OK, here's the subject:



Now the question. Would this be considered a piece or armor, or would it be considered an aviation subject?

Now the sundries...

Photoetch has not been drawn yet
The scale is 1/32 scale
No price has been set
No release date has been determined.

Discuss...

Jon

1/32nd scale is more of an aircraft scale now but that is all I can really throw into the mix.

Having an fully open cab normally suggests a vehicle is not "armour"...
Is it a Cletrac airfield tractor? I knew that without having to look it up of course!!

The point is I suppose, what other vehicles might it be displayed alongside in a diorama or such like?

YES YES YES! (of course, I've gotta put a request in for 48th too).

The Cletrac has been overlooked for far too long. The only option out there has been the one included in the ancient Monogram B-24 kit and it is maddening trying to make anything accurate out of the blob of plastic provided.

Looking forward to this one!

Jon

I knew I forgot something. You are correct that this is an M2 High Speed Tractor, or Cletrac. Mostly used as an aircraft tug, but was tested as an artillery tractor.

Jon

Hi Jon,

I'm conversing with someone in Eurpoe who's working on a 1/48 scale version. We've been swapping info to be sure we're both finding the right information.

Jon

Well, from a contest/organisational point of view, it would definitely go into the military vehicle categories, however, your sales are going to be almost exclusively aviation modellers because of the scale. If it was in 1/35, the armour guys would buy it by the cartyload and the plane guys would mostly shun it. Kinda got to pick where the majority of teh sales were, but I'd agree with the 1/32 choice as, on the surface, there seem to be more aviation modellers than AFV modellers.

BTW, cool little kit and, if it was 1/35 I'd want one, but in 1/32 it just doesn't fit with my 1/35 stuff.

Paul

If it showed up at the registration table at a show that I was responsible for, I'd allow it in as a soft skin military vehicle as long as it was in the correct markings.

I could see someone building it in civilian livery as some sort of construction or emergency vehicle, so if it showed up like that, it'd probably wind up in an appropriate civil-automotive category.

If it was paired with a 1/32 scale aircraft, it'd most likely go into an aircraft diorama category if one was available.

Beyond that, the details of the build would have to determine any other possible categories.

It looks like a very nice kit, though.

In so far as marketing, it's not an "AFV" since it's not armored and wasn't ever intended as a "ground forces" vehicle. Definitely a military soft skin, though. However, it's a subject pretty much limited to either a stand-alone soft-skin model or more probably in a combination military aviation build.

I just don't see a lot of "AFV" builders taking it on. Airplane builders, though, might be a lot more interested in it, in the same way as they might be interested in any other airfield support equipment.

Just my .02.

Jon,

Something was striking me as odd about it and I just realized. Looks like you've got the windshield too far forward on it.

Jon

Hi Jon,

I thought so too, but the mount for the windshield is right at the rear firewall of the engine compartment just in front of the gas tank:



Jon

I must admit scale is the issue here, hard to make it fit with other afv. But, I would definitly buy this and make myself a nice small vignette style base. Very good choice of subject for a kit.

I stand corrected! Went back over a few different walkarounds I've got and realized that what I was seeing was an optical illusion caused by viewing from the front quarter.

Jon

I'll have to agree with the others that the scale is the main problem for armor builders. Other than a few oddballs, like the Monogram German stuff, 1/32 just isn't found in ground vehicles.

As Jon mentioned, 1/48 would be something to think about to fit both building genres. The big drawback there is that it would be tiny.

A1/32 Cletrac! Just fantastic!
Splendid work, very good indeed.

When it will be released?

G_Mendes