Introduction:
The Rooikat armored car takes its Afrikaans name from the caracal, a type of wild cat native to Africa. The Rooikat is a completely indigenous military vehicle, adapted for the southern African battlespace, and considered one of the most versatile weapons systems produced by South Africa and in use by the South African Armoured Corps. Its exceptional mobility, good armament, and balanced protection make the Rooikat one of the most formidable armored cars in the world, suitable for employment during conventional warfare and peacekeeping operations.
adapted from https://tanks-encyclopedia.com
Trumpeter released South African Rooikat AFV as a 1/35 scale plastic kit in 2017. The kit was completely ignored by aftermarket companies… until DEF Model decided to tackle this unique subject and offer a set of resin wheels to replace vinyl tires supplied with the Trumpeter’s kit.
Review:
South African AFV Rooikat Sagged Wheel Set (DW35134) from DEF Model is packed in a hard cardboard box (11 x 8 x 3 cm). The front of the box features an image which shows the resin wheels on a Rooikat model, specifying the set is designed for Trumpeter kit.
The set includes a zip-lock bag with resin wheels, wheel masking sheets and masking instruction leaflet.
I opened the zip-lock bag and inspected the resin. I found no casting imperfections whatsoever, with the wheel details well defined and beautifully delivered.
The amount of details is just astonishing… the sidewall embossing is sharp and clearly visible under magnification.
The casting blocks are positioned on the bottom part of the road wheels, so it is very easy to remove them without damaging the detail. Also, the “scar” resulting from the cleaning process is oriented toward the tire ground contact, and should not be visible once the wheels are installed on the vehicle.
The set depicts Bush Radial 14.00R20 tire. I found numerous photos of Rooikats with Bush Radials, but no info on the tire itself. Looking at the tread pattern and the sidewall embossing, these tires look very much like copies of Continental radial tires of the same size, but I wouldn’t venture into guessing their exact size.
DEF Model did a really good job in capturing the detail of these tires. The intricate tire tread pattern is accurately depicted and the sidewall details impressively reproduced. Check out the sidewall embossing and all the tiny inscriptions: BUSH RADIAL, TUBELESS, 14.00R20, 18 PLY RATING, TYPE M – MULTIPURPOSE… all these are well defined and clearly readable under magnification. Wow! The rim with 20-bolt pattern as well as the hub are nicely represented.
As with majority of DEF wheel offerings, the road wheels in this set are depicted with a slight tire sag. The compression on the tire is not overdone and I feel it conveys the weight of the loaded vehicle really well.
The set includes four slightly different road wheels, two each, labeled as A, B, C and D. These wheel variants are oriented differently, regarding the sidewall inscriptions as well as compression where the tire contacts the ground. This slight variance ensures the wheels don’t look identical when fixed to the same side of the vehicle.
Fitting the wheels:
These wheels are designed as direct replacement of the vinyl tires/plastic rims supplied with Trumpeter’s 1/35 scale Rooikat kit. There is a slight difference between locating holes of the front and rear wheels, both intended to fit the Trumpeter kit with no modifications needed.
Front wheels (A and B; left) vs rear wheels (C and D; right).
Wheel masks:
Four identical pre-cut masking sheets are included in this kit. The masks 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:
South African AFV Rooikat Sagged Wheel Set (DW35134) from DEF Model delivers direct replacement resin wheels for 1/35 scale Rooikat AFV from Trumpeter. 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 as an essential upgrade for anyone building the Trumpeter model.
A big thanks to DEF Model for this review sample.
