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In-Box Review
135
SdKfz 234 wheels
SdKfz 234 wheels Pattern 2
  • PEA111_001

by: Robert Blokker [ FAUST ]

Introduction
For an armored car project I was working on I was planning to replace the Italeri wheels that were in the kit I had. In their day, the Italeri SdKfz 234 wheels might have been good but looking at what reference is available now they really can not come up to today's standards. So I started looking around what was on the market and decided to go for the resin SdKfz 234 wheels from Voyager. I pretty much expected they were for the DML SdKfz 234 but since my project was a resin/plastic/scratch combination already I decided to give it a go.

The set
The wheels I ordered came in a blister clam-shell type packaging with two pieces of paper in it and the wheels. The wheels are molded in cream white resin and are very crisp when it comes to detail. No air bubbles present and the casting block is done at the underside of the wheel under the bulge. There are no marking present on the walls of the tire that says of which maker they are. My research does not go deep enough to know if every tire had makers name on it but I tend to think they all did.

The package was labelled as SdKfz 234 wheels Pattern 2 with bulge in the tires (this will probably cause some controversy). Pattern 2 is pretty much the same tire that the DML Puma has with a big seam on the centre of the running surface and the overlapping tread pattern. The rim is a bit different because it has 2 holes in it instead of the 4 or 6 of the DML offering. The wheels are really nicely cast and will look good on your SdKfz 234. All perfect? Not really but it depends on how you look at it. When I opened the box it was sent in I was a bit surprised. The set does contain 4 wheels. Which is all nice and well but an SdKfz 234 has 8 wheels…9 if you count the spare. That means that if you want to equip your SdKfz 234 with all the same wheels you have to buy 2 sets. And if you want a spare wheel too you need to buy an additional set just for that. Coming in at just over 10 Euros for a set it means you have to invest in 30 Euro for 9 resin wheels. Now I would have found this a lesser problem if I knew that there were only going to be 4 wheels in the set. But I checked the site I bought them from and I triple checked the box the set came in and really nowhere does there say you only get 4 wheels. I thought this to be a bit odd… I can imagine how you might feel when you think “let’s spice up the Puma now the wheels are in” only to find out you just have enough for one half vehicle.

Conclusion
The detail of the wheels are extremely nice. Crisp, absolutely no air bubbles, superb detail. Only why they choose to put only 4 wheels in a set for a vehicle that usually was running around on 8 is a complete riddle to me. They could just as well make the set a bit more expensive and put 8 or 9 wheels in. The 4 wheel issue was for me not that big since I only needed 4 wheels but when I ordered them I had the impression that the set would contain 8 or 9 wheels so that I had enough for the vehicle and even a spare. I can imagine the 234 builder not being too amused when not knowing that he has to shell out more cash to give the Puma more shoes. So yeah it is a bit of a set that gives a mixed feeling. The detail and casting are perfect… The number of wheels in the kit though is an absolute miss.
SUMMARY
Highs: Sharp casting, good detail, no air bubbles
Lows: 4 wheels in the set for an 8 wheeled vehicle.. Nowhere a mention of that little fact.
Verdict: Mixed feeling. Detail is superb I would recommend them for that. When you definitely want them for your 234 be warned that you need multiple sets.
Percentage Rating
65%
  Scale: 1:35
  Mfg. ID: PEA111
  Suggested Retail: € 10,95
  PUBLISHED: Sep 30, 2008
  NATIONALITY: Germany
NETWORK-WIDE AVERAGE RATINGS
  THIS REVIEWER: 87.08%
  MAKER/PUBLISHER: 87.70%

About Robert Blokker (FAUST)
FROM: NOORD-HOLLAND, NETHERLANDS

Started modelling when I was about 7 or 8 years old had a little break in between (school, girls partying) and eventually returned when finding this site in 2002. Main interest WW2 German army, wheeled vehicles and radio and communication troops or every other thing that manages to catch my interest...

Copyright ©2021 text by Robert Blokker [ FAUST ]. All rights reserved.



Comments

Thanks for the review Robert, I have a Puma in the stash that I'm slowly buying aftermarket sets for and I would have been very annoyed if I bought that set and found it cintained only 4 wheels-thanks for the heads up.
SEP 29, 2008 - 08:22 PM
YES I AGREE IT SHOULD TELL U THAT ONLY 4 WHEELS AVAILABLE ONLY THING I CAN THINK IS A LOT OF PUMA,S HAD EVEN MORE DIFFERENT TYPES OF TYRES ON THEM SOME HAD UP TO 4 DIFFERENT TREADS ONE VEHICLE
OCT 02, 2008 - 05:57 AM
I think the explanation for just 4 wheels in a set is due to the fact Voyager offers 4 different types. Given the fact that most 234's had a mix of wheels, this is in fact a very sane choice.
OCT 02, 2008 - 07:25 AM
herbert going off the subjuct but u are the panther king . i need ref for the command type panther d got dragon d with zim, tasca star antenna and 24 bolt wheels do u know of any pic,s of the cat
OCT 03, 2008 - 10:21 AM
   
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