Skunkmodels Workshop Royal Navy Tow Tractors 1:48

[Mike]

Royal Navy Tow Tractors
1:48 Skunkmodels Workshop

The Vickers 4x4 Mk.2 Type tractor was used on our now retired Through-Deck Cruiser fleet from the 1960s to the end of the Sea Harrier's service and beyond to the withdrawal of the Harrier fleet at the end of 2011. They are small vehicles and guess what? They are used to tow aircraft around the deck when the engine is off.

The Kit
This release has been timed to coincide with Skunkmodels' sibling company Kinetic's release of their Sea Harrier FRS.1 and will also go well with their earlier FA.2. It arrives in a slim but wide end-opening box, and inside you will find sufficient parts to create two tractors and nine figures. There are two identical sprues for the tractors, and one tree of small linked sprues containing the figures.

The tractor builds up from a basic chassis part to which side, top, front and rear panels are added, plus the driver's compartment, and various small parts including fire extinguisher, top of the fuel tank and a rolled up hose. A three-part wheel with separate hub and stub axle is added to each corner, and then it's just a case of adding the V-shaped axle and small wheels to the towing bar to finish the build.

The figures are each moulded within their own frame, and inside are all the parts needed for that figure. There are no instructions included to assist you building them, so you'll have to test fit them together to see their eventual pose. Curiously though, there is only one seated driver figure, which is a shame given you get two tractors.


Markings
These little tractors were painted Golden Yellow until the mid-80s, after which they were Olive Green, so pick your era and go for it. They saw hard labour, and got quite beaten over the years, so check your references and weather them accordingly. As to the figures, you'll need to check your references for the correct uniform colour, as no direction is included.

The decals are nicely printed on a small sheet, with numeric codes and ABCDE in black and white, plus yellow and white number plates. For those of you not familiar with UK plates, the yellow one goes on the rear, with the white on the front.


Conclusion
A nice little set to help you build a diorama with your SHAR, and there's even a section of carrier deck printed on the back of the box in case you fancied using it. It's a shame there are no instruction or colour guides for the figures, but I can't help wondering whether I've either lost them, or they weren't included in my box.

Recommended.

Review sample courtesy of

[Shar2]

That looks great, like the extra chockheads they've included.