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