Land Utility Tractor Stardard N Mod. 1935

MiniArt, 1/35 scale

Reviewed by Zack Sex

FirstLook   

MiniArt’s new 1:35 scale Fordson Standard N tractor represents the most important British-produced tractor of the Second World War.

Henry Ford established a tractor works in Cork, Ireland, in 1917, but civil unrest and production issues led him to move manufacture of the Standard N to Dagenham in 1933. The Standard N was a significant improvement over the earlier F model, and more than 136,000 were built in Britain during the war.

Those familiar with MiniArt’s tank kits may be surprised by the relatively modest parts count and small photo-etch fret, but this comes with no compromise in detail. The Fordson N is crisply moulded and well-engineered, yet can be assembled in a relatively short time to deliver an impressive replica of this historic vehicle.

The large rear wheels are broken down into multiple sections that fit together cleanly to produce a convincingly chunky set of tyres. The smaller front wheels follow the same approach, capturing the look of the original very effectively.

This reviewer suspects many armour modellers will be tempted by MiniArt’s tractor series—beating, as it were, their swords into ploughshares.

Highly Recommended.

Purchased by the reviewer