1:35 US Heavy Wrecker Ward LaFrance Model M1 - Series 5 M1A1 Limited Bonus Edition

Ward LaFrance Model M1, Series 5, M1A1, Limited Bonus Edition, 1:35, Thunder Model

An extensive injection-molded plastic kit of the American heavy wrecker Ward LaFrance Model M1, Series 5, in the M1A1 build in 1:35 scale from Thunder Model. The core of the box is roughly 700 parts on ten sprues, clear parts, a photo-etched fret, 3D-printed parts, a vacuum-formed cab canopy, cable and chains and five decal options. The Limited Bonus Edition adds on top of that two resin crew figures and a 3D-printed folded cab canopy, exactly what you need for a living scene. It is a demanding build for more experienced modelers.

The real subject

The Ward LaFrance M1/M1A1 was an American 6x6 heavy wrecker, essentially a crane and a winch on the chassis of a heavy truck. Its work began where combat vehicles left off: a damaged tank is not abandoned on the battlefield. The wrecker pulled it out of the mud, lifted out its engine, towed the hulk to a workshop or put it back on its tracks. It was a key maintenance machine; without it an army would have lost even the vehicles that could have been saved. The pull of the crane winch was such that it could handle even the turret of a Sherman. The M1A1 build, produced from 1943, can be told from the older M1 above all by its open cab with a folding canvas roof (the earlier vehicle had an enclosed cab).

Building and painting tips

Divide the build into sections: the chassis and the engine, the cab, the body with the crane. Finish and paint the engine and the interior before you cover them. Glue the plastic with thin cement for polystyrene and the photo-etched fret and 3D-printed parts with super glue; wash the 3D parts beforehand and separate them from the supports carefully. The enclosed cable and chains deserve blackening and light rust; on a model that makes an enormous difference. Paint over a primer, with an airbrush; at the end come washes and pigments, greasy patches and oil traces around the crane and the winch. A wrecker is allowed to be dirty and worn; it is a working machine, not a show exhibit.

Who the model is for

• Advanced modelers who want a large, richly broken down build.
• Builders of dioramas; a wrecker repairing a tank is one of the most rewarding subjects there is.
• Owners of a 1:35 tank at home: a wrecker gives it context and at once a scene arises, not just a model.
• Collectors of American logistics and maintenance vehicles of the Second World War.
• Anyone interested in the bonus edition; the resin crew figures bring a scene to life at once.

The model is supplied unassembled and unpainted. Glue, paints and accessories are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.