QuickwheelQuickwheel
Road wheels for Sd.Kfz.6
Common off road tread pattern + QW mask

Quickwheel 1:35 Scale Set No.QWX-022 & QWX-023
Review by Terry Ashley

Bronco ModelsBronco Models
The Set:
Quickwheel continue to expand their range of resin wheels and masks with these two sets of replacement wheels for the Sd.Kfz.6 series of vehicles, obviously at this time there is only the Bronco Models Sd.Kfz.6/3 ‘Diana’ (kit #CB-35038) and just released Sd.Kfz.6/2 3.7cm FlaK36 (kit #CB-35043) available with the similar Trumpeter Sd.Kfz.6/2 kit to appear shortly.

There are two wheel sets released, set #QWX-022 has just the two front wheels and a QuickWheel Mask set and set #QWX-023 has three wheels, the two front wheels and a spare wheel plus a set of QuickWheel Masks. Interestingly the design of the front wheel hubs is different in the two sets this is due to a change in production along the way, in any case the wheels still end up looking the same.

Set # QWX-022 has six parts in light grey resin plus the double QuickWheel Mask set, while set #QWX-23 has nine parts in light grey resin and triple QuickWheel Masks. The standard of resin casting is to a high standard with clean crisp detail free of any air holes or other blemishes. There are small casting plugs to cut off the hub caps, hubs and small towing brackets with the wheels themselves have virtually non-existent casting plugs evident, any present is easily removed with a #11 blade.

Wheel and mask parts
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The different design noted between the set wheels is the wheels in set # QWX-022 have the hubs cast with the wheel rims themselves and just the round hub cap separate while those in set #QWX-023 have the complete central hub separate with additional separate hub caps but other than that are identical in each set and as noted above this is due to a change in production and all subsequent sets will have the separate hubs as per set #QWX-023. You are also provided a choice of normal hub cap or a small towing bracket sometimes fitted to the wheel hubs. This bracket does not appear from period photos to have been fitted very often on active service vehicles but does offer a nice choice for depicting the wheels a little differently.

The wheels are dimensionally accurate in diameter and width when compared to the 1:35 plans in the Panzer Tracts book listed below with the rim contours well done and include a deep indent around the outer rim for a very good appearance. The rim bolts are also well defined as is the fine valve stem along with the inside detail with riveted inner strip around the rim and equally well defined hub bolts.

Just a quick note on the Panzer Tracts Sd.Kfz.6 book to show Ms. Doyle and Jentz are human after all, on page 22-3-18 is a picture of an Sd.Kfz.7 8t H/T wrongly labelled as an Sd.Kfz.6, but on with the review.

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Rendering of the tyre tread and sidewall detail is also very well done with excellent outer tread pattern although the tread is a little too square at the shoulder and should be more rounded as indicated in the available images of the tyre (see images below). Also included if very subtly are the series of ridges on the sidewall overlapping the tread over the tyre shoulder as well as the side wall embossing with the name “Continental” spelt correctly plus the tyre data all of which is legible.

After attaching the hubs and hub caps/towing brackets the wheels fit directly to the Bronco kit axle stubs although I did have to enlarge the hole in the resin hub just a fraction for a better fit but that is all that is required to replace the kit plastic wheels for a marked increase in detail definition.

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Quickwheel Masks:
The masks provided have holes in the thicker section large enough for the wheels to fit into snugly and on the bottom is a sticky mask that just exposes the wheel rim making painting very easy with the sticky mask allowing you to get the mask to sit down around the rim to reduce overspray when airbrushing.

The only drawback is they appear to only have ‘one shot in the locker’ as it is quite difficult to extradite the wheel out of the mask to paint the other side of the rim without distorting the mask itself due to the stickiness of the mask material. You will need to take extreme care removing the wheels after painting one side of the wheel to be able to reuse for the other side.

Despite this the masks work very well allowing you to airbrush the rims with clean even edges, you have to of course paint the tyres before the rims due to the design of the masks but this shouldn’t pose any great problems.

Quickwheel

Conclusion:
These sets of common tread replacement wheels for the available Sd.Kfz.6 kits are superbly done with very clear crisp casting and very good rendering of the rim/hub and tyre details with the squarish shoulders being the only area of concern.

A quick and easy update to add considerably more detail to the Bronco kit wheels and from the pre-release photos of the Trumpeter Sd.Kfz.6/2 available online will be a vast improvement over the vinyl tyres shown in those photos also.

Rating 9/10

References:
mittlerer Zugkraftwagen 5t (Sd.Kfz.6)
and
Schwerer Wehrmachtsschlepper

Panzer Tracks No.22-3
`Book
mZgkw 5t Sd.Hfz.6
Tank Power Vol.LVIII
Wydawnictwo Militaria No.287
ISBN: 9788372192875
Book
Halftrack Vehicles of the
German Army 1395-1945

Schiffer Military History
ISBN: 0-88740-758-7
Book
Thanks to my credit card and Sockelshop.com for the review sets.


Page created May 5, 2011



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