 | | Caterpillar style box. |  |  | | Folding hopper size. |  | | Screed detail looks good even though there is a fair bit of plastic. |  | | It poses well on a Goldhofer trailer. |  | | Laying asphalt. |
| The Caterpillar AP600D Asphalt Paver has a paving width of 5m and weighs around 14 tonnes without the screed.
Packaging
As usual the model comes in a Caterpillar branded box with a window, and is held between clear plastic formers and tied very securely to the cardboard base. The review model had no defects or missing parts.
The box has a little information about the real machine, and minor details about the model.
Detail
The underside of the model shows some simple structural detail. The wheels are realistic with good tyres and the drive wheels have a fine tread pattern. It is interesting to note the tyres on the small steering wheels are in pairs, and they are of different width. The hubs on all wheels are nicely detailed.
The hopper sides are in metal and this includes the flaps which are painted black to resemble rubber, and the feed belts are a metal casting with no moving parts. The rollers at the rear are also a solid casting. The rest of the body is fairly simple with a pair of lights facing the hopper. The operator’s area has a couple of seats and a control console which are fixed in position. The canopy and handrails are plastic elements and the quality in this area is not the highest as the beacon lights are also just painted rather than being realistic looking lights.
The screed detailing is reasonable, with again a fair amount of plastic used. A couple of short augers are modelled in front of the screed.
Features
The steering axles are linked together and can be steered to produce an interesting turning pose.
The hopper sides can be folded in to force material onto the belt.
The screed can be raised and lowered and there is enough flexibility in the mechanism to display the screed at a slight tilt. Each end is also extendible to achieve the maximum paving width although the mechanism is a little stiff.
Quality
There is a fair amount of plastic used on the model, and the canopy in particular does not feel robust as a result. However the colour match of the plastic parts is very good and the paintwork is pretty good.
Price
It is a reasonably priced.
Overall
This model is a good attempt at an asphalt paver, and it looks quite good even though there is quite a lot of plastic used. It would pose well as part of a road building diorama.
Footnotes
The model first appeared at the Nuremberg Toy Fair in 2010.
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|  | | The model looks fairly good overall. |  | | Moderate detail underneath. The steering wheels can turn a little further than shown. |  | | Operator station looks fine. |  | | Unloading the paver. |
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