1:35 A/S32A-31A Mule Tow Tractor MSU-200 NAV (long version)

The MSU-200 superstructure in the naval version

Work on an aircraft between two takeoffs cannot do without vehicles which bring it power and the medium for testing systems. According to its type designation the MSU-200 unit in the version for the navy, set on the long chassis of the A/S32A-31A tow tractor, belongs to this group. The vehicle thus manages both: moving the machine about the area and then staying beside it as a source for maintenance tasks.

The difference against the turbine rendition lies in what stands on the frame. A different housing, a different layout of the control panels, a different routing of hoses and cables. The basis of the vehicle meanwhile stays the same: a low build, an open driver's station and a massive hitch at the rear.

How to use the model

At 1:35 it suits scenes with ground personnel, trolleys and tools. It is interesting on its own on a base as well: aircraft handling equipment tends to be represented at exhibitions far less than the aircraft themselves, so such a piece draws attention to itself.

When painting, it pays to distinguish the painted body from the metal sections, which polish to a shine under the hands of the crew. Lettering and warning stripes on the superstructure are usual on vehicles like this and give a finished model both scale and technical character.

The same chassis also appears with a turbine unit, so the two versions can stand side by side on one base and complement each other. Anyone building a more extensive scene will appreciate that the individual vehicles differ in their superstructure, so the scene does not read as a row of identical copies.