With all the attention given to "Panzer Wrecks," it sometimes seems as though we've forgotten that tanks were only a small portion of the vehicles that any army in WW2 relied on-- and got destroyed. Photos of the carnage following the debacle at Stalingrad, or during the Normandy campaign (when Allied air power destroyed entire German convoys on the ground) show lots of burned-out softskins.
Yet few kits allow for showing sofskins in any state of destruction, at least when it comes to their road wheels. Styrene wheels are usually one-piece items or else designed to show the showroom-new version, and vinyl-tired softskin kits don't have realistic rims for the tires to be mounted on. The design goal isn't to make a wreck.
Once again Bitskrieg comes to the rescue with empty rims that can be used in a burned-out diorama setting.
what you get
In the usual Bitskrieg/Quick Wheel vinyl bag with pasteboard tag is: one wheel rim.
the review
There's no mystery about what you get: this is the rim for the front wheel for an Sd.Kfz. 251 or Sd.Kfz. 11 (their front wheels are identical). If you plan on showing your vehicle in a burned-out state, you'll need two of them.
And if you just want to have a crew changing the tire, you will need one of these rims.
To say the casting is perfect might sound like an exaggeration, but it's not. The rim has the requisite bolt holes and even a slot for the tire pressure valve. To call it a minor masterpiece seems excessive, but when was the last time you could take a resin accessory right from the packaging, treat it for mold-release compound, and then use it immediately with no need to remove a pour plug, "fuzz," or do anything at all?
conclusion
There are times it seems as if Greg Rossa, the wizard of Bitskrieg, is shrinking these things down from 1:1. While scratchbuilders might enjoy fabricating a rim for themselves, the rest of us will welcome a rim that works straight from the package.
Thanks to Quick Wheel/Bitskrieg for providing this sample. Be sure to mention you saw it reviewed on Armorama when ordering.
SUMMARY
Highs: The usual Bitskrieg high-quality resin casting. An invaluable resource for Lows: A bit pricy, but this is a specialized part.Verdict: Absolutely essential if you're building a wrecked version of either vehicle, or for a tire repair diorama.
Our Thanks to BitsKrieg! This item was provided by them for the purpose of having it reviewed on this KitMaker Network site. If you would like your kit, book, or product reviewed, please contact us.
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