Introduction:
The M915A1 Line Haul Tractor can be fitted with the M871 semitrailer (flatbed, 22.5 tons), M872 semitrailer (flatbed, 34 tons), M967/M969 semitrailer (5,000-gallon tanker) or M1062 semitrailer (7,500-gallon tanker) and Minimanfactory have released along with the M915A2 the M872 Flatbed Trailer. The kit:
This consists of 93 parts in light cream resin, 13 tyres in black vinyl material, a small etched fret with 13 parts, a length of 2.5mm plastic rod and a four page colour instruction sheet.
There is some resin ‘film’ type flash on some parts which is easily removed with a pass of the trusty #11 blade.
The main part of this kit is the large flatbed trailer which is in one piece that includes the underside chassis girders and cross members which adds rigidity to the casting that helps keep it nice and square.
The detail on the flatbed is very well done with nice wood grain texture on the wooden deck panels with just some fine resin film to be removed for the tie down holes along the side of the flatbed.
Added to the undersides are the rear suspension assemblies with the 2.5mm plastic rod supplied used for the axles, the large storage boxes with separate doors that can be shown open as well as the forward hydraulic leg mountings.
The front panel has additional etched parts and the rear mud flaps are cast extremely fine in resin and don’t look over scale at all and the spare wheel fits neatly into its mounting frame.
The six bogie wheels are well engineered with inner and outer rims with a central “spacer” and separate cast spoked hubs that fit together precisely without any trimming required for impressive reproductions of these complicated wheel hubs.
I found it easiest to glue the inner and outer rims and the central “spacer” together first using thin cyanoacrylate to ensure these line up correctly and then fit the spoked hub inside the rims from the outside with the brake drums added from the inside.
The tyres themselves are again cast in more of a soft resin type material rather than the traditional vinyl as it is quite easy to cut away the casting blocks and the resin film in the middle of the tyre with a sharp scalpel blade.
The tread pattern on the tyre is well defined but there is a cutting scar left after removing the casting block but this can easily be hidden at ground contact after fitting the wheels.
These fit snugly onto the resin rims without any gaps which allows you to paint the rims and wheels separately and fit together later to make this process easier.
A small pin (part 20) fits to the underside of the flatbed to attach the trailer to the M9115A1s fifth wheel but the instructions don’t mention this so take care here but it does become obvious when you wonder how to fit the trailer to the tractor?
Instructions:
These are in the form of an four page booklet with colour photos of the model during construction showing the parts in place as you go, each is called out by number but there is no overall part layout diagram which is why it is best to number each part with a fine lead pencil as you prepare them for assembly so as to lessens any ID problems.The photos are rather small but having fewer parts than the M915A1 makes for less confusing sequences but it’s important to study all the sequences before commencing assembly.
Conclusion:
This is another excellent kit with high levels of resin casting and detail on the parts and the lack of any warping on the larger parts such as the flatbed trailer again makes the assemblies even easier and I didn’t encounter anything out of the ordinary for a resin kit during the dry fitting.Providing you study the instructions carefully the kit will assemble into an excellent kit of the M872 Flatbed Trailer to go along with the M915A Line Haul Tractor (kit #35001) to build the full rig and you can add any load you wish for a diorama setting. Just remember these trailers were not designed for and did not carry vehicles as a rule but I guess they could in an emergency?
Highly recommended 8/10
