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| NZG branded
box. The Actros in the box does not have door mirrors. |
 |
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| Beautiful
decoration. |
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| Very good
steering angle. |
|
|
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| Detailed rear
end. |
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| Opening grille.
|
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| Excellent
engine under the tilting cab. |
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| Front lights. |
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| Pulling a
container. |
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| Very attractive
colour sceme. |
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| Compared to
1:87, 1:50 and 1:32 scale tractors. |
|
This model
is a Mercedes-Benz Actros 4x2 GigaSpace. It is in
green decoration.
It is another model in the NZG 1:18 scale programme.
Packaging
The model comes in an NZG branded outer box, and inside
the model is contained within large expanded polystyrene
trays.
The review model had no defects or missing parts.
The model has some electronics so there is a battery to
fit, and instructions and a screwdriver are provided. A nice touch
is that a pair of cotton gloves are supplied for
handling the model. There is no information about
the real Actros.
Detail
This is a very large and heavy model.
It is very detailed underneath, with lots of metal used.
Highlights are the engine block, and the hoses and cables
on the rear axle. The wheels are convincing. The tyres
have a different tread pattern on the front and rear
axles, and it would have been nice to have tyre branding in the sidewalls.
The
GigaSpace cab takes full advantage of the larger scale.
It is metal and the finish is beautiful.
The roof has wire aerials and a see-through rooflight. The
grille at the front is finely reproduced and the lights
are high quality, and there is a generic NZG number
plate. Overall the paint job is excellent with sharp
graphics. Air horns and wipers are modelled and the door handles are
convincing. Instead of mirrors the model has the
video camera stalks of the latest Actros.
Inside the cab the detail is very good and the large
size of the model enables it to be appreciated.
Behind the cab there are coiled lines, and the
various
metal tanks are realistic with colour-coded filler caps.
The rear lights have plastic lenses and there are wheel
chocks. The wheel arches are plastic which is
appropriate regarding the real truck.
Under the cab is a very detailed engine.
A spare pair of wheel chocks is supplied with the
model, and these can be used to stop the model rolling.
Features
The Actros rolls well in a straight line. It has a very
good steering angle and it can roll in a curve well.
The
steering wheel in the cab is linked to the steering but
it does not rotate in a meaningful way.
The rear axle has a stiff working suspension, and there
is partial suspension on the front axle.
The fifth wheel has a working latch. The ends of
the coiled lines are hung on hangers and can be
detached.
The front of the cab has a section which can be raised
up and posed in the open position.
The cab tilts to a good angle and it reveals the very
detailed engine.
The cab doors open widely and have a spring mechanism to
keep them tightly shut.
The arm rest of the driver's seat can be raised up.
The model has electronics fitted and these control LED
lighting in the Mercedes-Benz logo and the front and
rear lights. They are operated by means of a
touch-sensitive switch on the top of the air intake and
this works very well. The lights give the model a
great look in low light. The front lights are not
particularly bright, and the rear stop lights are much
brighter.
Quality
NZG has produced a high quality model that is
very heavy which, despite the large scale, is almost entirely in metal.
The paintwork and graphics are very good.
Price
The model is good value given its large size.
Overall
NZG has produced another very impressive model in the scale of
1:18. Not only is it physically large, but it is
heavy at around 4 kg because of the high metal content.
The detailing is really good and the finish of the model
is excellent. The lighting is improved and more
interesting than the first version of the model.
Footnotes
This version of the model first appeared in September
2021.
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|
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| Profile
view. |
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| Manual and
accessories. |
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| Impressive. |
|
|
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| The large scale
facilitates a very detailed chassis.
|
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| Cab doors open. |
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| Working rear
lights. |
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| Matched with
NZG's container trailer. |
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| Rear lights
shining. |
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| Excellent large
model. |
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