High on many modelers' wish list is a state-of-the-art plastic kit of the M4 High-speed Tractor to replace the ancient, poor Nitto kit. HobbyBoss of China fills the bill with a kit of excellent detail.
Some of the light-gray moldings require repair of ejector-pin marks, the worst being on the face of the dashboard. The openings on the idler wheels are a bit too large, and the drive sprockets should have fancy plates rather than smooth.
All the major interior components are provided, including a detailed engine compartment that lacks only wiring and fine tubing. Good use is made of photoetched metal, providing the large grilles for the engine compartment and guards for the lights as well as many other small parts. Self-adhesive masks are provided for all the windows.
Two sets of markings, as well as several decals for the interior, are provided on a small decal sheet. The one-piece T49-style tracks are molded in a rubbery vinyl.
Unlike most military vehicle kits I've built, the M4 required a lot of prepainting due to the numerous interior components. Assembly of the hull went smoothly. Because I wanted to show the front plate doors open, I sanded them thin and repaired ejector-pin marks. The running gear and tracks were left off until after the main painting.
It was no problem to assemble the interior parts, including the detailed Waukesha 145GZ engine. However, Part C32 suddenly shows up in place in Step 7 of the instructions. It goes on the box (parts B30 and C64) to the right of the motor. If you don't install it, there is nothing to attach the belt (B9) to. Also not shown in the instructions, placard decals go on the box (C65) to the left of the driver. Decal 8 goes on the front of the box, Decal 18 on the driver's side. The instrument decal is one piece but would have to go over several knobs and levers molded on the dashboard. I cut mine up to install just the instrument faces. Take care attaching the bumper (C24). It must be below the level of the fenders so the lip on the front of the cab can hang over the chassis. Rather than install the cab divider (C66) in the cab as shown, I glued it to the chassis.
I was worried about attaching all the components to the chassis, but once the cab was in place the other parts fit perfectly. The engine compartment roof (B47) required a bit of pressure to get it to snap in place over the radiator filler cap. The rear ammo bin went together easily, but I wish HobbyBoss had provided a canvas cover for it. Not mentioned in the instructions, the interior of the bin should be flat white. Also not mentioned in the plans, Part C54 is a form for bending the photoetched-metal light guards. (It works very well.)
The decals are thin and react well with Micro Sol and Set. I used Loctite vinyl adhesive to glue the tracks together. The tracks are very flexible, but Tamiya paint likes to flake off them. They fit well, requiring only that you glue them to the top of the drive sprocket to make them lie properly.
I spent about 22 hours building my M4 High-speed Tractor. The finished model exactly matched the dimensions in the
Standard Catalog of U.S. Military Vehicles, by David Doyle. Also useful was Ampersand Publishing's book
High Speed Tractor, by David Doyle and Pat Stansell.
While the kit is a bit complex, any experienced modeler should be able to assemble it. HobbyBoss has already announced plans to release another version with the 155mm/240mm ammo bin.
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