Alongside their US WW2 Fuel Tanker conversion, CMK have released a stand-alone kit of a US 600 Gallon Fuel Trailer. Packed into a sturdy little corrugated cardboard box, the kit comprises:

37 x beige resin parts
45 x etched steel parts

The casting throughout is excellent and I was unable to find any bubbles or other flaws in my kit. There are some large casting blocks to remove, but the price is worth paying with crisp detail and distortion-free parts. The fuel tank is hollow, but thick-walled and the separate end caps fit very well and the tank slots neatly onto the one-piece chassis, providing a solid foundation for the build.

The paired wheels have excellent tread detail (they are un-weighted) and nice hubs on the outer wheels. Once the casting blocks are removed, you'll be left with blank faces between the inner and outer wheels, but this will be hidden once they're assembled - obviously, be careful not to sand off too much and ensure you make sure the wheel sit level and square against each other.

The etched fret supplies brackets and grab-handles which festoon the tank but, without doubt, the most complex assembly is the pumping gear which is built up from no less than 13 separate parts. There's a nicely detailed filler cap for the tank and a fire extinguisher, but strangely no hoses are included and no dimensions are provided to make your own. Still, lead wire draped around the brackets should work well.

The kit is accompanied by a clearly drawn set of instructions which break the assembly down into six stages. The painting instructions include matches for Humbrol and Gunze Sangyo paints. There are no decals included - I don't know if the original units carried any stencilled operating instructions.

Conclusion

This is a very well produced resin kit that has a wide range of uses for both army and aviation scenes.

CMK's US Fuel Trailer is available from Modelimex - specialists in Eastern European short run kits.

Please remember, when contacting retailers or manufacturers, to mention that you saw their products highlighted here - on AEROSCALE.