 | | The Sword box style. |  |  | | The distinctive Peterbilt front with superb details. |  | | Opening doors to storage compartments and a drop down ladder. |  | | Lots of detail on the vehicle fuel tank. |  | | Tremendous detail behind the roller door. |  | | Detail underneath the model. |  | | A very impressive model. The excavator is the Case CX800. |
| 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 itself 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. |  | | Roller shutter door on the rear end. |  | | There is even an opening cover to allow filling of the fuel tank. |  | | More opening doors. |  | | Opening hood (bonnet) reveals a detailed engine. |  | | Interesting poses can be created, here with a Manitowoc 555. |  | | The batteries can be accessed by removing the cover. |
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