 |
| Caterpillar
branded tin. |
 |
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| Decent height. |
 |
| Rear grilles
are graphics. |
|
|
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| Drive shaft
crosses the pivot point. |
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| Shovelling
rock. |
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| Decent bucket
height for loading an American tipper. |
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| Good looking
load. |
 |
| Poses well
without an operator. |
|
The Caterpillar 980M is a mid sized wheel loader. It
weighs around 36 tonnes.
Packaging
The model comes in exemplary packaging. There is
an outer shipping carton which contains a tin which is
protected by expanded polystyrene trays. The tin is high quality
and includes pictures and details about the real
machine.
The review model had no missing parts or defects.
A mini
catalogue of the Diecast Masters range is included in
the tin. There is an information sheet describing how
the operator is installed and removed from the cab.
Detail
The underside has limited detailing with the transmission modelled. The tyres have a good tread pattern and they
are mounted on plastic wheels with a detailed outside face and
hollow inner faces.
At the rear the radiator grille is plastic
as are the handrails around the cab which are soft. The
rear side grilles are formed by graphics. The exhaust stack
is plastic without a hole.
The cab is detailed with plastic grab rails and silvered mirrors.
There is a removable operator in the cab.
Detail at the pivot point includes the
steering rams and transmission, and there are some small
graphics which add to the appearance. However, there are
no hydraulic hoses visible. At the front
there are lights mounted on plastic stalks.
The hydraulic rams
have plastic piston jackets with no hydraulic hoses.
The loader arms are
simple and the connection
rivets are painted.
The rock bucket is a nice metal casting with decent
teeth. The top edge grille is solid.
Features
It rolls very smoothly
but there is no oscillation of the rear axle.
Steering across the pivot point achieves a reasonable
angle.
The bucket
has no meaningful cut angle with a moderate carry
angle. The lift height is reasonable as is the tipping
angle.
The operator can be removed from or inserted into the
cab by taking off the roof panel. This gives the
model additional display flexibility.
Quality
It is a reasonable quality model.
The paintwork is very good and the few graphics are
sharp.
Price
It is moderately priced.
Overall
This model is a nice enough looking and the removable
operator gives improved posing possibilities. In some
respects it seems to be a development of the previous
Norscot 980K version rather than a brand new Diecast
Masters model.
Footnotes
The model first appeared in
December 2017.
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| Nice rock bucket. |
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| Simple
underneath. |
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| Operator in the
cab. |
|
|
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| Plastic wheels.
|
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| Profile view. |
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| Reasonable
carry angle. |
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