Courtesy of constructionequipment.com’s article, “Case Does Its Part in WW II” by Lynn Landberg.

With great military demand for mobile power around the globe, the Allies turned to Case to build 40 kinds of specialized and modified tractors for a whole host of uses. From 1941 to 1945, Case built 15,313 special war tractors and 4,170 tractor engines for the U.S. military and the Allies.

Case built more than 1,200 high-speed LAI tractors for the U.S. Army that could operate at 40 mph as part of desert convoys—pulling cement mixers, road drags, road rollers and road brushes. Nearly 200 low-slung Case DI tractors were made for the Navy, designed for use at seaplane bases with the ability to travel under aircraft wings.

More than 1,500 Case SI airborne tractors made for the U.S. Army were able to drive directly into cargo planes for loading supplies. The SI was made lighter and narrower to be able to operate on gangways and inside aircraft.

Case tractors were used to mow U.S. air bases, for repairing runways, towing anti-submarine aircraft, filling in bomb craters in battle zones, and even hauling mobile weapons

Like armor vehicles, this kit is molded in 1/35th scale. The tractor has a tow bar mounted beneath the PTO, so it is configured as a tug. Two individually bagged sprues of light gray plastic contain 74 parts. Another bag holds vinyl tires and a fourth has a decal sheet and a fret of nine photo-etch parts. The molding is crisp, has good detail and little in the way of seams to clean up. Instructions are on six pages and consist of line drawings in 11 steps. A truncated parts map is on the last page. A separate color painting and decal sheet calling for MIG paints completes the boxing.

Some of the parts are small and may be a bit “fiddly”. Otherwise, this looks like a straight forward build.

John Summerford

January 2020

Copyright ModelingMadness.com

If you would like your product reviewed fairly and fairly quickly, please contact the editor or see other details in the Note to Contributors.