Saturday 16 April 2016

Working on Solvang Construction's Commer (1/35)

As I parked the MMK Bedford O on stand by I knew I had to find a substitute lorry to pull Solvang Construction's heavy load trailer. I chose the Commer Q 2 from Wespe Models, Romania. I have built models from Wespe before. They are not terribly detailed and benefit from some extra detailing with home made parts. But Wespe kits are simple and comparatively easy to assemble if you have a little experience with resin kits. And where else can I get a Commer in 1:35 scale? Nowhere.
A solid card board box protects the few parts during transport.

A low number of parts primarily caused by the fact that chassis, cab floor and seats are cast as one unit. It would not surprise me if the number of parts I add myself will be higher.
Assembly of the frames and wheels presented no particular challenges. I fitted only one fuel tank as I believe two tanks were a military feature. The resin tank missed a fuel filler cap so I made one from a few discs punched out with my punch and die set.


The lorry is on its wheels. It is always a satisfaction to see a resin kit rest solidly on all wheels.
How Solvang Construction came in posession of a Commer tractor is not known to me. But many British lorrys roamed the Danish roads in the early fifties. A major user of the Commer Q 2 was the British Royal Air Force, so it may be fair to assume that Solvang Construction's example had a military past.


A RAF Commer pulling an aircraft trailer carrying a stripped down Hurricane fighter. Sudan 1942.

My Commer mated to the MMK-trailer. The models' proportions fit each other reasonably well. Only a few more parts to add to the lorry's chassis and it is ready for primer.

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