Replikant Technologies 1/35 Humvee Airless Wheels First Look
By Michael Benolkin
| Date of Review | August 2015 | Manufacturer | Replikant Technologies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | Humvee Airless Wheels | Scale | 1/35 |
| Kit Number | 350201/2 | Media | Resin |
| Pros | Nicely detailed tires and frames | Cons | Nothing noted |
| Skill Level | Intermediate | MSRP (Euro) | 24,00€ |
First Look
Replikant Technologies is an interesting aftermarket detail company from Spain that creates some unique products not seen before. One example that originally got my attention was their burst tires for the Schwimmwagen which is difficult to cast. Well they're back with something even more interesting - airless tires. Let's take a look:
When we acquired a surplus Humvee as a rolling laboratory in my previous life, it had started life as a Marine Corps M1097 and had shelter on its back from its previous duties. We took the vehicle in for refurbishment and one of the first action items was to replace the original 16.5 inch wheel hubs with 17 inch hubs (and associated tires) used in later Humvees. We talked about run-flat tires but opted against them due to weight and cost. The idea of being able to operate with damaged tires was intriguing but not in our current mission statement.
Along came Resilient Technologies and their revolutionary honeycomb wheel design which provides virtually the same shock absorbing performance as air-filled tires but they're not inflated with air. I would have loved to see these on our test Humvee and more so on my Jeep JK Rubicon, but that's another story.
So here is Replikant Technologies and they've somehow managed to create these wheels in 1/35 scale. They have solid tread detailing and no casting block, and currently offer several hub types. The casting here is simply amazing. They're designed as a drop-in replacement for the Tamiya Humvee kit but should be adaptable to other Humvees with little fuss.
These will look great on a Humvee project for a near-future deployment. In fact I'd have mounted these on my current Humvee build but only two wheels were included for review. Imagine what these would do on the battlefield and you'd never have to worry about tire inflation or that leaky air system again!
Stop by Replikant Technologies' Facebook page to see where these nicely done wheels can be found!
My sincere thanks to Replikant Technologies for these review samples!