@Chris_Bryan Chris the wheels were from ebay and set me back $37, not bad for this much resin, although they only give you 8, no spare. The spare figures prominently on the truck so now I don’t know what to do. I guess I will ask a club buddy if he can cast me one tire. As for quality and detail, the resin ones are leagues ahead of the kit pieces. The kit tires are bulbous, have soft tread detail, and a mold seam running around the center of the tire, with no lettering on the sides. The Miniarm tires correct all of this, plus give a nominal bulge. Hubs are also included, which are crisper in detail than the kit parts. But I would be remiss without providing some cool comparison photos -
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Mike, Trumpeter is certainly getting a lot of mileage out of the MAZ 537 molds. I got this kit at a very good price from Spruebrothers.
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I decided that with all of the work that this kit entails, I just can’t let that engine bay sit empty. So I went shopping. I have a Miniart V-55 engine
and transmission set
ordered and on the way for the truck. I did some online research and I’m not sure this combo is 100% accurate but it is a 12 cylinder with a transmission so it will fill the engine bay and look good. I’ll just have to scratch the cooling system. I’ll scratch the driveshaft down to the transfer case. Having this in there will make my AMS much happier and I might even pose the engine cover open if it comes out well.
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Wow! Miniarm really kicked butt.
It’s like a set GOODRIDE tires by Zhongce vs a set of MICHELIN Pilot Sport Cup 2 on a racetrack…its only going to end in tears for Goodride.
That will make for a killer engine addition 
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Very nice additions Matt… They will take the kit up to the next level without a doubt and even if it’s not 100% accurate… It will easily do the job and it’s not something that’s going to detract from the finished work… Really looking forward to watching this monster take shape now 
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These Russian trucks are truly beastly vehicles. I enjoy watching these builds. I’m always tempted to get one but then I think where will I store it once its’s finished.
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Okay, you guys are either going to hate me or love me. I did some more research and googling and found out the engine bay looks nothing like that. The V 12 engine is there, but there are double radiators on both sides, and a conventional transmission behind the engine. So, the T-55 engine and transmission idea are out. My googling also revealed that Panzershop does a full engine bay with transmission for this kit. So, I’ve decided to take the deep dive. I’ve now shifted this build from OOB to full blown. I ordered a Voyager PE set and the Panzershop engine set.
Should be 10-14 days until they get here. There is plenty to do on this kit while I wait for these vital components. Sometimes I hate myself but I love mailorder. 
Don’t tell the wife.
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This will be good… Can’t wait 
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I’d offer to hook you up with a support group but I’m pretty sure that’s what this place is supposed to be so… build away!
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Yup, it is basically the same engine/radiator setup as the T-34, that is why I suggested the T-34 set. Sounds like you will be good with the Panzershop set though.
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Have fun and look forward to seeing where this goes. I don’t have tires for my basic 537 kit and those look nice.
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And Alice went into the rabbit hole.
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@SSGToms Kudos Matt, you are the man!
I’d have cut corners and scavenged a Chevy 454 big block out of a Revell Chevelle kit or something…wink
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@SSGToms Mathew, you are correct about trumpeter milking their molds. A good thing for us modelers. And I am glad you are going all in w/ kitchen sink and all as it gives us the chance to see what can be done with this vehicle. Keep up the good work.
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Where she found the mad hatter at his bench beavering away at his KET-T recovery wagon … Adding more and more and more …
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A small update on the big truck. Still working on all the chassis parts and all that get attached to it. I have separated the build into black parts and green parts - the fenders are the demarcation line.
I am running into a big problem with this kit and that is why progress has been so slow. The base kit, the MAZ-537, is a Trumpeter veteran kit and Trumpeter has gotten at least a dozen variants off of this one truck model. Good for them, but I can tell you the molds are just done wore out. So, a warning for all of you looking at a Trumpeter MAZ-537 based truck kit with that gleam in your eye - There are heavy seam lines on every part, requiring hours of scraping and sanding before any glue can be applied. Parts fit is loose and sloppy. Mating surfaces have rounded corner edges, requiring putty and sanding - more down time. All this is kind of taking the fun out of it and I am anxious to finish the MAZ-537 components and get to the 5 KET-T sprues, which are brand new and appear worry free.
A wonderful surprise as the postman delivered the Panzershop MAZ-537 engine bay resin kit this morning. This will complicate assembly and planning painting but will look so cool when complete. I intend to wire and plumb the compartment. This ought to slow me down some but at least I know that these parts will fit together.
The casting and detail are beautiful and they provide the full transmission, which Trumpeter failed to do. I’ll be working on this while I wait for the Voyager full PE set for this kit from HK, which is allegedly somewhere over the Pacific right now. I can’t get too far ahead into the kit until I see what’s being replaced by the PE set! Build-wise, I’m almost ready to shoot a coat of black on the frame, wheel hubs, and black recovery gear. This will be a modular final assembly to make building/painting straightforward.
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The hard work addressing the mold seams and carefully aligned parts pay off Matt as you’re making it look like an easy build. Excellent work overcoming all that tedious parts clean up!
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Thanks Wade. Using The Force on some of these parts…
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Very impressive vehicle … as is your build. Very interesting. Great work!
Cheers
Walter
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Thanks Walter! The build will get a lot better.