 | | The Conrad brand box. |  |  | | Tilting cab, although tilt range is limited. |  | | Tractor and trailer. |  | | The trailer can be supported by legs front and rear when disconnected from the tractor. |  | | The trailer extended and shown here with the deck posts fitted. |  | | Carrying a Komatsu Demolition Excavator with the trailer extended. |
| The German company Doll was originally founded in 1878, and by 2008 it employed 400 staff and manufactured 2200 units a year of equipment related to heavy haulage. The 5-axle semi trailer featured here is the low bed version and it is used in a variety of industries to carry heavy or large loads.
The model is in the colours of Bloedorn, a German haulier.
Packaging
The model comes in a Conrad branded box which holds the model within a foam insert.
The review model had no defects or missing pieces.
There is no information on the model or real machine provided which is a pity, although there is little assembly for the collector to do other than attach some door mirrors and deck posts if desired.
Detail
The tractor unit is a three axle Mercedes-Benz 6x4 Actros. Underneath, the transmission components are well detailed albeit in plastic, and the tyres are mounted on good hubs although the tyre tread pattern is the same on all wheels rather than different on the steering axle. The cab is reasonably well detailed with the usual items such as door mirrors, windscreen wipers and orange beacon lights.
Behind the cab there is an equipment box, and a textured walking surface. The mud guards on the rear wheels are plastic, and the rear stop lights are formed of plastic lenses. The only unsightly part of the rear of the model is a silver cross head screw just forward of the trailer attachment point which is a little obtrusive if the tractor is decoupled from the trailer.
The Doll semi trailer is a five axle unit and there is very little plastic used on this model. The treaded tyres are mounted on small plastic hubs which look reasonable. The deck has a nice textured surface, and the headboard at the front has a couple of spare wheels fitted, together with a set of wheel chocks. The edge of the trailer has a yellow hazard line painted down each side. Two ramps at the rear are cast well to include their structure. A set of deck posts can be fitted to each side of the deck edge although these are not a tight fit so it is a little difficult to keep them straight and looking right.
Features
As is usual on Conrad models, the steering on the tractor works very well, and a very hard lock can be obtained if desired. The rear axles are floating which gives the impression of a form of suspension. The cab tilts to reveal an engine block inside, although the forward tilt is very constrained.
The axles on the trailer all steer together in an impressive way which is also proportional in that the rear axles steer more than the front ones, and this works very well with the rear axle achieving the 45° steering angle of the real machine. The axles also have a form of suspension.
A good feature is that the semi trailer is extendible which makes it much longer for certain loads. Additionally the gooseneck can be separated from the trailer by removing a plastic pin on the underside. The trailer also has plastic support legs front and rear which can support it, and the ramps at the rear fold down nicely.
Another interesting feature is that there are small plastic pull out horizontal extenders down each side of the trailer bed which can provide some additional support to wide loads.
Quality
This is a good quality model up to the usual Conrad standards. There is a limited use of plastic and the model has a solid feel. The paintwork and graphics are very good.
Price
The model is good value for the quality and features offered.
Overall
This is a very nice model, and when it is loaded with a suitable piece of machinery it makes a great display piece. It is easy to recommend it to collectors.
Footnotes
The model was announced at the Nuremberg Toy Fair in February 2009 and appeared at dealers in August of the same year. A version of the Doll Trailer was also produced in 2012 in the colours of Affolter.
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|  | | The parts out of the box. |  | | The tractor unit. |  | | Underneath view. |  | | Some good detailing underneath, and very good steering. The plastic pin forward of the first axle can be removed to separate the gooseneck from the trailer. |  | | Rear view. |  | | Loading an ABI MobilRam TM 12/15. |  | | The ABI loaded. |
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