 |
| The box.
|
 |
 |
| A large
excavator. |
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| Metal
handrails. |
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| Cab guards
give it a tough appearance. |
|
|
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| Opening
engine cover.
|
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| Profile
view. |
 |
| Height is
very good. |
 |
| Bucket
reversed. |
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| Impressive. |
|
The
Volvo EC950E Hydraulic Excavator has an operating weight
of 90 tonnes in
backhoe configuration. It was Volvo's
largest excavator when introduced at Bauma in 2016.
Packaging
The model comes in a Volvo picture box with
the model held within two separate expanded polystyrene
trays and protected with clear plastic sheets.
There were
no missing parts or defects on the review model.
There is no information about the
model, but there are a few technical details about the
real machine printed on the box.
Detail
The
undercarriage has some simple detailing and the track
frames look good with steps provided. The upper rollers are modelled
and function, with the lower rollers being solid
castings. The metal track pads are thin with bolt heads
indicated.
Underneath the body there is an unusual amount of
detailing with various panels and grilles detailed.
The cab is
detailed inside, and outside there are nice protection
grilles. Outside the cab there are high quality
perforated walkways.
The curved body is detailed with panel doors, an etched
grille and red metal grab rails. The graphics are very sharp.
The counterweight has properly formed lifting eyes and
the rear view camera is modelled. On top there are
nicely textured surfaces.
Hydraulic hoses run to the twin boom cylinders which
have nice detailing on the jackets. Pipes and
hoses run along the boom and these are very good. The
connection rivets are painted so they look discrete.
The large bucket is a very nice casting. It has
very nice teeth and wear plates.
Features
The tracks roll freely and they are tensioned by spring-loaded idlers.
Rotation is smooth and precise.
The boom, stick and bucket have a very good
range of movement. The cylinders are stiff and hold any
pose.
The bucket is removable (and reversible) by undoing a
couple of bolts.
There is an opening engine cover which reveals a Volvo
branded engine underneath. The cover has nice
discrete hinges.
Quality
The
model feels heavy out of the box due to its high metal
content. It is robust.
The paintwork and graphics are very good.
Price
It is
a large excavator and is good value.
Overall
As a first model for Volvo, the EC950E hits the spot in
terms of quality and robustness. It is also good
to see that it has a removable bucket giving flexibility
for the future.
Footnotes
The model first appeared as a printed prototype at the Nuremberg Toy Fair in
2017 and the first release occurred at the end of that year.
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|
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|
 |
| Parked up. |
 |
| Crawler
tracks and frames look good.
|
 |
| Very
detailed under the body. |
 |
| High
quality grilles and walkway. |
 |
| Excellent
hydraulics. |
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| Detailed
bucket. |
|
|
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| Removable
bucket. |
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| Convincing
appearance. |
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