U.S. Navy MD-3A Flight Deck Tractor Model

The MD-3A is a purpose-built flight deck tractor. It saw extensive service on all aircraft carriers and large-deck amphibious ships of the U.S. Navy, starting from as early as 1962 and until the late 1990s. Apart from the aircraft towing and positioning, these vehicles were employed to start up aircraft jet engines. For this purpose many were fitted with gas turbine start units mounted in the rear.

This 1:72 scale model kit, produced by F4Models (cat. # 7008), contains resin and photo etched parts to build one MD-3A tractor.

Notes:
- The MD-3A tractors were seen with at least three different types of the jet aircraft start unit; the kit #7008 includes the type of start unit that was the most common.
- Compared with the older plastic and resin models of the MD-3A tractor, the kit #7008  features the following:
   - Accurately shaped driver's compartment, with correct width (which is 36% of the real vehicle's overall width, whereas the older kits have it at 52% of the overall width), front and real walls.
   - Accurately shaped front and rear wheels (which have twin tires on the real MD-3A, whereas the older kits contain single-tire rear wheels).
   - Detailed jet aircraft start unit.

- A small number of MD-3A flight deck tractors were also employed on the Royal Canadian Navy's HMCS Bonaventure and on the Argentine Navy's Veinticinco de Mayo aircraft carriers.
- Somewhere in the mid 1990s the U.S. Navy started the process of upgrading the venerable MD-3A's with a newer version. This new tractor, designated as A/S32A-31A, differed from the original by having wider and slightly raised aft end, wider rear wheels and some other minor improvements. Having a different geometry, the A/S32A-31A variant is not intended to be built from this kit. Consequently, this model kit is only suitable for the 1960's through 1990's dioramas & aircraft and not suitable for the period from 2000 onward.
- This kit is only for modellers with experience and high level of skill.
- This kit production is extremely limited. Write directly for ordering.