MD-1 flight deck tractors entered service with the U.S. Navy in the mid 1950s. Apart from the aircraft towing and positioning, they were employed to start up aircraft jet engines. For this purpose many were fitted with gas turbine start units mounted on the platform in the rear. MD-1 tractors served on Essex / Oriskany class, Midway class and Forrestal / Kitty Hawk class carriers of the U.S. Navy until mid 1960s. They have also been employed on the Royal Canadian Navy's HMCS Bonaventure.
My kits come from F4Models (cat. # 7001). They have re-issued this kit, and the new one has some substantial improvements. Firstly, photoetched details are now included. Secondly, the kit box contains parts that allow you to build the tractor in a number of versions / variations: with or without the starter unit, two versions of the front grille and a number of options to arrange the ballast weights.
I have scratch-built the compressor's air hose and mesh screen for the exhaust pipe. I have also made headlights from self-adhesive bare metal foil and some handles and braces from thin wire. Everything else is out-of-the-box, with modest amount of filling and sanding. Painting and finishing is fairly straightforward: first Vallejo acrylic paint, then gloss varnish and some neutral wash and finally Vallejo matt varnish.
