 |
| Caterpillar branded
box. |
 |
 |
| No side grilles
in the engine block. |
 |
| Front axle is
modelled well. |
 |
| No hoses crossing the
pivot point but there are excellent small warning graphics. |
 |
| Hydraulics to
the bucket ram. |
 |
| Loaded with
rocks. |
|
 Comment on this model.
The Caterpillar 950 GC wheel loader has an operating
weight of around 19 tonnes
and bucket capacities of 2.9 - 3.6m³. It is aimed
at emerging markets.
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 or defects.
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 runs
into the front assembly. 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 twin grab rails on one side, and
the mesh side grilles of the original machine are solid
on the model. The rear grille has the CAT logo,
but the counterweight has open ends at the front edges. The
rear lights are 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 are plastic.
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 which is similar
to other Tonkin Caterpillar wheel loaders.
The rock bucket has good detailing on the
outside.
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 moderate height and
can hold most poses although not all. Both the tipping
angle and the carrying angle are slightly shallow.
Quality
This is a solid and generally well made model with a high metal content.
The paint finish is generally good and the graphics are sharp.
Price
It is a reasonable value model.
Overall
This is an interesting variant of a wheel loader for
emerging markets. The model is just good enough
to be highly recommended.
Footnotes
The model was announced in 2013 and was available from
April 2014.
|
|
|
|
 |
| Very good
tyres. |
 |
| Nice rear
end. |
 |
| Decent
underneath. |
 |
| Cat logo on the
seat.
|
 |
| Profile view. |
|
