US M5 high speed artillery tractor

I got the Pendraken version some time ago but as it looked a bit fiddly to make I have just not got round to it. In the meantime Pithead brought one out and I decided to do both lots at once.

Some side by side comparisons after the main photos and also a bit on making the two models at the end.

First some close shots of the Pendraken version:

Photo showing the driver inside:

And now the Pithead version:

Cabin is a bit less open so no quite so easy to get a clear photo of the driver, but I had a go!

Some side by side shots to give a clearer comparison. Overall, the Pendraken model is a bit longer, quite bit wider but also lower. Both a really nice models.

I intend to use the Pendraken models for a Long Tom 155mm battery (which I don't have yet) and the Pithead models for the normal 155mm battery - which I do, so thought I would add a few shots of the tractors with their guns. The guns are Pithead and the crew are Pendraken. The radio truck is Pithead while the staff stand has Pendraken tents and the figures are Wargames South (Arrowhead).

Finally a bit of a discussion on making the models. Both used the separate roof top MG from Pendraken as neither came with a machine gun.

The Pendraken model comes with the most bits and takes a bit more effort to make. Picture shows the main body, the roof piece (top and bottom and with the hole I drilled for the MG), and the cabin support poles as they come and fixed to the roof. The poles need to be cut to the same length (a bit more than half their length, some shown cut in the photo, but make them longer to start with as you will now see,,). Glue the poles into the round holes in the bottom of the roof - they fit nice and snugly. Now, despite them being the same length to start with they don't end up the same length as they don't all sit in quite the same way into the holes. Once the glue is dry you need to lie the roof piece on its side and cut small amounts off the poles until they are level again. The trick is to get each side the same as it is not obvious by eye. You also need to keep sitting the complete roof section into the model to see if it is looking level. This is why you need to have the poles a bit longer than you really want to give some room for maneuver as you cut them to sit properly. There are plenty of spares though if you mess one up!

First one took me a bit of effort but that is before I worked out the best technique (as described above) and then the final three were all done together with no real difficulty.

The Pithead model comes with separate tracks and engine cover. They are glued on in the photo below. A separate driver is provided to sit in the seat and he has the steering wheel molded with him. Pictures are mainly to show the difference in the approach to the roof piece. The poles are already molded as part of the roof piece (still need to drill a hole for the MG). It does not completely sit as it should so a bit of filing is needed and for a couple of poles on the 4 models I needed to fill in the bottom that did not quite reach the vehicle body with milliput. One thing to watch put for it how far forward the driver is sitting otherwise the window ad the front won't fit in front of him - needs a bit of filing on the inside as well as being careful how the driver is sitting to get the right final fit.

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