introduction

If a spaceship were taking me to another galaxy and I could bring along only one Wehrmacht half-track, it would be the Sd.Kfz.7.

While not the most-produced half-track in Germany's motor pool (that belongs to the ubiquitous Sd.Kfz.251), it was both plentiful (some 12,000 were produced) and versatile (at least four different variants have been recorded). Hundreds of photos survive showing Sevens towing 88s, 150mms and sporting FlaK guns on their backs. There is even an Early War and a Late War version, the latter with a wooden cargo bed and simplified, angular mud guards.

Polish accessory manufacturer Quick Wheel has been slowly outfitting an entire motor pool of Wehrmacht vehicles, including all the major and many minor tank variants, trucks like the Einheitsdiesel, and especially the half-tracks. As the "queen of the halftracks," the Sd.Kfz.7 has enjoyed two previous front wheel sets: a "diamond" tread pattern, and a "slick" pattern. Now it has released the "common" tread pattern you see in most surviving photos.

what you get

Inside the typical QW ziplock bag are two grey resin front wheels and the star-shaped spoke assemblies, an informational page and a vinyl painting mask.

the review

The casting on these wheels and their light-gray color would lead you to think these are really made from styrene. Unlike many cast resin parts, there's no flash to speak of, and no "pore" plugs at the bottom. You don't have to worry about hiding the pour plug blemish as with most other resin tires.

A constant in all Quick Wheel's sets is the felicitous combination of superb casting with razor-sharp painting masks. My skills simply aren't up to the level these masks render in minutes, so I can't imagine NOT using them. And while today's kits are better than Tamiya's old Sd.Kfz.7 variants, I still would recommend purchasing one of these sets.

Part of that comes from Quick Wheel's relentless commitment to accuracy. Owner Greg Rossa has looked at photos of the "common" tread pattern, and realized it was offset from the way it's usually rendered in styrene. He junked his earlier take on the wheels, and went back to the drawing board.

The result is another "must have" set that combines precise renderings of the wheels with the ability to paint them flawlessly.

conclusion

While Dragon's Sd.Kfz.7s come with very good Dragon Styrene paint-able, glue-able front wheels, the Trumpeter kits come with vinyl tires that have uncertain qualities and should be avoided by serious modelers. In either case, though, these Quick Wheel sets are the preferred way to go: not only is the casting flawless, but the included painting masks result in a much better rending of their wheels.


Thanks to Quick Wheel for providing this review sample. Be sure to mention you saw this item reviewed on Armorama when ordering.