MD-3 Carrier Deck Tractor

[Mike]

MD-3 Navy Tractor (1:48)

Following hot on the heels of Kinetic's release of the excellent E-2C Hawkeye in 1:48 scale, comes this little kit to enhance your carrier deck dioramas, or just to add interest to your shelves. The MD-3 Tractor hasn't been modelled in injection moulded styrene in this scale, so should sell very well, especially as you get two in the box.

Inside the glossy "figure sized" end opening box you will find four sprues, two of each from which you can construct the aforementioned two tractors, with additional parts for a towing hitch, a set of linked chocks that secure the vehicle temporarily when stationary, or a coiled rope to personalise your work. Of the three, the coiled rope/wire is a little simplified, with no surface detail. You'd be better off replacing it with a piece of braided wire of the correct dimensions, or a piece of fine chain, as often seen dumped by the driver.

The body of the tractor is provided in 6 parts which fit together easily, with the joints for the most part along convenient panel lines. The joint of the front grille to the body is quite noticeable however, and will need filling, as there is no corresponding joint on the real thing.

The wheels are a simple one-piece affair with integral hubs that slot into holes in the body, and they lack tread on the contact surface, which was probably done from expediency to suit the moulding process. As there is no facility for turning the front wheels, and the wheel arches are quite close, this shouldn't notice under normal scrutiny.

There are four pairs of shallow holes to the front and rear of the vehicle, into which small handles should fit, but these are not included with the kit. It is simplicity itself to create some out of wire wrapped around a 3mm diameter tube, then cut in half, so shouldn't be an issue, and the result will be more "in scale" than injection moulding allows. The prominent hinge-line at the front of the bonnet/hood is missing from the kit, but could be replicated by a piece of thin rod laid in place, glued, then cut/indented when the glue is dry.

The drivers cab has a separate seat, which you can glue together and leave off for painting, as it should be black - presumably vinyl for longevity. The half-moon steering column sits below the top deck of the tractor, and must be quite uncomfortable to drive. A gear stick to the right of the driver's seat finalises the cockpit parts. The dials and switches are provided as decals.

The vehicle should be painted white with a predominantly black top deck. The black area actually has a rough anti-slip coating, which you could replicate as I have with an application of Cast-a-Coat, which is available from Cammett. Probably a little over-scale, but it will give the tractor a little extra texture.

The author's model, built, painted and weathered in less than a day overall

There are three figures in the box, comprising a tractor driver, a walking figure, and one holding a pair of linked chocks standing aimlessly on the deck. The driver figure is a little odd, in that his hands are placed in a driving position, but are clearly not going to intersect with the steering wheel. I took the option of cutting the right arm and adjusting it so that it leant on the top deck, and lowered the left arm to the driver's lap. I coupled this with an offsetting of his head to the left, so that it looked like he's sat waiting for instructions. The figures are still being painted as I write this, so I'll update the review with some further pictures later.

The two identical decal sheet provides black chevron decals plus a full set of instruments, vehicle codes and warning symbols, which allows you to decal two vehicles differently. They are thin, in register, and well printed, and settle well onto the model. They do have a tendency to curl however, so apply them directly from the backing sheet. You will also need to cut the chevron decals on the bumpers to take into account the towing hitches, which contrary to the instructions the backing plates are also generally painted red.

Check your references for the placement of the yellow warning strips, as the placement varies depending on each vehicle.

Conclusion

This kit should sell well, and is simple to construct with options for additional detail to enhance it further, but out of the box it will still provide you with a nice counterpoint to your modern US Navy fighter collection. The figures are of a reasonable standard, and with a little filling around the prominent arm joints and careful painting will further enhance the kit's usefulness - two seated tractor drivers would have been nice though.

Excellent reference pictures for your build can be found here, and you can see my build thread here.

Review sample courtesy of