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Komatsu HD785-7 Off-Highway Truck

Maker:  NZG
Model No:  857
Scale:  1:50
Review Date:  August 2014


NZG Index
Mining Equipment Index


Cranes Etc Model Rating
Packaging   (max 10)8
Detail   (max 30)23
Features   (max 20)17
Quality   (max 25)21
Price   (max 15)9
Overall   (max 100)78%

Footnotes


Komatsu HD785-7 Off-Highway Truck Video  [Youku Video]
Komatsu branded box.
No front access stair.
Rock deflectors lowered.
Rear axle detail is good.  The inside faces of the wheels have detail.
Metal hand rails are thin.
Mesh grille.
Running loaded.
Large model with impressive wheels.
Being loaded by a Komatsu PC 3000 Shovel.
Comment on this model.

The Komatsu HD785-7 Off-Highway truck has a maximum gross vehicle weight of 166 tonnes and a heaped body capacity of 60m³.  The empty vehicle weight is 72.6 tonnes.

Packaging

The model comes in a Komatsu-branded box, with the model contained within a pair of expanded polystyrene trays. 

There were no defects or missing parts on the review model.

There is detailed technical information about the real machine printed on the box but there are no instructions for the model.  There is no assembly to do as the model is complete. 

Detail

The undercarriage is detailed well in a combination of metal and plastic, with a number of elements being realistically thin.  The large rubber tyres are high quality and are mounted on authentically detailed metal wheels.  The inside faces of the wheels also have some detail.  Flexible rubber mud flaps are a nice touch and the engine detailing is good too with a large cooling fan visible.

The front grille is plastic but that has allowed finer mesh detailing with the radiators behind.  Metal ladders rise up to the cab deck but for some reason the front stairway is not modelled although it is listed as standard equipment on the real truck.  Handrails at deck level are metal and thin, and the mesh walkway outside the cab is fine quality.  The air intake equipment is plastic.

The cab is very good with thin grab rails, tinted windows and a decent interior with twin seats.

At the rear the lights are painted and the plastic jackets of the suspension cylinders have a very good colour match.

The rams driving the body are two-stage and pleasantly thin.  The body is mainly metal with just a few plastic elements and the structure and ribbing is captured well.  There are rock deflectors for the rear wheel gaps and lifting eyes in the sides of the body.

Features

The model rolls without being free-rolling as the front wheels have some friction.  The front  axle steers and has a good range of movement, and holds any pose.  At the rear the suspension on the axle is very good.

Rock deflectors can be pinned in the up position or allowed to hang between the rear wheels.

The tipping action is very good with the cylinders able to hold almost every position, although it may loosen up over repeated use.  The maximum angle of tipping is realistic. 

One neat touch is that the body can be pinned in the up position to provide safety for anyone working on the chassis, and it is good that the model engineering is accurate enough to replicate this.

Quality

NZG has produced a high quality model with a little more plastic than usual for NZG, but the plastic is used appropriately. 

The paintwork and graphics are very good.

Price

It is a little pricey.

Overall

It is good to see another Komatsu model from NZG and this one has been implemented well, with a good balance of detail and features.

Footnotes

The model was first announced at the Nuremberg Toy Fair in 2014 and became available in July of that year.

 
Good steering angle.
Profile view.
Good structure on the body.
Detailed chassis with some elements in plastic.
Detailed cab.
 
Nice detailing.
Excellent tipping angle.
Don't drive under a bridge like this.