| Caterpillar branded box. | | | Grilles in the engine cover are formed and painted, but not see-through. | | Cut angle of the bucket is good. | | No hoses crossing the pivot point but there are excellent small warning graphics. | | Hydraulics to the bucket ram, but rivets in the loader arm are obtrusive. | | Carrying sand. |
| Comment on this model.
The Caterpillar 950K wheel loader has an operating weight of just over 19 tonnes and bucket capacities of 2.5 - 9.2m³.
Packaging
The model comes in a Caterpillar-branded box style with windows. It is enclosed within a one-piece plastic holder that pops open to release the model.
The review model had no missing parts but one handrail and one light stalk were detached in the box, but were easily re-glued.
The box includes a small card which has some information about the real machine and a nice photo.
Detail
The underside has the rear axle modelled and the transmission to the front axle is truncated. Nice quality rubber tyres with a good tread pattern are mounted on wheels with detailed plastic exterior faces and simple inside faces.
The engine cover has the mesh side grilles of the original machine formed by painted indentations in the casting. The rear grille has the CAT logo and work lights, with the other rear lights being painted.
The walkways around the cab have a non-slip texture and the metal handrails are very good. The cab is detailed with wipers front and back, and the mirrors and grab rails are plastic, and there is a roof aerial. The interior has controls and there is a CAT logo on the seat back.
There are excellent sharp warning graphics below the cab and at the pivot point but there are no hydraulic hoses and the front axle drive shaft is not modelled.
The loader arm with the Z-bar linkages is modelled well with hoses running to the ram jacket, and decent detail in the metal parts. The rivets in the loader arm are quite large and visible and so it is not smooth like the real machine.
The material bucket has a smooth edge with wear plate detailing.
Features
The wheels roll well with each pair of tyres fixed to a common axle. The rear axle is able to oscillate significantly and the front axle is fixed.
The model steers across the pivot point and the overall steering angle is very good.
The loader arm lifts the bucket to a realistic height and can hold a pose. The carrying angle with the bucket lowered has no range of movement.
The bucket is removable. A long pin is pushed out however it is difficult not to damage the paint on the pin head.
Quality
As with other Tonkin Caterpillar wheel loaders it is solid and with a high metal content.
The paint finish is generally good and the graphics are sharp.
Price
It is reasonable value.
Overall
Tonkin has set a consistent standard with its wheel loader models and this one has just enough to be highly recommended.
Footnotes
The model was announced in 2013 and was available from April 2014.
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| | Smooth edged bucket with wear plates. | | Tyres and wheels look good. | | Detail underneath. | | Cat logo on the seat. Handrails are metal, grab rail is plastic. | | Profile view. | | At work. | | Loading a road tipper. |
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