 | | Caterpillar branded box. |  |  | | Metal handrails are very good. |  | | Front axle has an incomplete differential and the inside faces of the wheels is simple. |  | | Hoses crossing the pivot point. |  | | Convincing engine area. |  | | Loader arm is good although some of the rivet sizes are large. |  | | Add some logs and it looks great. |  | | Stable with a full load. |
|  Comment on this model.
The Caterpillar 988K is the seventh generation of the machine and its introduction in 2013 celebrated a 50 year history.
The Millyard Arrangement is designed to meet the needs of the logging industry. It has an operating weight of around 64 tonnes and a tipping load of up to 35 tonnes.
Packaging
The model comes in a typical Caterpillar-branded box style with windows, and is enclosed within a one-piece plastic holder that pops open to release the model.
The review model had no missing parts or manufacturing defects.
The box includes a small collector card which has some information about the real machine and a nice photo.
Detail
The underside has some detailing with the transmission modelled in metal. Nice quality rubber tyres with a good tread pattern are mounted on wheels with detailed plastic exterior faces and simple interiors.
At the rear the engine cover is nicely cast and painted to highlight the grilles. Small lights and graphics at the back enhance the detail and it is good to see the video camera modelled.
The walkways have a clear anti-slip pattern and the metal handrails are thin and modelled well. The ladder up to the cab is modelled in soft plastic with an excellent colour match.
The cab is detailed with wipers front and back, and the mirror and light assemblies are plastic as is the beacon light holder on the roof. The interior detail is very good with finely detailed controls and the CAT logo on the seat back.
Detailing at the pivot point is good with hydraulic hoses crossing over but the front axle drive shaft is not modelled. The front axle differential is incomplete and the axle shaft is visible although this view is not seen with the loader arm down.
The loader arm with the Z-bar linkages is modelled well with hoses running to the ram jacket and nice casting detail in the metal parts. The rivets at the centre of the loader arm are large, but they are painted at least.
The logging forks have closing top clamps and there is soft hydraulic hoses running from the cylinders. A nice touch is the properly formed lifting eyes on top.
Features
The wheels roll well with each pair of tyres fixed to a common axle. The rear axle is able to oscillate significantly on its rather loose mounting. However the front axle is also able to oscillate somewhat rather than being fixed.
The model steers across the pivot point and the overall steering angle is very good.
The loader arm lifts the logging forks to a realistic height and is generally stiff enough to hold a pose. The tipping angle is reasonable.
The twin clamps open widely and can grip a load. It is good that the model is stable when fully loaded with logs.
Quality
This is a well made model with a high metal content.
The paint finish is very good and the graphics are sharp and are applied well.
Price
It is reasonable value for the quality offered.
Overall
As a development of the original 988K wheel loader model this Millyard Arrangement shares the same issues on the chassis. However the logging forks are very good and the overall quality of the model is good, and it looks impressive carrying logs.
Footnotes
The model was available from March 2014.
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|  | | Dominating logging forks. |  | | Detailed rear end. Tyres and wheels are convincing. |  | | Detail underneath. |  | | Cab detail is convincing. |  | | Profile view. |  | | Lift height is good. |  | | Logging forks are modelled well. |  | | At work. |
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