 | | Caterpillar branded box. |  |  | | Blade down. |  | | Good detail underneath. |  | | Hand rails are soft plastic. |  | | It is a big machine. |  | | Looks good overall. |
|  Comment on this model.
The Caterpillar D8T is a larger class of tractor and has an operating weight of around 40 tonnes. It is typically used for heavy earthworks operations.
Packaging
The model comes in a Caterpillar box style with windows on two sides and it is fixed to the plastic base with tightly wound ties. The review model had no missing parts, and there is no assembly to perform.
The box has no information about the real machine, but some of the features of the model are described.
Detail
The undercarriage has some good detailing within the casting and the metal tracks are delicate and detailed. The track frames have detail which is masked a little by thick paint and there are no working rollers. The high drive sprocket is plastic with a good colour match.
The cab structure is metal and the steps leading to it have an anti-slip texture. There are a number of hand rails and grab rails and they are made of soft flexible plastic but again the colour match is good. Inside the cab the details are fine.
Behind the cab there are work lights and red painted stop lights. The single-shank ripper assembly is metal and the tooth is sharp. The rams are plastic but they are detailed and have a good colour match.
The engine cover has door and grille details in the casting and the exhaust and air intake are plastic. The metal dozing blade has wear plates detailed at the bottom.
Features
The tracks roll but they tend to bounce off the high drive sprocket because the small teeth do not strongly interlock with the tracks. However this is not an issue for normal poses. The front idlers have a degree of up-and-down movement, and are spring-loaded to keep the tension on the tracks.
The ripper assembly has a reasonable amount of movement. It can be parked high or positioned with the ripper down, although the depth of penetration is shallow.
The blade can be raised and lowered and the mechanism is stiff. The tilting function is modelled but only a small amount of movement is possible because the bottom rivets are in the wrong plane to allow tilt movement.
Quality
This model is typical of Norscot. It is robust and the plastic parts have a good colour match.
The paint finish is good and the few graphics are sharp.
Price
It is fair value for money.
Overall
Norscot has produced a good-looking model although some aspects of the functionality are restricted by modelling decisions that have been taken.
Footnotes
The model was released towards the end of 2012. The 2012 version had a yellow-topped engine cover, unpainted rear lights and different equipment placement around the cab.
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|  | | Wear plates on the bottom of the blade. |  | | Tracks look good. |  | | Ripper lowered but it cannot go much lower. |  | | Details on the engine cover. |  | | Profile view. |  | | It can be a load but it is wide with the blade attached. |  | | Loaded on a Nooteboom trailer. |
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