1:32 A/S32A-31A Mule Tow Tractor AS47A-1 GTE (GTCP-100) (long version)

Nothing moves on deck without a tow tractor

The low four-wheeled little machine nicknamed the Mule in the US Navy is met everywhere aircraft are handled on the ground. It pulls them from their spots to the catapult, moves them off the elevator and turns in a crowded space where larger machinery would not get through. The rendition in question here moreover carries a gas turbine on the frame behind the cab, that is a mobile source of compressed air and electrical power for starting aircraft engines. One operator can thus both tow the machine and start it, which saves time as well as room in a cramped area. The longer wheelbase came about precisely so that the turbine unit would have somewhere to sit.

What is in the box

This is not an addition to an aircraft but a standalone kit of a vehicle in a large scale. This maker's code line is produced by 3D printing, which shows in the fineness of the parts: grilles, runs of pipework and thin frames are captured in a form an injection mold could not manage.

Before you set to work

It is advisable to wash the printed components in lukewarm soapy water before building and to clear them of the remnants of print supports. Make the joints with super glue; ordinary cement for plastic has no effect on this material. A thin primer under the paint is practically a necessity, otherwise the shade will spread unevenly on the surface.

Where the vehicle suits

The Mule is a rewarding element of a deck scene, but it will also hold up on its own on a base beside a figure of an operator.

At a large scale even the small things stand out that are lost at smaller sizes: the step surfaces, the grab handles and the runs to the turbine. Its low silhouette moreover allows it to be stood close up against an aircraft model without hiding anything.