1:35 ZiS-151 Road Wheels (Moskovskij Zavod)

Wheels for the ZiS-151, 1:35 scale

This is an accessory set, not a vehicle model. Against a plastic part, a resin casting has three advantages: it has no mold parting seam that would have to be removed from a circular part, it has a sharper rendering of the tread and it captures the transition between tire and hub more faithfully. The designation in brackets after the name refers to the particular works that made the tires, and therefore to a particular tread pattern. On Soviet vehicles that is no trifle: tires came from various plants and their patterns differed clearly, so the tread tells you where a vehicle came from.

The real subject

The ZiS-151 was a Soviet three-axle truck with all-wheel drive, introduced after the Second World War. It was used for supply, for towing guns and as a chassis for rocket launchers and bodies. Its weakness was the dual rear wheels, which bogged down in soft ground because the rear wheels did not follow the track of the front ones. That is exactly why it was later replaced by a type with single wheels.

Usage tips

• First wash the parts in lukewarm water with detergent; that removes the mold release residue.
• Cut off the casting blocks with a saw and true the mating surfaces with a file.
• Bond with super glue; plastic cement does not work on resin.
• Apply a primer before painting, because paint does not hold on smooth resin.
• Do not paint the tires pure black; a dark gray with dust on the sidewalls looks truer.

Who it is for

The set is for modelers of Soviet vehicles who are finishing off the chassis and want a tread matching the subject. Working with resin is not difficult, but it differs from plastic.

It is not a vehicle model. The base kit, paints and glue are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.