 |
| 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.
|
|
|
|
 |
| 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. |
|
