Recently received from the folks at ResKit is this US Navy A/S32A-31A “Mule” tow tractor, short version, with exclusive markings in 1/32 scale. These tow tractors are used aboard ships as well as land bases to move aircraft as needed. Suggested aircraft to pair this vehicle with include the following: AV-8B, F-14B/D, F/A-18 C/D/E/F/G, C-2, E-2C, EA-6B, S-3B, UH-1, UH-60, CH-47, CH-53, and SH-3. Modelers with some experience with 3D printed resin kits should have no issues with adding this tow tractor to their collection.

Upon opening the box for this kit, you will find 11 gray resin printed items, the body of the vehicle and back plate are single items, while the remaining parts are printed in groups. There is a single clear resin print of the front headlight lenses along with three decal sheets and a 12-page instruction manual (this includes color suggestions for Gunze Aqueous and Mr. Color paints). The box is tightly packed and besides the foam top and bottom pieces, there were some extra pieces of foam to separate parts in the box and several of the items were contained in a plastic bag or were wrapped in bubble plastic.

Building this kit requires a total of 44 parts, and ResKit is kind enough to provide one additional part 20 (left rear light assembly), 21 (right rear light assembly), 22 (movable portion of the hooks), and G1 (headlight lens). The 21 steps of the instructions begin with installing the clear headlight lenses, but I saved those for the end. I also left the wheels off until they were finished, along with the body of the vehicle. I dipped each of the prints into a pot of warm water and found that this made removal of the supports very easy with finger pressure.

I appreciate the options of either straight or turning front wheels, and I opted to pose them turning myself. The only challenge that I had with the assembly was the fit of the underside vehicle plate (R2), but this only required some light filing to get it to fit. I did have a slight bow to the back plate, but this corrected itself using clamps during the installation. While the parts fit nicely and snug on their own, I utilized Bob Smith Industries IC-2000 Tire Glue to attach all the parts and was pleased with the results as I had a little working time if small adjustments were needed. I also used GS Hypo tube Cement for the clear headlight lenses.

In addition to the tow tractor, the kit also includes 8 ALBAR and 15 ALBAR towing bars as well as two different length wheel chocks. One of the wheel chocks is the perfect length to use on the rear wheels of the tractor itself. I included photos of these items by themselves and with the vehicle for this review.

After a quick assembly of the Mule, I gave it a coat of Stynylrez 3D Black Primer, and the tow bars and chocks received Stynylrez 3D White Primer. I did mask the front of the vehicle and applied Stynylrez Neutral Yellow Primer over the black to make the yellow that was to follow stand out better, and with fewer coats of paint. The vehicle went on to receive Model Master Acryl Chrome Yellow, Tamiya LP-1 Black, X-7 Red, X-27 Clear Red, X-23 Clear Blue with the clear colors being used over items touched with a Zeyar Liquid Chrome Pen. After the wheels were primed in black, I masked and airbrushed Stynylrez 3D White Primer, and then masked and airbrushed Tamiya X-7 Red.

The tow-bars received Tamiya XF-2 White and X-7 Red and I used my AK Real Color Rubber Black marker for the wheels. The wheel chocks received Model Master Acryl Chrome Yellow and then came some experimenting. The real chocks are a light orange color, so I first tried AMMO by Mig Orange Shader, but I could not seem to build up enough color. I then used my AMMO by Mig Missing Link Rust pen, and I thought the color looked good.

The decals on the flat surfaces went on fine using Micro Set and Micro Sol, but I needed some Solvaset and a Q-Tip to get the ones on the non-skid to settle. I opted to install the large flame decal on the top, front of the Mule, and then worked my way down the sides as there are spots where the decals are supposed to align. I also cut a small slit in the lower flame decals on the sides that fit over handles used for securing the vehicle to the deck of the ship (hangar bay or flight deck). The other option would be to cut off the handles and then re-install them after the decals are in place. The vehicle itself, tow-bars, and wheel chocks were all sealed with Alclad Light Sheen.

My hits for this kit are the incredible details provided in the printed parts. The non-skid texture on the top of the vehicle looks great, and all the parts are incredible in 1/32 scale. I fell in love with the optional markings in this kit, so I had to build that option as the decal sheet will also support a standard white vehicle with the black non-skid on top.

I have no real misses for this kit. As far as suggestions go, I would have liked a color/paint recommendation for the front of the vehicle myself. I only found one photo online of the actual vehicle, and it only shows the right side and top of the Mule. Based on the Mules being yellow during my years of service, I selected Chrome Yellow for the front. The actual vehicle was either new, or had the non-skid removed on the top surfaces, but I did not want to figure out how to remove that amount of detail without causing some unwanted damage.

In conclusion, I highly recommend this tow tractor kit to anyone wanting to represent an A/S32A-31A in 1/32 scale. The special markings are very nice to have for representing a unique paint scheme seen in at least 2004. My profuse thanks to ResKit for providing this example to the IPMS/USA for review and I appreciate having had the opportunity to perform this assessment.

Slava Ukraini!