 | | The box. |  |  | | Very good steering angle. |  | | Excellent chassis. |  | | High detail behind the cab. |  | | Excellent interior detail. |  | | Tilting warning board is up. |  | | Great looking truck. |  | | Variety of tow bars. |
| The Western Star 4964 SX-1 Tractor is a heavy haulage machine designed for special loads and tough environments.
Packaging
The model comes in a Western Star branded box which includes expanded polystyrene trays with the model inside. There is no information about the real machine or the model.
There was no damage or missing parts on the review model.
There are a number of parts which can be fitted to the model to add detail or functionality, and this is straightforward, although a novice collector might wonder where some parts go.
Detail
This tractor sets a very high standard for detail. Underneath, the 6x4 transmission is modelled in detail together with the suspension, and the engine and gearbox are replicated. There are some hose lines running through the chassis.
The wheels and tyres are high quality and a nice detail is the rubber mud flaps.
The chrome work is outstanding, and the photo etched mesh elements are very fine indeed. The roof aerials are fine gauge wire and the lights have plastic lenses and look authentic.
Around the cab and hood the Western Star logo and badges are represented in fine style. The grab rails and door mirrors are metal, and there is relatively little plastic.
The cab interior is decorated and detailed, and the opening cab doors are superbly implemented with no visible ‘modelling hinges’ to spoil the realistic look.
Under the hood, the engine is well detailed.
Behind the cab the detail is excellent with lights and mesh surfaces. The rear wheel arches have a textured non-slip surface and there are lights around the rear towing hitch.
The ballast box is metal with lifting eyes indicated but not actually usable. A variety of accessories are included, such as a spare tyre, drawbars, planks, lights and chains.
Features
The steering is very good and a realistic hard lock can be obtained. All axles also have working suspension.
The hood tips forward to a good angle to fully reveal the engine.
The cab doors open and the mechanism is so good and the fit of the doors is so accurate that it can be a challenge to find a gap that allows the doors to be prised open.
Tow bars can be fitted and pinned at the front and rear, and the fifth wheel has longitudinal movement and has a spring loaded clip to grasp the king pin of a trailer. The ballast box can be chained in place or left off.
There is a tilting hazard board above the cab which makes use of tiny metal telescopic cylinders.
Quality
This is a very high quality truck model with a high metal content.
The paintwork is very good.
Price
It is good value for the very high quality offered.
Overall
Overall this is a truck model of very high quality and is certainly outstanding.
Footnotes
The model first appeared in June 2011 as part of the Mammoet Coke Drum Move Set in June 2011. This version appeared in July 2012.
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|  | | The parts out of the box. |  | | Ballast box cross-chained into place. |  | | Rubber mud flaps. |  | | The ballast box chained to the rear. |  | | Opening doors are implemented really well. |  | | Ballast box with accessories. |  | | Without the ballast box. |  | | Draw bar at the front. |  | | Excellent chrome work. |  | | Not realistic, but it hooks up to Nooteboom trailer fine. |
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