 |
| Caterpillar
branded tin. |
 |
 |
| Nice smaller
sized grader. |
 |
| Steering angle
is very limited. |
 |
| Tilting front
axle. |
 |
| That man is in
the cab again. |
|
|
 |
| Ripper down. |
 |
| Very nice
hydraulics. |
 |
| Its bigger
brother, the 18M3, is on the right. |
|
The Caterpillar
12M3 Motor Grader weighs 19.3 tonnes. It is used for
earthmoving, roadwork, and material handling operations
where maintenance of haul roads or accurate levelling of
surfaces is required.
Packaging
The model comes in excellent packaging. There is
an outer shipping carton which contains a tin which is
protected by a nylon bag. The tin is high quality
and includes pictures and details about the real
machine.
The review model had no missing parts or defects.
The only thing missing is information for the model, but a mini
catalogue of the Diecast Masters range is included.
Detail
There is some detail underneath. The
rubber tyres are nice enough, and they are mounted on plastic
wheels. The mud guards are all soft plastic.
At the rear the ripper is metal and the five shanks
have nice teeth. The
rivets are painted so they look unobtrusive. The engine
block has metal grab rails and the grilles are formed of
graphics.
No hydraulics are visible at the steering pivot point.
The cab roof is plastic, and the detail throughout the
cab is good and it includes the usual operator.
The front end has a counterweight fitted and the drawbar
and circle are modelled very well. The moldboard has
rivet details on the blade. The detailing of the
hydraulics is very good.
Features
The front axle has very limited steering capability but it is
able to oscillate up and down. The mechanism to lean
the tyres is modelled, but was non-functional on the
review model.
The rear wheels are in linked pairs with very limited
oscillation.
The grader can steer across the pivot point behind the
cab. The angle is shallow.
At the rear the ripper can be raised and lowered.
The moldboard has a full range of movement. It can be
raised and lowered, and a small amount of side to side
tilt is possible. It can also rotate on the circle, be
extended to one side or the other, and have the face
tilted forwards and backwards. The side shift
function was very stiff on the review model.
Quality
It is a reasonably robust model with a high metal
content, and a number of plastic parts.
The paint is good, and the graphics are sharp.
Price
It is reasonable value.
Overall
This is a nice small grader model and as usual for
Diecast Masters, the presentation and packaging is
excellent.
Footnotes
The model became available in 2016.
|
|
|
|
 |
| Decent tyres
and wheels. |
 |
| Ripper raised
when not in use. |
 |
| Underneath. |
|
|
 |
| Profile view. |
 |
| Nice detailing
around the engine. |
 |
| On the road -
working. |
 |
| On the road -
resting. |
|
