1:35 MAN LKW 5t 6x6 mil Road wheels (Michelin XZL)

The real subject

The MAN LKW 5t mil 6x6 is a German military truck with drive on all three axles and a payload of five tons. Vehicles of this series form the backbone of supply columns and in terrain they move on tall tires with a coarse tread pattern. The Michelin XZL is precisely such an off-road design: massive blocks of the tread separated by wide grooves that clear themselves of mud while driving. On a model it is an element the viewer notices at once, because on a truck the wheels are at eye level.

What the set contains

Replacement wheels for a model of the MAN 5t 6x6 in 1:35 scale with the Michelin XZL tread pattern. The number of pieces and the breakdown of the parts are given by the manufacturer's instructions.

Building and painting tips

Cut the surplus material off with a sharp blade a little away from the part and sand the remainder, so that the shape of the tread as well as of the sidewalls of the tire is preserved. Wash and degrease the wheels before painting, otherwise the paint holds badly. For seating them on the axles use cyanoacrylate glue, which joins even materials on which glue for polystyrene has no effect. Do not paint the tire pure black, as a dark gray base looks more faithful in scale and dusting stands out better on it. Apply mud mainly into the grooves and onto the sides of the wheels, while the tread in the middle of the contact patch tends to be smoothed, on the contrary.

Who it is for

For modelers who want a sharper rendering of the tread pattern and a cleaner shape of the wheels on a military truck than the part from the kit offers, and for builders of dioramas where the vehicle is sunk in terrain. The kit, paints and glue are not part of the delivery, unless stated otherwise.