1:35 M2/M3/M16 Halftrack front wheels set with spare (weighted) type 2

The front axle of the M2 halftrack: wheels in 1:35

This set deals with a single, but highly visible assembly of the model: the wheels the vehicle stands on. It is intended for the American M2, M3 and M16 halftrack vehicles and besides the axle wheels it also contains a spare. The word weighted specifies that the rubber is deflected by load where it touches the ground, while the number type 2 denotes the second of the tread patterns the manufacturer makes.

The M2 as an artillery tractor

Compared with the infantry carrier, the M2 version had a shorter body and was built for a gun crew. It carried ammunition chests along its sides and a skate rail ran around the top, along which a machine-gun mount could be moved. The vehicle towed the 105 mm howitzer and antitank guns and carried the gun crew and its ammunition together, so a battery could change firing position substantially faster than when the gun was hitched behind an ordinary truck. In North Africa and in Italy the M2 was one of the typical signs of American artillery.

Use in building

• There is no mold seam to sand away, as two-part plastic wheels tend to have.
• The tread pattern stays legible even after mud effects are applied.
• The spare can be laid on the body as part of the load carried.
• The kit of the vehicle itself is not included.

Who the set is for

For modelers who build American vehicles and want wheels on them with a faithful imprint of load. The painting procedure is within reach of a less experienced builder too: a dark base, careful lightening of the tread edges and finally a layer of dust to match the setting you place the vehicle in.