles, no seam lines or flash, with the details perfectly delivered. The carrier blocks are very easy to remove: a pair of side cutters and a sharp modeling blade can do the trick. Since the blocks are thin and located on the bottom center of the tire, no detail on the tire tread pattern or sidewall is lost after cleaning the pieces.

There are two slightly different wheels in the set, labeled A and B. These wheel variants are differently oriented, the hub as well as the compression where the tire contacts the ground, so they don’t look identical when fixed to the vehicle. Also, the miniscule difference in hub center boss denotes difference in front (A) and back (B) wheels.

The set depicts Michelin XZL 395/85 R20 tire. The all-terrain radial XZL tire is designed for special service and tactical vehicles, with dimensions of 1189 x 388 mm (46.8 x 15.3 in) and the approved rim width of 254 mm (10 in). The tire features non-directional tread with open shoulder design.

The tires in this set are sized to 34.45 x 11.10 mm, a bit larger in diameter than the real tire in 1/35 scale, but better than the tire supplied with the Meng kit, which is 0,5 mm short in diameter and 1 mm short in width. The level of detail is absolutely amazing and, when compared to Meng’s vinyl tires/plastic hubs, it’s just incredible how much of an improvement resin wheels are.

The details on these resin wheels are very impressive. The uni-directional tire tread pattern is identical to what I found in my references, the sidewalls are nicely portrayed and feature inscriptions which are clear and legible: MICHELIN X and 395/85R20 XZL, as well as the microscopic RADIAL inscription… wow! The intricate bolt pattern on the rim is realistically delivered, as the Central Tire Inflating System (CTIS) cap. The hub features another set of complex bolt pattern with the center hub details superbly defined as well. Check out the photos on this review and then study the references to see how well DEF Model did its homework. Absolutely fantastic.

The 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 really well.

Fitting the wheels:

The set delivers direct replacement wheels for Meng kit. Test fitting the wheels to the Meng kit (parts C14/A29 and C16/A29) reveals a really good match, although I had to clip about 1 mm of the front axle stub to fit the wheels completely.

Wheel masks:

Two identical pre-cut masking sheets are included in this kit. The masks are of great 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:

Husky TSV Sagged Wheel Set (DW35111) from DEF Model is a very impressive resin set designed as a direct wheel replacement for British Army Husky TSV from Meng (VS-009). The wheels are cast perfectly with ton of details wonderfully delivered. The two slightly different wheel variants (front and back) are well sized and can be fitted to the model without major problems. 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 hubs. Highly recommended.

A big thanks to DEF Model for this review sample.