These French aircraft tow tractors, manufactured by Fenwick company, first saw service on the decks of Clemenceau and Foch aircraft carriers of the French Navy in the early 1960s. When Foch was sold to Brazil, her compliment of tractors went along with the carrier, renamed São Paulo in the Brazilian Navy. The tractors were in use on São Paulo in the early 2000s. A small number of these tractors was supplied to Italy for service on the Italian Navy's Giuseppe Garibaldi aircraft carrier in the 1990s and the early 2000s.
This 1:72 scale model kit is from F4Models (cat. # 7012). The kit contains resin and photo etched parts, decals and instruction sheet. On a diorama this vehicle may accompany such Marine Nationale aircraft as Alize, Etendard / Super Etendard and F-8 Crusader, as well as Alouette and Super Frelon helicopters. When modelling the São Paulo's deck, the tractor would fit well along Brazilian Skyhawk jets, Cougar and Sea King helicopters. It can even be matched to an Argentinean S-2 Turbo Tracker as those visit the Brazilian carrier from time to time.
Some photographs of this type of tractor in action: in French Navy service, in Brazilian Navy service, in Italian Navy service.
This 1:72 scale model kit is from F4Models (cat. # 7012). The kit contains resin and photo etched parts, decals and instruction sheet. On a diorama this vehicle may accompany such Marine Nationale aircraft as Alize, Etendard / Super Etendard and F-8 Crusader, as well as Alouette and Super Frelon helicopters. When modelling the São Paulo's deck, the tractor would fit well along Brazilian Skyhawk jets, Cougar and Sea King helicopters. It can even be matched to an Argentinean S-2 Turbo Tracker as those visit the Brazilian carrier from time to time.
