 | | Oshkosh box. |  |  | | The parts out of the box. |  | | The spare chutes are stowed on the side, and held in place with a tie-down. |  | | Detail is very good underneath too. |  | | Opening cab door with lots of detail and small warning signs. |  | | Excellent springing on the suspension. |  | | The chute can be extended. |  | | Feeding the pump. |
| The Oshkosh Truck Corporation of Wisconsin USA makes heavy trucks for the defence, municipal and concrete industries. It was founded in 1917 and is named after the city in which it is based.
The S-Series Front Discharge Mixer is a leader in the US ready-mix industry. As a design of truck it is unusual outside of America, where rear discharge mixers are the norm.
The version reviewed here is in the colours of ‘Building America’.
Packaging
The model comes in an Oshkosh picture box which contains a pair of expanded polystyrene trays. The model is well packed inside with plenty of polythene wrapping. The review model was undamaged.
Included with the model is a small Oshkosh promotional booklet which has information and pictures of the S-series. There is no information on the model however and no guidance on the fitment of the small parts which are provided in a separate bag.
Detail
The model is very detailed and turning the model over reveals plenty of detail on the chassis with all the drive shafts to the three driven axles present, and a plethora of brake lines. The tyres and hubs are good with the front tyres in particular having the heavy tread found on the real machine.
At the front there is a towing point and pins are provided in the bag to place in the hitch. The light arrays look convincing and there is a tremendous array of small warning signs dotted around the cab. Rear view mirrors are supplied as separate parts and these are easily fitted although they hang rather loose. The steps to the cab have a fine mesh and there are small chrome grab handles. There is a water hose adjacent to the cab door complete with tap. Inside the cab the detail continues with an air ride seat and tiny window openers on the inside of the door. The only obvious detail missing from the cab area is a windscreen wiper.
A ladder leads up to the hopper above the cab where there is another water hose. The chute mechanism at the front has very small hydraulic cylinders, and there is a piece of membrane material to guide the concrete from the exit hopper to the chute.
The drum appears to be made of a plastic material but this is not a negative point as it replicates the nature of the ‘Revolution’ drum which is made of a lightweight composite material on the real machine. Behind the drum is the engine unit. The drum motor drive is replicated well with various cables and lines visible. A very good chrome exhaust stack is provided.
The engine is covered by a hood which is plastic, but again this replicates the construction of the real machine which has a fibre glass hood. Under the hood, the engine is very detailed and the back of the hood has an excellent fine radiator grille. The tag axle at the rear has wheel arches.
Features
All but the two rear driving axles can be steered independently although the lock is limited on the front axle. An excellent feature is the spring suspension which is provided on all axles. The rear tag axle is available to spread the load if required and it can be lifted significantly when not in use. Three of the other axles are lift axles and this is replicated on the model where they can be locked out of service although this is quite stiff on some of the axles and it can be concerning whether a delicate part may break in the process so care is advised.
The engine hood opens and it is spring loaded.
At the front the cab door opens.
The mixer drum revolves smoothly and the feed hopper at the top is adjustable. A feature which is not obvious is that the use of plastic for the drum has enabled the inside to be fully engineered with replica screw-like fins. This is just visible by looking in the end of the drum. The design is such that if sand were put in the drum, and the drum spun, sand would be discharged. This was tried on the review model and it worked!
The chute mechanism is excellent as it is fully adjustable, side to side, and up and down, and the individual chutes fold out nicely. Two additional chutes are provided with the model and these can be clipped on and used, and when not in use they are stowed on the side by the cab and restrained in place with a tie-down.
Quality
This is not a heavy model mainly because of the plastic used for the drum and engine hood. Nevertheless it is of very good quality with a high level of detail. The paintwork and graphics are pleasing and to a good standard overall.
Price
This is a high end product compared to other truck mixer models and this is reflected in the price of the model. It is however good value for the detail and features included.
Overall
The Oshkosh is an unusual looking concrete mixer, certainly to European eyes, and with seven axles it is a feat of engineering also. This model is a faithful copy of the real machine and offers plenty of detail and features. It looks an interesting machine and can be posed with other models to make some pleasing displays.
Footnotes
The model first appeared at the Nuremberg Toy Fair in 2008. The following versions were produced:
White - 1000 models;
Revolution - 750;
Safety 360 - 500;
Building America - 500
It is marketed outside the Americas by NZG as model number 723. A second run of new liveries and some 6 axle versions were introduced in February 2009.
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|  | | Inside the box. |  | | This is the front of the truck. The front tyres have a meaty tread and there is a towing hitch with pin. |  | | Opening the hood reveals a detailed engine. |  | | The real hood is actually fibre glass so it is not much effort to open it. |  | | The lift axles can be clipped out of use although it would be better if they could be raised higher like on the real truck. |  | | The tag axle lifts up high. Excellent radiator grille. |  | | Poses well with other models. In this case the Putzmeister M52. |
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