1:35 US trailer 10-CWT

1:35 US trailer 10-CWT from Black Dog model

A resin accessory in 1:35 scale: a light two-wheel trailer of the 10 cwt class. It is not a vehicle kit but a stand-alone towed item that is hitched behind a model of a light car or set into a diorama as parked equipment. Neither the towing vehicle nor figures are included in the package.

The real subject

The abbreviation cwt stands for hundredweight, a unit of load capacity used in British practice; the 10 cwt class therefore describes a light trailer meant to go behind cars and light cross-country vehicles. Trailers like this carried ammunition, engineer stores, jerrycans, radio sets or the equipment of airborne units and were a common part of the columns of the Second World War. For a modeler they are interesting precisely because behind a jeep or a light car they add bulk, cargo and a story without the scene needing another large vehicle.

Building and painting tips

Wash the resin in lukewarm soapy water to get rid of the mold release. Cut the casting blocks off with a saw and level the surface on a sanding board; with small parts such as the drawbar and the fenders work carefully, as they are fragile. Sand with respiratory protection and bond with super glue. Before painting, check that the trailer stands square and that the drawbar fits the hitch of the towing vehicle. Match the trailer in color to the vehicle it is to belong to, and make the difference only with the weathering. The wheels and the underside deserve more dust and mud than the rest of the scene, because a trailer always comes last in a column.

Who the model is for

• Modelers of light vehicles of the Second World War in 1:35 scale.
• Builders of dioramas who want to add cargo and a column to a scene.
• Anyone interested in resin accessories with experience of cyanoacrylate.
• Modelers looking for a small stand-alone project to practice weathering on.