 |
| 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.
|
|
|
|
 |
| 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. |
|
