Plusmodel has recently released some interesting 1/35th scale diorama accessories. The Fordson N-big Tractor is another one of them. It is an entire kit and has to be one of the best if not the best resin kit I have built. The parts were flawlessly cast with little to no flash. The fit was exceptional.

From the instruction sheet: Fordson tractors were produced in Cork, Ireland. The first of them, Fordson N-Big left the plant in 1927. In 1933 the production was transferred to Dagenham in England and this factory produced 136,000 units so the type became the most common tractor in the U.K. during WWII. It was powered by a 4-cylinder diesel or petrol engine, both of 4.4 L (267 ci) with app. 25 HP power.

This kit was my first experience with a product from Orange Model, and to my knowledge, this was the first kit that they introduced, at least it was the first one that I noticed. This was actually a fun kit to build, as the engineering was on par with some of the manufacturers known for kits that are nearly flawless to assemble. The plane itself built up with very few issues, the tow tractor that was included provided some challenges with the small parts, and photoetched items, and the photoetch tie downs require the most experience to complete. If you are interested in adding a 1/72 scale copy of the US Navy’s newest jet to your collection, this is currently the only one available, and it is a great kit.

History

The P-51 Mustang is probably the most well-known fighter aircraft ever built. Originally designed to fill an order from the British government, the P-51 was built by North American Aviation. The first examples did not show much promise until a switch was made to the Rolls-Royce engine. By 1944, the skies over Europe were dominated by the allies thanks to fighters like the P-51.