MASTERS PRODUCTIONS - LONG TOM WHEELS & DOLLY

Masters Productions' upgrade set for AFV Club’s M1/M59 Long Tom kit is a welcome edition. Issued as item MP35019 it helps address the kit’s only major shortcoming.

It isn’t cheap, the resin tyre pack & replacement dolly almost cost us as much as the 1:35th scale AFV Club kit itself. But when you have to have something...

Anyway, we saw this kit used in an edition of Steelmasters, the French modelling magazine, & it lifted the kit considerably. The beauty of this set is it provides a tyre tread more commonly seen on World War Two Long Toms.

Sure enough, when you get your hands on Masters’ release it does not disappoint. The quality is absolutely spot-on & there’s a lot in the see-through box – so justifying the outlay.

It’s crammed full of well-moulded bits & bobs that inspire confidence.

There’s a full set of beautifully cast replacement wheels. They’ve got excellent tread detail, the hubs are well replicated & there were no air bubbles or moulding imperfections at all.

The instructions are fairly routine for a cottage production, taking the form of a photocopy but seem clear enough to follow. It’s also good to see white metal used for the bogie axle as this will ensure there’s no distortion once assembled.

There’s a host of impressively tiny pieces – mainly for the dolly – but they are all impeccably recreated. All you need to do is make sure you detach them & clean them up with great care.

Despite the price, this new set of wheels & replacement dolly should look great on your artillery piece. For those in pursuit of absolute accuracy & wanting to produce a Long Tom model from 1942 to 1945, this is well worth the expense to get your M1 correctly shod!