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| The Sword box style.
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| The distinctive
Peterbilt front with superb details. |
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| Opening doors to
storage compartments and a drop down ladder. |
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| Lots of detail
on the vehicle fuel tank. |
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| Tremendous detail
behind the roller door. |
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| Detail underneath
the model. |
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| A very impressive
model. The excavator is the
Case CX800.
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| Profile view. |
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Peterbilt of the USA has a long
history as a truck maker having been founded in 1938.
This is a model of the type 357 chassis mounted with an
Elliot Machine Works Fuel and Lube body.
Elliot has
a long history of over fifty years in making field service
equipment for industrial and military purposes and this
vehicle is used to dispense fuel and oils to field machinery,
and collect waste oils also.
Packaging
The model is packed in a standard Sword Models box which
has the model name on it but no pictures or other information.
Inside, the model is well packed within a couple of expanded
polystyrene trays and polythene wrapping. The review
model was undamaged.
Included in the box are a couple of small bags of parts
to fit including the wing mirrors and air horns, and a cover
for the batteries. It is fairly intuitive where the
parts go but a simple instruction leaflet would not go amiss
for the novice collector. A small brochure about the
Elliot Machine Works company is also included.
Detail
As the truck is pulled from the box it is immediately clear
that this is a full featured and detailed model.
The chassis is very detailed. At the rear the axles
are complete with prop shafts and differentials and replicated
suspension details. The rear wheels have very good
metal hubs with finely treaded tyres, and there are rubber
mud flaps on the rear wheels. Towards the front the
underside of the engine is visible and the exhaust pipe
trails out to the side of the body. Pleasingly, the
front wheels are on different metal hubs to those on the
rear wheels.
The imposing front of the Peterbilt is modelled very well
with a superb finely etched radiator grille. The bumper
is metal and the headlight clusters have lenses incorporated
for both headlamps and indicators. Both at the top
of the radiator and on the sides of the bonnet (hood) there
are tiny Peterbilt badges which are perfectly legible.
The wheel arches have an excellent rubber lining which become
mud flaps behind the wheels. Under the bonnet is a
detailed engine, with a separate radiator, and there are
various pipes and hoses.
The cab detail is all of an excellent standard. On
one side batteries are modelled underneath a removable cover.
On the opposite side there is a top notch fuel tank with
a detailed warning notice. The steps to the cab have
nicely patterned treads. The exhaust stack has a grab
handle and it is good to see an exhaust pipe that has a
hole and looks like a pipe. There is lots of chrome
work around the top of the cab with very good metal wing
mirrors, lights and air horns. The model makers have chosen
to leave the main windows off of the cab doors presumably
to replicate the truck appearing 'in use' but it would probably
look a little better with the windows in. Two orange beacon
lamps complete the external detail. Inside, the cab
is also detailed with the steering column having a tiny
stalk below the wheel.
Moving to the body of the truck the fuel tank has a pair
of task lights on each side and on top there is a lifting
eye and filler cover. Underneath on each side there
is nicely crafted fire extinguisher complete with tiny operating
handle. There are also a pair of storage compartments
which are complete with shelving which, remarkably, is different
in each compartment. Behind the fuel tank there is
a very detailed motor and small tank with a further array
of oil tanks each of which has lifting points and filler
caps.
The deck of the truck in this area has a patterned surface.
A t the rear of the truck we come to the tour-de-force of
the model which is the dispensing area. The cabinet
has task lighting and a couple of orange beacon lights on
the roof and a realistic looking roller shutter. Opening
the shutter reveals an incredible array of detail in terms
of hose reels and dispensers. The only thing missing
here is some oil stains!
Features
The front wheels steer but the steering is 'notched' rather
than variable so the wheels can only be posed in one position
when pointing left or right. Also the steering fouls
the wheel arch slightly so that the model does not roll
smoothly when turning which is a pity.
The hood opens in a very easy action and the cab doors can
be opened too. On the driver's side the cover to the
battery box which forms part of the steps can be removed
to reveal the batteries.
Within the fuel and lube body there are numerous opening
parts. There are double doors to two large compartments
on either side, and a set of smaller opening doors to the
compartment under the motor. Even the fuel tank has
an opening filler cap. At the rear of the model the
roller shutter door can be opened to any desired position
and works very well. There is also a working drop
down ladder to provide access to the truck deck.
Quality
Sword models have delivered a high quality model..
Almost all of the model is metal and some of the workmanship
is very intricate. The level of detail is exceptional
in a truck of this scale and there are plenty of features
to make the model interesting. The paintwork and graphics
are all very good.
Price
This is not a cheap model and is relatively costly when
compared to other trucks in this scale from other manufacturers.
However it is markedly higher quality in terms of detail
than other models.
Overall
Overall this is a very good and interesting model and it
compares very well with models of European trucks.
The quality is very high with only a few minor gripes where
it could be improved a little. It looks particularly
good when posed next to a construction machine being fuelled
and oiled. It is an outstanding model.
Footnotes
The model was released in 2007 and the following versions
were produced: Colours: Red - 400; White - 500; Yellow
- 300.
Badged: American Asphalt - 250; Kokosing - 300; Walsh -
250.
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| The model, bags
of small parts, and a bijou Elliot brochure. |
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| Roller shutter
door on the rear end. |
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| There is even an
opening cover to allow filling of the fuel tank. |
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| More opening doors.
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| Opening hood (bonnet)
reveals a detailed engine. |
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| Interesting poses
can be created, here with a
Manitowoc 555.
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| The batteries can
be accessed by removing the cover. |
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