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| The box.
|
 |
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| Embossed
Caterpillar name on the counterweight. |
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| Hoses on the
boom foot. |
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| Perforated body
roof. |
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| Opening doors
reveal a good engine. |
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| Good track and
sprocket details.
|
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| Hoses on the
boom. |
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| Nice grille on
the side. |
 |
| Loading a
DAF
CF85 Tipper. |
|
The Caterpillar 245 was a machine in
the 60 tonne weight class. It was introduced in
1974 and was manufactured in the USA and Belgium.
Some 4000 units were made up until production ended in
1988.
This version of the model is a backhoe excavator.
Packaging
The packaging is of a high standard with an outer
cardboard box containing a presentation box wrapped in
tissue. Inside, the model is contained within
polystyrene trays and has its own tissue wrapping.
There was a minor lose hydraulic hose on the review
model and no missing parts.
There is no information about the real machine or the
model, and there is no assembly required.
Detail
The tracks are wide for low ground pressure and are very good quality consisting of
individual metal pads. They are mounted on good
frames which have working rollers on the top, and the
drive sprockets are cast well.
The body has good detail within the casting including
panels and handles, and a fine gauge radiator grille.
Metal grab rails surround the roof which has a
perforated mesh surface allowing some inner detail to be
seen, and the exhaust pipe is metal. Inside the
body is a detailed plastic engine. Along the sides
are some stepping platforms and these are extremely fine
gauge mesh. At the rear the Caterpillar name is
impressively embossed on the counterweight.
The cab is simple outside as per the original. The interior detail is
good with accurate looking levers and pedals, and
console controls.
The boom has hydraulic pipes within the casting and
lights mounted on each side. The stick has some plate
reinforcement at the pivot point although this is a
little obscured by thick paint, and there is a
protection plate over the connections to the bucket
cylinder. All the cylinders have hydraulic hoses and
the cylinder jackets are very good with nice details.
The rivets used on the model are painted and unobtrusive.
The bucket is a metal casting with the teeth simply
detailed.
Features
The tracks roll reasonably smoothly and the idler wheels are spring
loaded so removing the tracks is easy.
The model rotates well, and the boom and stick have a
good range of movement with the hydraulics being stiff
so any pose can be held.
The bucket can be positioned within a wide range of
movement.
At the rear of the body two panels open providing access
to the engine bay.
Quality
This is a high quality model with some fine casting
details. There is little plastic used and the
colour match on the hydraulic cylinder jackets is
excellent. The small graphics used are sharp.
Price
The price reflects the high quality of the model.
Overall
This is a fine model of the Caterpillar 245 by CCM.
It is a good combination of detail and features and is
highly recommended to any Caterpillar model collector.
Footnotes
This
model was introduced in 2010 in a run of 1250 models. A
version was also made in a
front shovel configuration.
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|
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|
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| Profile view. |
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| The 245 is a
big machine. |
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| Engine is
visible underneath. |
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| Very nice
detail inside the cab.
|
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| 'They are
spread wide open'. |
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| Good perforated
ledge runs both sides. |
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| Bucket teeth
are fairly simple. |
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| Silvered lights
under the cab. |
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| A big machine
compared to a tipper truck. |
 |
| At rest after a
hard day's work. |
|
