If you are building any of the host of Russian military trucks from the Great War, you may find yourself mumbling at the rather iffy rubber tires frequently included with the kits. Although a number of manufacturers have come out with really excellent kits of these workhorses of the Soviet Army, the tires included seem to be a regular stumbling block.

MiniArt has addressed this problem with a series of new detail sets that create beautifully detailed renditions to replace the soft tires included with most of these kits. This set, for instance, not only provides 12 complete tires, but the various hubs, bolts and brake drums needed as well. Each tire itself is composed of five individual “wafers” that when assembled create a realistic and detailed tread pattern. Finely molded manufacturer’s logos are included, of course.

Having assembled a couple of these, there is one warning for the modeler. First, take your time assembling the wafers, as they can be a bit too similar at first glance. You know you’ve got them assembled correctly when they snuggle up against each other without gaps. The wafers are also quite thin and a tight fit to the supplied hubs. Consequently, be sure to ream out the inside opening on these before assembly or you may be facing some warping. As the two outside wafers actually hold the assembled tire to the rim, this trimming doesn’t require much precision, but it does make assembly much easier.

With that in mind, I could find no fault with this set whatsoever. The result is a set of very detailed, very realistic tires, that rival resin aftermarket sets and will enhance any truck kit that you wish to apply them to. I’m looking forward to adding these to one of my current builds, and am sure they’ll help take it to the next level. My thanks to MinArt for coming out with these extremely useful sets and to IPMS/USA for a chance to review them.