Pro Art Models have released this set of resin replacement wheels for the Trumpeter M1078 Light Medium Tactical Vehicle (LMTV) Kit #01004.
The set consists of five wheels cast in a light cream resin, four for the vehicle and one spare.
The standard of casting is very good with clean crisp details and no blemishes such as air holes or the like, the only cleanup required is the casting plugs on each wheel.
The contact point for the casting plug corresponds with the slightly flattened ground contact area of the tyre which becomes evident once the casting plug is removed. You can use a razor saw or large clippers to remove the casting plug and then trim with a #11 blade which shouldn't be problem with the wheels then ready for use.
The wheels are actually resin reproductions of the Trumpeter kit wheels and include the kit wheels rims (parts E3, E4) and the brake drum parts E5, E2/E6 along with the vinyl tyre in the single resin casting. There are locating holes in the hub for the kit tyre inflation system lines as per the kit hubs. The prominent mould seams around the Trumpeter kit vinyl tyre have been removed on the cast wheels which saves you the trouble of trying to clean this yourself from the vinyl tyre, which can be quite tricky.
All other details are cleanly reproduced including the chunky tread and sidewall details including the fine data embossing, with the rim/hub detail being the same as on the kit. The amount of 'weighting' on the wheels is very subtle and consists of basically just the slightly flattened road contact area and a very amount of side wall bulging for a good understated look.
Resin wheels, outer view of hubs and of clean tread pattern
Inside views in the wheels with the kit brake drum parts cast in with the wheels
The spare wheel in not an exact reproduction on the incorrect kit spare as it includes the outer circle of rim bolts with just the inner ring of open holes as it should. The outer circle of rim bolts hold the rim segments together while the inner circle of open holes is for the attaching the wheel to the truck wheel hubs as with any wheeled vehicle.
Fitting the resin wheels to the Trumpeter LMTV kit is very straightforward and doesn't require any alterations to the kit parts.
As the resin wheels include the kit rims and brake drums all you need do is fit the wheels to the truck axles as per the kit instructions, nothing could be easier.
This is a another very simply update with the resin wheels cleanly cast without any blemishes and very subtle 'weighting/bulging' of the tyres as well as saving you the trouble of removing the moulding seam from the kit vinyl tyres. The spare wheel is also correctly depicted with the outer ring or rim bolts that should be there saving you the trouble of adding these.
Being reproductions of the kit wheels makes fitting the kit wheel parts straightforward with everything fitting perfectly and if you prefer not to use the kit vinyl wheels, these are the perfect replacement.
Highly recommended
 FMTV Trucks in
detailPresent Vehicle Line No.G21 Wings & Wheels Publications |
