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Caterpillar
branded tin. |
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Smooth body
shape. |
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The metal
tracks are good. |
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Nice
hydraulics. |
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On the road. |
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Loading a road
truck. |
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At work. |
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Some nice
details. |
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The Caterpillar 349F L XE Hydraulic Excavator weighs
around 50 tonnes.
It is used
for larger earthmoving operations.
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 operator can
be inserted in the cab, and a tool is provided to help
with the task.
Detail
The undercarriage is mainly metal with a plastic
baseplate. The tracks are metal with triple
grouser shoes. They are mounted on decent track
frames with static rollers, and there are tiny graphics on each frame.
The cab has got a plastic mirror and the wiper is
integral with the cab
structure and barely visible. There is a plastic grab rail and the
plastic roof has a window. Inside the
detail is very good with Cat on the two-tone seatback. An operator
wearing bright high visibility clothing can be fixed in
the cab, although the figure seems a little small for
the scale.
The body casting has the side grille formed by feint graphics,
and some of the detail within the casting is obscured a
little by thick paint. The Cat graphics are very sharp
and there are some tiny warning signs. On top the
engine cover is plastic with a very good colour match to the metal parts. There are
very nice perforated steps and the handrails
are plastic with the front ones being very soft.
Soft hydraulic lines run to the boom and silvered
connectors are modelled. More pipes and hoses run to the
stick and again the connectors are modelled. Rivets on the boom, stick and tools are painted
and there are small graphics on the stick.
The metal bucket is a nice casting with sharp teeth.
Features
The tracks roll easily, and they are mounted on
spring-loaded idlers to maintain tension.
It rotates well.
The boom and stick have a good range of movement, and
the bucket movement is reasonably good too. It is
short of boom movement when digging at depth.
The operator can be installed in the cab for when the
model is posed digging, or the cab can be empty to
represent the machine being parked up or transported.
Quality
It is a robust model with some plastic used.
The paint is good and the graphics are sharp.
Price
It is reasonable value.
Overall
As usual for a model from the Diecast Masters High Line
Series, it is beautifully packaged. There is some
nice detailing and most of the functionality is very
good. The removable operator gives more flexibility
when displaying the model.
Footnotes
The model became available in September 2018.
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Decent height. |
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Some detailing
under the body. |
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Operator in the
cab. |
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Decent bucket. |
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Profile view. |
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Looks good. |
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Decent load. |
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