Introduction

Getting interested in the Airborne jeeps through the Market Garden Campaign, naturally drew me towards what they might be towing. As well as being used for towing the 6pdr anti tank gun, reviewed by Pat McGrath Here on Armorama, they often towed around the 10cwt Airborne Trailers. This review will concentrate on a pair of these trailers which make up kit #31.1158 by Resicast.

I previously reviewed the RA Airborne Jeep which can be found Here and, like the Airborne Jeeps, this kit has been out for some years so comes with the older style instructions and has the feel of an older style resin kit about it, such as the trailer beds being cast as a whole.

The Set

This set comes in the standard, sturdy Resicast packing box, with the makers name and a good colour photograph of the completed kit on the outside. The set is cast in a light grey resin and on inspection the parts seem free from any nasty air bubbles. There is a slight warp on the LHS rear edge of the opened top trailer, but as the rear panel is provided to glue into this opening it should straighten out sufficiently.

Inside the box are two zip plastic bags containing the parts for the trailers, and a plastic zip bag containing plastic rod and squares which you will need for the build. The parts were wrapped in bubble wrap for extra protection. Also included is an A4 sized sheet with a black and white picture of the completed trailers, the part listing and build instructions on the front. On the rear are 3 large black and white photographs showing the build in various views. These are the older style instructions, but should still be adequate to complete the build. The difference between the newer and older style instructions can be seen in the various Resicast reviews done here on Armorama. Two trailers are included with this set.

Trailer 1 is cast as a closed trailer with the tarp on top. The trailer has nice detail top, bottom back and sides. There are two small locating brackets on the underneath of the trailer and you will need to be careful these don’t get broken off. The tarp is roped down and has nice shape and depth to it, and the remainder of the overall detail looks good. There are some pour stubs that will need to be carefully removed from the towing front end of the trailer. Annoyingly one of these sits in the small rectangular locating point for the tow bar.

On my trailer the front end was also slightly concave and not squared off. This is quite noticeable and will need a slight fix, although as these were metal it is conceivable that the front end could get bent in! There are two slight bulges on either side of the bottom of the side panels and these are supposed to be there so don’t sand them off!!

Trailer 2 is cast in a similar way, this time showing the tarp partially pulled back exposing ammunition boxes and stores within the trailer. Again the detail is very sharp, but the pour stubs will need careful removal as they did with the first trailer. The front end on this one looks much more square, although the rear end left hand side panel as previously mentioned, is slightly warped outwards. This should pull into line when the back panel is added. You will need to add tie downs to the left hand side panel and front panel. Their placement is illustrated on the reverse page of the instructions.

Whilst the detail on both trailers is excellent, the solid cast style harks back to the days when resin kits came cast as a block and techniques were not so far advanced as they are today. Even given the slight flaws, I am hopeful both will build up well.

Associated Parts:
You get 2 bags containing similar fittings to complete the trailers. These contain the suspension arms for the axel, towing bar and front and rear towing hooks and eyes, base plates, hand brake, trailer lights, wheels and convoy plate. You get an extra arm for the suspension just in case of accidents. One set contains the additional back plate for the partly open trailer. All these parts are extremely well cast with good detail.

To complete the build you get thin plastic rod for handles and base plate legs along with square rod for the axel. Copper wire was also listed in the parts list but none was in mine, so I shall just use wire for the brake cables and extra tie downs that need to be added. No decals come with the set which I felt was a great pity.

Conclusion

Despite their age, these are the only 10cwt Airborne Trailers that I know of. The quality of the detail is excellent, and whilst the older style of casting does present a few problems, these should still build into very acceptable kits.

Perhaps with the approach of the MB 1/35 Horsa glider these may get an upgrade, if not then they will still be very useful items either as stand alone pieces in a diorama or simply attached to one of the airborne jeeps also produced by Resicast. Both, of course, could be towed in tandem should you so require it.

A useful and interesting item for vehicle builders and diorama builders alike.

I have started a build blog to see how they turn out Here