1:35 A/S32A-31A Mule Tow Tractor (short version)

The Mule tow tractor in the short version

Aircraft are not maneuvered on the deck of an aircraft carrier by the power of their own engines but by tow tractors. The low, low-slung machine designated A/S32A-31A, nicknamed the Mule, is exactly the type of equipment that moves an aircraft away from the elevator, lines it up ahead of the catapult or parks it at the edge of the deck. Its low overall height is crucial: the vehicle passes under a fuselage and under a wing and does not get in the way of the crew preparing the machine for takeoff.

The short version represents the basic form of the vehicle: a bare frame, the operator's seat with a roll bar and a tow hitch, with nothing at all on the rear. That is what the examples meant for simply moving aircraft and for towing trolleys of ammunition and ground equipment look like.

What you get in the set

It is a standalone accessory for dioramas in 1:35, that is where ground equipment and figures are commonly built. Before assembly the parts have to be cleared of remnants from manufacture and tried dry to see how they meet; they are joined with super glue or epoxy and painted only after a primer has been applied.

Deck tow tractors wear a striking yellow or white finish with reflective elements, so as to be clearly visible on a crowded area. Scuffs around the tow pin, worn edges and deposits of oil on the frame will give the finished piece the credibility that clean paint alone never has.

The short version is followed at the same maker by two longer renditions with superstructures, and the same machine is worked up in other sizes as well, so a scene can be put together in the scale matching the aircraft chosen.