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MiniArt 1/35 GAZ-AA Family Wheel Set

By Chris Banyai-Riepl

Overview

Wheels. Cars gotta have 'em. Trucks, too. Often times, though, these are either simplified in kits, or provided in vinyl, and in both cases there is usually an obnoxious seam to take care of. While there are some aftermarket resin wheels out there, in most cases there is little left to do other than just live with the kit wheels. MiniArt aims to change that with this set of GAZ-AA wheels.

The Kit

These wheels are really an interesting kit that falls in between the line of model kit and aftermarket accessory. Molded in light gray plastic, these wheels have very nice detailing across the board. Minimal flash and crisp detail help counter the complex assembly, and the resultant finished wheels will really look quite nice.

So, let's look at the construction. A look at the sprue shows that the wheels are somewhat complex, but they're also logical in their breakdown. Basically, what each piece provides is one section of raised tread, with a spacer on one side. When these are sandwiched together, the tire takes on its full form, with petite raised and recessed tread. Each tire is made up from seven individual tread pieces, including the two outer pieces that include the rim. Three different kinds of rims are included, providing options for front, rear, and spare tires.

Out of the box, the result is a full set of wheels that will be very useful for a GAZ-AA truck. If you already have a nice set of wheels on your truck, these could also be used as spares tossed in the bed of a truck or left on a roadside. As such, these are great as a diorama accessory. With a bit of extra work, though, they can become an even greater diorama accessory. Out of the box, these tires are mounted on rims. But if you trim down the inner opening of parts C2, C3, C4, C5 and C6, you could forego the rim and create an unmounted tire. Creating a separate rim without a tire will require a bit more work, but that too can be done, and with those two steps, this set becomes far more versatile.

Conclusion

This is really an interesting accessory set, and with the above-mentioned modifications the potential is truly remarkable. My thanks to Scale Model Kits for the review sample.