Unboxing and kit review of Heller's 1/24 scale model Massey Ferguson 2680 Tractor, reference 81402.

The basis of this kit is Heller/Humbrol tooling that was originally produced in 1983, though the box artwork was updated a few years ago when the kit was re-released.

It is a very nice piece of artwork and captures the Massey Ferguson in the field, in a clean state with very little sign of wear. The box is quite sturdy and the handy flip lid will be useful for storage between build sessions. The rear of the box also has colour pictures of the completed model, as well as listing the required paints (using Humbrol codes).

The box states the model is made from just 45 parts, and the instruction booklet clearly shows that the build process should not be taxing for the average modeller. It also appears that wheels and steering will be posable. The instructions are clear, and printed in colour through-out - giving the paint guide as you go through.

The small sheet of decals was unfortunately crumpled in the packaging, but this should flatten. The decals look thin and well printed. Surprisingly there are decals for the light clusters, but experienced may wish to paint these.

The cab is large, with all four sides being large flat planes of glass. This is represented by just two clear parts: the main cab and door. This was a little damaged on mine but fixable, but others may find the whole unit cracked due to it's large size. The clear part itself has been nicely moulded, and because of the flat nature there was little distortion so the interior will be very visible on the completed model. It was also a surprise to see that parts such as wing-mirrors are also moulded on and not separate parts.

The tyres have a central seamline that will need a gentle file to remove, and there are no moulded brand names, The tread looks good and effective.

The main build is spread over three sprues.

One sprue primarily has the main engine and chassis. The bulk of this is two large pieces that sandwich together. This only has basic detail, and is a good canvas for additional detailing (such as adding HT leads), but it should be remembered that the original tractor had basic engineering.

The second sprue mainly has the body shell parts, and the third the wheel hubs, mud guards, and other details.

It is lacking details compared to a modern kit, but it must also be remembered that this is a model of a forty year old tractor - so it will be plain and agricultural, with little detail on the prototype. Saying that, the seat is just two parts, and really should have been moulded in more parts; and vents and grills will need to be opened up.

This should be an interesting build of a subject that isn't too common, but the model does look overly simplistic.

It will be interesting to see how it goes together. Ideally the large parts will go together cleanly with only a little filler and sanding needed to give a smooth surface onto which further detailing can be added by the modeller. However, if the seamlines are large then a lot more work will be needed.

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