1:32 MHU-141M munitions trailer with flat bed/cargo platform (type 2)

The trailer that carries bombs to the aircraft

At an air base the munitions do not get under the wing by themselves. Low trailers towed in trains behind a tractor bring them from the bunkers to the apron, and only at the aircraft does a hydraulic loader lift them off the trailer. The MHU-141M trailer is exactly this link in the chain: a long frame on small wheels, a folding drawbar and a brake so that the train stays in place even on a slope. An inconspicuous piece of equipment from the outside, but one without which no attack would begin – and on the apron there are usually several of them in a row.

A platform instead of a cradle

This version carries a flat cargo surface for transporting crates, containers and accessories, while the other version has a cradle on the frame shaped for the bombs themselves. The difference is described in the name as the second type and it shows in the scope of parts as well, because the two variants contain different amounts. The manufacturer makes both versions in four sizes at once, so they can be paired with a model in practically any scale.

Building an all-resin model

This is not an accessory for an aircraft but a building project in its own right. The frame, the axle, the wheels and the small fittings come as separate castings and are joined with cyanoacrylate glue, which sets quickly – which is why it pays to assemble the structure dry first and mark the position of the parts. Keep the frame flat against a glass plate, or the trailer will stand on only three wheels. Given the size of the parts in this scale the build is more comfortable than with small accessories, and the result will take heavy weathering, because resin accepts water-based paints as well as oil washes.