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| Conrad box.
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 |
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| The parts out
of the box. |
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| Small stepping
plate and handrail behind the cab.
|
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| Underneath the
MAN. |
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| Axle components
are plastic. |
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| Structure
underneath is modelled well. |
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| Just one length
of extension pulled out. |
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| Painted wheel
hubs look smart. |
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| No yellow
stripe on the deck edge. |
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| One width
marker extended and one in a closed position. |
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| Deck posts
across the deck. |
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Faymonville is a Belgian manufacturer of
trailers for the specialist haulage industry. It
was founded in 1962 and in 2011 had over 500 employees.
This model consists of a MAN TGX XLX 6x4 tractor and a
4-axle Faymonville TeleMax trailer. TeleMax
extendible trailers can be stretched to lengths up to
53m.
Packaging
The model comes in a standard 'Conrad Collection' box
and it is held within good quality
black foam
rubber.
The review model had no defects or missing parts.
In addition to fitting mirrors and aerials to the
tractor, there are some optional small parts to fit to
the trailer which is easy
to do although no instructions are provided. Also there is no information supplied about the real
vehicle.
Detail
The MAN tractor unit is marked TGX 33.480. The chassis
is modelled well and includes transmission and
suspension components. The wheels are smart, with
different width tyres front and rear, and they have painted wheel hubs.
The cab decoration is plain with colour coded door
mirrors.
There is detail provided by beacon lights, mirrors,
aerials and wipers. Interior detail is simple. Under the
cab is a reasonable plastic engine.
Behind the cab, there is a plate and metal handrail, and
the fuel tank is metal too.
The wheel arches are plastic and the rear lights have
plastic lenses.
The trailer structure is all metal. Underneath, the
structural elements are modelled convincingly. The
axle components are all plastic with the wheel hubs looking
good with matching colour. The two types of
landing leg and feet are also plastic.
The main
telescopic beams are metal and they are simply modelled
with walls that are relatively thick because of the use
of diecast metal.
The deck surface has patterning within the casting and the
there are Faymonville graphics but no yellow stripe down
the edges. The side under run protection bars and
tool boxes are metal.
At the rear the lights are painted and there is a
plastic warning sign. Plastic width markers fit to
the front and rear, and metal deck posts can be fitted
which mostly stand straight although some were a little
loose and leaned a bit.
Features
The MAN tractor steering is very good and a hard lock
can be obtained. At the rear, the
driven axles float independently to give some suspension movement.
The cab tilts forward to a limited angle only and can just be posed in a tilted position.
The trailer axles have linked steering and it works
well with a degree of proportionality. Individual axles have up and down movement
to represent suspension but there is no spring action.
There are a pair of landing legs which can be lowered
and also a single hydraulic cylinder powered stabiliser
which can be lowered and would be used to level up the
trailer for fitting to a tractor.
Width markers can be left off, or fitted in either an
open or closed position. Deck posts can be fitted or
left off and there are enough to go the length of both
sides of the trailer. It is also possible to fit
posts across the deck at three locations. The deck
posts generally stand straight in their holes but loose
ones can be held upright with plastic putty or similar
material in the hole.
The telescoping extendible deck mechanism is smooth and
works well, and is three stages. Each section has
a locking pin which can fix it at maximum extension.
When stretched out to the maximum length the whole model
is a very impressive 100cm long.
Quality
As usual, the Conrad quality is high and the model is
strong and robust with a high metal content. The
Faymonville livery is applied although it is a little
plain, and the few applied graphics are sharp.
Price
The model is pretty good value given its size and metal
content.
Overall
It is good to see Conrad producing trailers from another
manufacturers range, and the Telemax makes an impressive
model when opened up. Whilst not of the highest
detail level, it is good enough to be highly
recommended.
Footnotes
The model first appeared in the autumn of 2011.
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| The inside of
the box is good quality. |
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The vehicle on the road with deck posts fitted. |
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| Steering angle
is very good.
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| Fairly plain
decoration. |
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| Tilting cab
cannot tilt far. |
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| Trailer resting
on its landing legs. |
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| Impressive with
a long load. |
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| Smart wheel
hubs. |
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| Waiting for the
Senneboggen 5500
to unload it.
|
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| The trailer is
not at full length - it can go longer still. |
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