Thunder Models have shown renderings of their model of the heavy repair and recovery vehicle La France M1000 Series 2 in 1/35 scale.
Truck experts - what’s the difference between this and Thunder’s first Ward LaFrance release?
“The Series 1 used 11.25 - 20 tires and lacked the rear drag winch. The Series 2 had its spare tires mounting changed to one diagonally behind the cab and the other on the passengers side of the crane base. The Series 3 which lacked the front and rear trailer connecters found on earlier models were produced for Lend-Lease to the Commonwealth nations. The Series 4 had a Gar Wood US5G crane readily identifiable by its curved boom. To ad to the confusion the M1A1 was also known as the M1 Series 5.”
https://www.armyvehicles.dk/wardlafrance1000.htm
Matt, along with what Robin posted per Thundermodel: US-Heavy-Wrecker-LaFrance-M1000-series-2.html
Rear winch looks to be a key difference.
Zero knowledge here about the vehicle but it sure looks cool. I really like the square fender Kenworth looking version!
I pre-ordered the M1A1 but haven’t received it yet.
I think everyone is getting confused here. The Ward LaFrance shown in the announcement (i.e. the CAD drawings), IS the first release from Thunder - No. 35010, Ward LaFrance M1 Series 2, so it is not new, so to speak. It has just been released - the pre-ordered kits from Libor have shipped in the last week or two, and Hobby Easy has a release date of March 8.
Still to come are the Ward Lafrance M1 Series 1, 3, and 4, all with the round front fenders, and Series 5 M1A1 with open cab.
Here’s all the variants:
Ward La France Model 1000 Series 1 M1 variant, Closed cab, 11.25-20 tires, dual spares behind cab, front winch only, manual crane (1941)
Ward La France Model 1000 Series 2 M1 variant, Closed cab, 11.00-20 tires, one spare behind cab, one on passenger side of crane, rear winch (1941-1942)
Ward La France Model 1000 Series 3 M1 variant, Eliminated trailer connections, British Lend-Lease only
Ward La France Model 1000 Series 4 M1 variant, Curved boom crane, military instruments on dash, larger fuel filler, chisel type front bumper (Early 1943)
Ward La France Model 1000 Series 5 M1A1 variant, soft top cab, flat fenders, Gar Wood US6A power crane (May 1943 forward)
Kenworth Model 570 Ward La France Model 1000 Series 2 equivalent, with Kenworth design of PTO, transfer case and other parts. (1941)
Kenworth Model 571 Virtually the same as Model 570 with engine filter changes (1942-1943)
Kenworth Model 572 Closed cab with Gar Wood US6A power crane, military instruments (1943)
Kenworth Model 573 Ward La France Model 1000 Series 5 equivalent, Model M1A1, chisel type front bumper (1943)
There are some minor differences between Ward LaFrance and Kenworth Series 2 and 5 vehicles like tool lockers and whiffle tree.
