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| Caterpillar
branded tin. |
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| Travelling. |
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| Grab hooked on
for transport. |
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| Tie grab open. |
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| Maximum depth
of dig. |
|
|
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| Simple
hydraulics. |
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| Tamper tool. |
|
The
Caterpillar M323F Railroad Wheeled Excavator weighs
around 23 tonnes.
It is designed for use in a railway environment,
and it can traverse along railway lines.
Packaging
The model comes in
the usual 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.
A mini
catalogue of the Diecast Masters range is included. A
simple instruction sheet describes how the included
tools can be fitted.
Detail
The undercarriage
is metal with plastic side protection bars, and there
are lights detailed at each end. The road wheels
are detailed. The rail wheels are metal and nicely
modelled, and there is a support bar for use by a grab
when travelling.
The cab
is metal with a plastic mirror and the grab
rail is modelled as a solid part of the cab frame.
There is a windscreen wiper and lights are modelled also. Inside the
detail is very good with Cat on the seat back.
There is no operator figure supplied with this model.
The body casting has indented panels and the Cat graphics are very sharp
with the rear
lights painted. Detailing on top is very good with
highlighted parts .
The
two piece boom and stick connections are made by painted
rivets and they enhance the look of the model. There is no hydraulic hose detailing
but sharp graphics add detail. The
quick connector at the end of the stick is plastic.
Three work tools are provided. A digging bucket is a
plastic part. A picker for railway sleepers (ties) is modelled in plastic
and a tamper frame is also in plastic.
Features
The
road wheels roll well but there is no steering.
The rail bogies can be raised and lowered.
The model rotates well.
The boom, stick and movement of the quick connector are
good having regard for the scale. Digging at depth
is a little compromised.
The three tools give a variety of display
options. They clip on to the connector easily.
The grab has opening jaws.
Quality
It is a small model in 1/87 scale and will need to be
handled with care having regard to some of the smaller
parts.
The paint is
very good and the graphics are sharp.
Price
It is reasonable value.
Overall
The Diecast Masters packaging and presentation is
excellent. It is nice to see a Caterpillar
road/rail model and it will look very good on an HO
scale model railway layout.
Footnotes
The model became available in October 2019.
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| The parts out
of the box. |
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| Up on the rail
wheels. |
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| Underneath. |
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Decent cab detailing. |
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| Profile view. |
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| On top. |
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| Curved
counterweight. |
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