Chinese BJ-212 Tires
1/35th #TX 0105
Review by Terry Ashley
The set consist of the four wheel/tyres cast in light cream resin and are cleanly cast without any blemishes with only the usual casting block to be removed before use.
The wheels are resin reproductions of the Trumpeter kit plastic rim/rubber tyre combination incorporating the same details as the kit wheels including the rear hub openings, but there are a couple of issues that need to be addressed.
Firstly due to the Trumpeter rim/tyre combination not being a 100% snug fit
it leaves a slight uneven join line around the rim edge and this has been reproduced
in the resin wheels, but with careful painting/weathering this can be “hidden”.
The other requires a little more work as the kit front wheels are designed to be steerable with the kit axles being trapped between the two wheel hub parts allowing the wheels to articulate.
With the resin wheels there is just the locating slit for the axles and you will need to drill a small hole in the centre of the slit being careful not to break though the front side of the rim and then shave off the locating lugs and end ball from the axles (parts B6, B8) but don’t cut the ball off as you will need the full length of the axle to insert into the resin wheels. Ensure you only insert the kit axle far enough to leave the same axle length as with the kit wheels/axles so they match up with the centre diffs.
The rear resin wheels just replace the kit wheels and slip straight onto the axles but you may need to open up the locating hole a little to clear any excess resin but test fit before hand as usual.
Overall a well cast set of wheels if you prefer resin wheels to the plastic/rubber kit combination but as mentioned a little work is needed on the front wheels to fit.
Page Created 14 August 2004