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