 | | The Sword style box. |  |  | | The parts out of the box. |  | | Great details behind the cab. |  | | Cab interior is authentic too. |  | | Wheel arches fitted. |  | | Excellent graphics on the gooseneck. |  | | Trailer axles. The last line can flip up and the one next to it can be raised out of service. |  | | The trailer is probably overloaded with a Hitachi 870 on board but the tough guys at Cranes Etc will always get the job done. Perhaps they are just stupid. |
| This is a model of the Mack Granite Day cab tractor coupled with a four axle Rogers Lowboy Trailer. This version is in a red and black colour scheme.
Packaging
The model is contained in a standard Sword style box and inside a couple of expanded polystyrene trays hold the parts which are wrapped with polythene. The review model had no defects or missing parts.
Included in the box are small bags of parts to fit although there are no instructions. Assembly is straightforward and most features are easy to work out. It is nice to see that some spare door mirrors and a pointer tool are included to help the collector.
Detail
The tractor chassis is very detailed underneath. There are prop shafts, differentials and suspension details, and excellent brake lines to each of the wheels. The wheels have very good metal hubs with finely treaded tyres which have a different width to those on the rear axles. Optional wheel arches can be fitted to the rear axles.
The front of the tractor has a distinctive Mack Granite radiator and the lines of the hood are well modelled.
The cab detail is excellent. Inside, the seats and instruments look really good and the door mirrors and horns are metal parts. The Granite name is represented very finely on the cab doors.
Behind the cab, there are three coiled airlines for connection to a trailer and sets of chains.
The trailer is very good indeed. The gooseneck is well detailed with lines to the hydraulic cylinders and some very small graphics. Lines run the length of the trailer from the gooseneck to the rear axles. The bed has a wood effect plastic surface with the structure of the trailer in metal and having some non slip surfaces. An excellent detail is the tying down points along the side of the trailer which are extremely small and fine. At the rear, the lights and mud flaps are very good.
Features
The front wheels on the tractor steer, with a very good range of movement on the review model. The steering is notched rather than smooth.
The second axle can be raised out of service and there is working suspension on axle 1. The wheel arches to axles 2,3 and 4 are removable so the tractor can be configured to the collector's preference.
The hood opens right forward and the cab doors can also be opened. The ‘fifth wheel’ on the tractor works and is operated with a spring loaded lever to secure a trailer in position. It also has a degree of longitudinal movement.
The trailer has neatly folding loading ramps at the front, and the width of the bed can be extended by using fold out support brackets and one-piece extension boards on each side. It is detachable from the gooseneck to facilitate loading, and the gooseneck has working cylinders providing a range of movement to the connection to the trailer.
The rear axles all have working suspension, and to save wear on the tyres the last two axles can be raised out of service when the trailer travels unloaded. Axle 3 clips out in the raised position and axle 4 is a 'flip' axle which raises and rotates 180°.
Quality
The model is nearly all metal and the detail level is very high. The quality of the castings is very good, and the paintwork and graphics are to a high standard.
Price
This is a precision model so is higher priced than other low loader models but it is good value for what is offered.
Overall
Sword have created another high quality model. The Mack tractor is highly detailed and it is matched in this regard by the Rogers trailer. The feature count is good and it is easy to highly recommend the model.
Footnotes
The model was released in 2009 and was also produced in an all red version.
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|  | | The model in the tray. |  | | The Mack ready for business. |  | | Detail underneath. The wheel arches are not fitted. |  | | Opening hood allows the detailed engine to be seen. |  | | The underside of the trailer. |  | | Outriggers can be pulled out to allow extra deck width. |  | | The flip axle flipped. |  | | Travelling unloaded. |  | | Pulling heavy iron. |
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