 | | Caterpillar branded box. |  |  | | Heavy proportions. |  | | Interesting details at the pivot point. |  | | Transmission drive shafts to the rear axles. |  | | Ready for action. |  | | Loaded up, but it is really designed for smaller scale rocks. |  | | Being loaded by a Liebherr L 576. |  | | It is quite a large model. |
|  Comment on this model.
The Caterpillar 740B EJ Articulated Truck weighs 37 tonnes empty and can carry a payload of 38 tonnes.
The unique feature of the machine is the ejector body. It can cleanly discharge and spread a load while on the move, and can also operate in areas of low headroom such as tunnels and under power lines.
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. However the body attachment bracket for the ejector ram was fitted the wrong way round.
The box has no information about the real machine, but some of the features of the model are described.
Detail
Underneath, the transmission is modelled with drive shafts to the rear axles and the suspension is represented too. The tyres have a good tread pattern and look good, with the wheel hubs having wheel nuts detailed.
The front is modelled with clean lines which lacks some detail on the sides, but the grilles, logo and lights are reasonable. The steps to the cab have a textured surface with the handrails and mirrors being of soft plastic. Although the cab appears to be plastic the colour match is excellent so it does not notice. Interior detail is fairly simple. Behind the cab there is another plastic part and two large hoses cross the pivot.
The body chassis has some detailing in the casting which adds interest, and the structure of the dump body is good. The tailgate is fine but would have looked better if the lights had been painted.
The ejector has been modelled in metal and is fine, but three of the four stages of the hydraulic cylinder are modelled in plastic which looks unconvincing and they are unrealistically fat.
Features
The wheels roll freely and each pair shares a common axle. The rear suspension links the two axles and uses small springs. It works well.
Steering and articulation at the pivot point is very good with the steering cylinders having good stiffness.
The ejector mechanism works fully although it can be a bit stiff to move and does not retract fully due to the assembly error. The telescopic cylinders slide out unevenly.
The tailgate folds down and clips back into place nicely.
Quality
It is a typically strong Norscot model with few parts prone to easy breakage. There are a number of plastic parts but they have a good colour match. The ejector ram attachment was wrongly fitted on the review model.
The paint finish is good and the few graphics are sharp.
Price
The 740B EJ is fair value for money.
Overall
This is an interesting earthmover and has been replicated reasonably well by Norscot. Some more detailing would have enhanced it, but it is a solid model and good enough overall to recommend.
Footnotes
The model was shown at the Nuremberg Toy Fair in 2012 and was available from November 2012.
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|  | | Simple detailing at the front side. |  | | Lights at the rear are not indicated, but the suspension has springs. |  | | Handrails and mirrors are soft plastic. |  | | Front grille and lights are ok. |  | | Profile view. |  | | Ejecting the load. |  | | Loaded on a Rogers trailer. |  | | Interesting transport load. |
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