 | | Conrad box. |  |  | | Good looking truck. |  | | Very good steering angle. |  | | Tilting cab, but it tends to spring back to a narrow tilt. |  | | Folded grab and the trailer drawbar lowered. |  | | The underside of the trailer is very simple. |  | | Nice grab boom. |  | | Loading the trailer. Or is it unloading? |  | | Big logs? No problem. |
|  Comment on this model.
The German company Doll is a manufacturer of trailers and one of their specialties 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 Neuhauser, 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 and the roof aerial.
Detail
The truck is based on a 6x4 MAN TGS chassis which is detailed underneath with the full drive train modelled in plastic. The hubs and tyres look good and the tyres on the steering axle are wider than those on the driven axles.
The MAN cab is replicated well and the graphics on the cab are very good. It would have been nice if it had number plates.
The truck bed has a diamond plated surface and the large log bunks 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 very realistic although there are not enough to fully fill the vehicle. They are real pieces of wood and look even better than the logs provided with previous versions of the model.
To secure the logs elastic strips are supplied but they are wide and some will prefer the model posed without them.
Features
The MAN has excellent steering which allows a really hard lock to be obtained, and the model still rolls well. The rear axles have a degree of float which represents independent suspension.
The cab tilts to reveal a detailed engine, although the range of tilt is limited.
The grab outriggers can be extended outwards, and the pads can be pulled down to provide stability. The legs can also be rotated upwards for transport although the clearance in the down position is fine anyway.
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 and holding any pose.
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 another strong Doll log carrier from Conrad with a high metal content.
The paint and graphics are very good.
Price
It is moderate value given that it is in limited edition colours.
Overall
This is a very good looking model which is enhanced with the realistic logs.
Footnotes
This version of the model first appeared at the Nuremberg Toy Fair in 2015.
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|  | | High quality foam rubber packing. |  | | Big Doll name board but no number plates. |  | | Underneath the truck. |  | | Grab can hold a log at full extension without sagging. |  | | Metal log bunks. |  | | Decent drawbar and axle has good steering. | |
|  | | Seat on the grab folds down for transport. |  | | In travelling configuration. Rubber straps look a bit over large. |
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