The Mule

I've finished up my Mule from Empress miniatures, metal kits are something I haven't made a lot of over the years but with the Mule, Mighty Mite and the Mutt all been made of metal I had to at least give it ago. 

                                           The Mule in all its unpainted glory

                                       

The Mule I picked up came with the 2 recoiless guns, one mounted on the Mule and one set up ready to fire with 2 crew members 

The storage is a useful addition and it certainly gives you the option to burden down the Mule! Once again lovely little model or should I say models. I did build it in stages and paint it as I went along. The wheels I kept separate and painted them before assembly, I'm not sure if its my lack of experience with metal kits but I struggled to line up the steering wheel with the drivers hands. The only way I could get it to match up was by gently applying pressure on the steering column until it matched up to the drivers hands. Like I said it could just be down to my lack of experience but I'm hoping it isn't obvious unless you really look for it. The side railings where bent quite badly but I reckoned they would take a bit of damage from everyday use. So they straightened up enough for my liking, and once stuck in place they certainly seem sturdy enough. 

So on to the model fully painted, simple paint job, a tad of dirt thrown on it and the grimy rust effect. It's not overly done but I think it works.

I've added minimal amount of storage for the time being, although I can bet on more being added at some point. I've already gone back and added stowage to the Mite so I really can't see this being any different, the crate is scratch built but Empress do give you plenty of bits and pieces to add that used look to their vehicles. The Mules certainly a different looking vehicle, after researching it I found images of it running on only 3 wheels so I'm guessing that was definitely an advantage. Speaking of which you get a spare wheel so I was surprised it didn't have a mounting bracket on the vehicle somewhere. 

So to sum it up, all you all I reckon you get a lot for your money, the fact you get 2 guns one deployed on the ground mount and a second to sit on the Mule itself. Spare shells, a driver, two crew members to man it, and the stowage. 

So thanks for looking, feel free to comment and I will post again real soon.

     All the very best 

       Cheers Russ