1:35 U.S. sheepfoot roller model W-2

American sheepfoot roller W-2 in 1:35 scale from the manufacturer Plusmodel

A resin kit of the American towed sheepsfoot roller model W-2 in 1:35 scale. Plusmodel, the Czech specialist in unusual equipment, has this time reached for a theme you will not find among the big manufacturers, an engineer construction machine.

The real subject

A sheepsfoot roller is a construction machine intended for compacting soil: a steel drum covered with projecting lugs bites into the subsoil and compacts it layer by layer. American engineer units used such towed rollers when building field airstrips, roads and hard standings; without them the rapid construction of facilities on liberated territory could not have been managed. A bulldozer or a heavy tractor was typically hitched in front of the roller.

Building and painting tips

Wash the parts free of the mold release agent, cut the casting blocks off with a saw and glue them with cyanoacrylate glue. A working machine will take pronounced weathering: add scuffs, rust on the drums and above all a heavy layer of dust and dried mud to the basic olive color, as pigments can work to the full here. It looks splendid paired with a bulldozer or in a scene of building a field airstrip.

Who the model is for

• For modelers of engineer and construction equipment
• For builders of dioramas of field airstrips and building sites
• For collectors of unconventional subjects in 1:35 scale
• For more experienced modelers working with resin

The model is supplied unassembled and unpainted, the parts are of resin. Glue, paints and the towing vehicle are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.