PMMS
Trakz
Type 97 Road Wheels (Distressed)
#TX 0089
Type 97 Wheel Masks

#TX 0092
Reviews by Terry Ashley

TamiyaTamiya
These two sets are designed for either of the Tamiya Type 97 kits (No.35075 or No.35137) and the wheels set TX 0089 consists of the 24 wheels cast in light cream resin with just the usual casting blocks to be removed.

The wheels are reproductions of the Tamiya kit wheels with the addition of damage from wear and tear as well as battle damage. The damage is around the shoulder of the wheels and pitting on the tyre face.
There are several photos in Ground Power #119 and #120 that show this degree of tyre damage but there are also many showing no damage at all even on destroyed tanks, so it would be advisable to use these sparingly on vehicles still in action or just add some variation.

No alterations are required on the kits as the resin wheels simply replace the plastic kit wheels to add a degree of animation to the kits.

Trakz Trakz
Note: the wheels are actually perfectly round the distortion is due to the scanning process.

Set TX 0092 is a set of pre cut vinyl wheel marks for painting the Type 97 wheels, either from the Tamiya kits or the Trakz resin replacements.

The masks are cut to give a choice of masking the inner rims of the wheel to paint the tyres or mask the tyres and paint the wheel rims, whichever you find preferable?

The only problem is the masks are too big in diameter to fit the wheel rims, this is bought about because the rubber tyre has a ridge around the inner lip as it fits to the rim and when the masks have been cut it has been assumed this ridge is part of the wheel itself. The image below shows the inner ridge on the rubber section clearly and the Tamiya and Trakz resin wheels incorpoarate this ridge correctly but means the masks don't match the diameter of the wheel rim as in the second image below.

Type 97 road wheels showing the inner ridge on the rubber tyre.
Image courtesy of Ground Power Magazine
Trakz
The two choices of wheel masks showing the diameter discrepancy.
Trakz

Thanks to VLS for the review samples.



Page Created 15 May 2004

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