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| Conrad box.
|
 |
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| The parts out of
the box. |
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| Good decoration
of the cab. |
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| The grab folded
up and operator's seat folded forward. |
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| Smart looking
truck.
|
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| The underside
of the trailer is very simple. |
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| Ready for the
road. |
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| Lifting a log. |
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| Loading the
trailer. |
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The German company
Doll
is a manufacturer of trailers
and one of their specialities is vehicles for the transport
of timber. This model is of a short log carrier
and is designed for logs up to 7m in length.
The model is in the colours of Paul Hammann, a German
log haulier.
Packaging
The model comes in a high quality Conrad presentation box.
The review model had no defects or missing parts.
There is no information provided about the real vehicle
or instructions for the model. The only assembly
required is to fit the door mirrors which is easy, and
the roof aerials which is fiddly.
Detail
The truck is based on a 6x4 Mercedes-Benz Actros chassis
which is detailed underneath with the full drive train modelled.
The hubs and tyres look good and the tyres on the
steering axle are wider than those on the driven axles.
The Actros
cab is to Conrad's usual standard with colour coded door mirrors,
and there is a nice light bar on the roof. The graphics
on the cab are very good although it would have been
nice if it had number plates.
The truck bed has a diamond plated surface and the large
deck posts are metal. Along the driver's side
there are storage boxes including the combined tool box
and steps at the rear.
At the rear is a Palfinger Epsilon M1202 hydraulic arm fitted with a
grab. The main
arm components are metal with the telescopic arm being plastic.
There is a ladder leading to the operator's seat and both
these elements are plastic. The grab itself has metal
jaws. Detail at the base of the grab is very good,
but the outriggers are plastic and fairly basic.
The trailer is metal with
the mud guards over the wheels and the horizontal
elements of the support posts being plastic parts.
Lights at the rear are painted.
The logs which are supplied as the load are excellent
although there are not enough to fill the vehicle.
They are real pieces of wood with staining and abrasions
to represent felled logs and they look really good loaded
on the model.
To secure the logs elastic strips are supplied but they
do not look good and the model poses better without
them.
Features
The tractor has excellent steering which allows a really hard lock
to be obtained. The rear axles have a degree of float
which represents independent suspension.
The cab tilts to reveal a detailed engine.
The grab outriggers can be extended outwards and
rotated, and the pads can be pulled down
to provide stability.
The Epsilon arm fully rotates and is articulated to provide
a full range of movement. The two telescopic sections
can be pulled out and the grab can be opened and closed
and has no problem gripping the supplied logs.
A neat touch is that the operator's seat folds forward for
when the vehicle is being driven.
The trailer can be hitched to the truck and the drawbar
and axle steering is effective.
Quality
This is a robustly made model up to Conrad's usual
standards and is finished well.
Price
The short log carrier is reasonable value in limited edition colours.
Overall
Conrad has produced another interesting log carrier
model and just like the earlier long log carrier it
looks great on display with the real logs as loads.
It is highly recommended.
Footnotes
The model first appeared at the Nuremberg Toy Fair in 2011.
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|
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| High quality foam
rubber packing. |
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| The steering
angle is excellent. |
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| Underneath the
truck.
|
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| Logs held in
place by the uprights. |
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| Tilting cab.
|
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| Drawbar and
axle has good steering.
|
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| Light bar at
the rear. |
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| In travelling
configuration. |
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| It would look
good in a logging diorama. |
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| Paired up with
the long log Doll
carrier. |
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