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| The Sword style
box. |
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|
Profile view. |
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| Mack
front end. |
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| Complex hosing
at the distributor.
|
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| Battery cover
removed. |
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| Opening door.
|
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| Nozzles are
painted. |
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| Tank gauge at
the rear.
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This is a model of the Mack Granite
Flatbed Truck with an Etnyre Asphalt Distributor.
E D Etnyre is a company based in Oregon Illinois
with a history in road building equipment that began in
1898.
The asphalt distributor sprays tar spray over a road or
car park surface. It is operated by the driver of
the truck with the discharge rate being relative to the
speed of the truck to ensure an even coverage.
Packaging
The model is very well packed with a plain cardboard
shipping box enclosing the Sword branded box wrapped in
tissue. Inside, the model is held within
polystyrene trays. The review
model had no defects or missing parts.
The only parts to fit are the door mirrors and the
battery cover. Included in the box are spare door mirrors
and air horns, and a pointer tool. There are no instructions for the
model and no information about the real machine.
Detail
The truck chassis is very detailed underneath with the
suspension and transmission parts modelled in metal.
There are excellent hoses to each of the wheels and the
hydrostatic pump. The wheels have very good metal hubs with finely treaded
tyres which have a different width on the front and rear
axles. At the front the chassis is extended to
hold the hydrostatic pump.
The Mack Granite radiator looks great with a Bulldog
mascot mounted on
the hood. The headlights have plastic lenses.
Under the hood the engine is detailed and made of a
number of components.
The cab detail is excellent with air horns and lights on the roof.
The door mirrors are improved from earlier Sword Mack
models with a fine wire structure which is stronger too. Inside, the seats and
instruments are very good and there is a fire
extinguisher also. The seats have a Mack logo
printed on the back.
Behind the cab, the exhaust stack is excellent.
The tank looks great with its lacquered finish. There
is very fine rivet detailing denoting the panel edges
and the top has a mesh walkway and a finely etched
measuring stick. The cap to the tank has some very
small graphics and there are
many tiny graphics all around the asphalt apparatus.
There are gauges at each end of the tank.
At the rear the distribution gear is a complex piece of
modelling with many hoses in different colours and
patterns. The spraying arms have individually
painted nozzles.
Features
The front wheels steer with a notched
mechanism, but they rub against the wheel arches when
turned. The front axle has
working suspension.
The hood opens but movement is restricted by the hydrostatic
pump at the front. The cab doors open and the seats have a degree of 'spring'.
The cover to the batteries can be removed although it is
tricky to fit in place properly. The cap on the tank top opens and closes.
The spreaders at the rear can fold down to simulate
spraying although it takes some effort to get them to
sit horizontally. There is a small amount of side to
side movement possible.
Quality
This is a high quality model with very good attention
paid to the tank. The paintwork and graphics are
of a very high standard.
Price
The price reflects the quality of the model.
Overall
This is an unusual and interesting model which has been
executed well by Sword Models. The appearance of the
model is really good and it is easy to highly recommend.
Footnotes
The model was much delayed from its initial
announcement and finally appeared in August 2011. It was also
produced in red, black and white.
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|
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| The parts. |
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| Door mirrors
have fine gauge supports. |
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| Chassis detail
is really good. |
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| Hood cannot
fully open. |
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| Opening tank
cover. |
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| Spreader open. |
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| At work with a Peterbilt East Dump
Truck |
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| Lacquered
finish on the tank looks good. |
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