 | | Caterpillar branded box. |  |  | | Nice graphics. |  | | Plain underneath, but nice tracks. |  | | Detailed cab, with nice grille at the rear. |  | | Bucket and thumb. |  | | Reaches high. |  | | Cab folds down for transport. |  | | On the road. |
|  Comment on this model.
The Caterpillar 568 Forestry Machine has an operating weight of around 43 tonnes. The version modelled here is the General Forestry version which has a lower cab height than the Log Loader version.
Packaging
The model comes in a Caterpillar-branded box style with windows. Inside the box the model is held in a plastic former secured with poppers and a tie and tape.
The review model had no missing parts or defects.
The box includes a small collector card which has some information about the real machine and a nice photo.
Detail
The underside has limited detail and the track frames have some detailing within the casting but there are no working rollers. The metal double grouser tracks are nice and have some bolt head detailing.
The large cab is metal with some good touches including the grille on the rear side window. The steps and handrails to the cab are simplistic. The interior detail is good with 'Cat' on the seat back.
The body is metal with a plastic black engine cover. The graphics are very sharp. At the side the grille is represented by texture within the casting and panel handles are indicated also. The grab rails are metal and the protection shield at the front is plastic with a very good colour match.
There are hoses running to the boom foot and main boom rams. The boom has very nice hydraulic detailing along the top surface with plastic pipes and hoses. Hoses run to the bucket and thumb cylinders.
The bucket and thumb are decent metal parts.
Features
The tracks are free rolling and the idlers in the frames are spring-loaded to maintain tension.
Rotation of the body was very stiff on the review model.
The cab tilts forward to lower the headroom in transport mode.
Movement of the boom and stick is very good, with some looseness in the rams at certain positions.
The bucket and thumb movement is good and scale logs can be gripped.
Quality
This is a decent model with a high metal content.
The paint finish is mostly very good and the graphics are sharp.
Price
It is good value.
Overall
It is good to see a model of a Caterpillar forestry machine and this one is nicely implemented and poses well both in a transport and working situation.
Footnotes
A version was also produced as a 568 LL log loader - Tonkin Replicas 40002.
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|  | | Textured grille on the side. |  | | Track frames are reasonable. Protection guard on the front. |  | | Nice hydraulic detailing. |  | | Hydraulics run to the stick. | |
|  | | Profile view. |  | | Lifting a log. |  | | Goes well with other models. |  | | Good looking load. |
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