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| The box.
|
 |
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| Big single
tooth ripper at the back. |
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| Detail on the
high drive sprocket is great. |
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| Seals on the
windows are replicated. |
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| A mean piece of
metal. |
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| Unobtrusive
friction rivets at the blade connections.
|
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| Bolt head
details look good.
|
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| Ripper assembly
is suitably heavy. |
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| Small metal
grab rails add to the detail. |
|
The Caterpillar D10 was announced
in 1977 and was the first modern dozer to use a high
drive sprocket. This was designed to produce a
more robust drive mechanism with the resulting additional track
wear not being significant.
It initially weighed around 82 tonnes (180,000lb) with
later versions weighing more. At the time of its
introduction it was the largest tractor in the world and
in the period 1978-1986 around a thousand units were
built in the USA.
Packaging
The model
is packaged really well 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 were no defects or missing
parts on the review model.
There is no information about the real machine or the
model which is a pity. The only assembly required is to fit the
ripper and this simply pins into place.
Detail
The metal track pads are individually linked and
detailed. They are mounted on excellent track
frames and the high drive sprocket is really good with
fine bolt details. The rollers are represented by
moving parts.
The engine is plastic but with an excellent colour match
and there are many components and cables modelled so it
looks realistic. There are excellent metal grab
rails and mesh grilles, with high quality anti-slip
surfaces on various platforms around the cab and engine.
Lights at the front are represented by silvered
surfaces.
The cab has very good windows with replica seals and
wipers, and
there is a fire extinguisher on the outside. The
interior of the cab is good too with authentic looking
levers and pedals.
The U-Blade is a large and heavy piece with anti-wear
plates represented along the bottom edge.
Hydraulic lines run to the controlling cylinders
and the cylinder jackets are of above average quality
with good detailing and excellent colour match.
Unobtrusive friction rivets are used at the connection
points.
At the rear the ripper assembly maintains the high
quality. Hydraulic lines run to the cylinders and
the component parts are metal.
Features
The tracks roll smoothly after some initial stiffness
probably caused by excess paint. Each track set
rolls separately as the drive sprockets are not fixed to
the same axle so realistic turning is possible.
The two track sets are linked transversely so they can move
up and down alternately over rough terrain. The
track tensioners work and are the most realistic
mechanism seen on a model of this type.
The ripper shank fixes into place with a pin, and
can be set at one of three positions, or removed
entirely. The whole ripper assembly moves up and
down with a very good range of movement, and the ripper
can be angled also.
The U-Blade raises and lowers, and can be tilted forward
and back. A small degree of side-to-side tilt of
the blade is also possible. However it cannot
easily be removed in order to pose the model in a transport
configuration.
Both the blade and ripper mechanisms are stiff enough to
hold any pose set.
Quality
This is a high quality model with little use of plastic,
and where it is used it is hard to tell. The paint
finish is generally very good although there were a few
very small chips. Combined with the sharp graphics
the paint makes the model look special.
Price
The model is good value given its high quality and
detailing.
Overall
CCM have produced a very good replica of the D10 and the
high quality sets it apart from other mass produced
Caterpillar models. Some information about the
real machine would have completed the package but
overall is an outstanding example
of this type of machine.
Footnotes
This
model was introduced in 2010 in a run of 1000 models. A
version was also made in a
push blade configuration.
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|
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| Profile view. |
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| This is a big
dozer. |
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| Detail
underneath. |
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| Fire
extinguisher on the side of the cab.
|
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| Excellent
walkway surfacing outside the cab. |
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| Big U-Blade
with anti-wear plates on the bottom. |
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| Engine detail
and mesh grille is very good. |
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| Width extension
boards fitted.
|
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| Blade up. |
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| Nice hydraulic
lines. |
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