 | | The box. |  |  | | The back. Two spare tyres are held inside the body. |  | | Tilting cab reveals some nice details. |  | | How else would you carry it around other than on a Mammoet low loader? |
| The 2010 Dakar Rally had a 9000km route in Argentina and Chile and was open to a variety of forms of transport including bikes, cars and trucks. The Dakar website can be visited here. For 2010, one of the trucks entered into the rally was sponsored by Mammoet.
The truck is a Dutch GINAF X2222 which in normal use has a 22 tonne Gross Vehicle Weight, and a Gross Carrying Capacity of over 15 tonnes. The rally truck was run by the Van den Brink Rallysport team.
Packaging
The model comes in a WSI Collectibles branded box which has a window so the model is visible inside. The truck is enclosed between a couple of clear plastic formers, both held within a polystyrene tray. There were no defects or missing parts on the review model. There is no information on the real machine included, and it would have been nicer if there had been a something about the Dakar rally or the Rallysport team.
Detail
This is a chunky model. Underneath, the chassis is modelled well with a very detailed structure and prop shaft. Large mud flaps are included together with special protection for the transmission to the rear axle. The real suspension is modelled complete with springs. The rally tyres have an authentic tread pattern, and they are mounted on nicely detailed hubs. The cab has wing mirrors and a set of spotlights on the front which are jewelled and look bright. Grab rails surround the windscreen. Other details such as the lights and grilles are intricately reproduced. The internal detail within the cab is very good as the roll over structure is reproduced and clearly visible, and the instrument console is also modelled well. Behind the cab, the body is plastic but the decoration of it means that you cannot tell just by looking at it. There are a couple of exhaust manifolds, and inside the body at the back a pair of spare tyres is visible. The graphics applied to the model really make a difference to the look of the truck. They are very detailed and beautifully applied.
Features
The steering of the front wheels is fine with a decent range of movement so some good poses can be achieved. The rear axle has working suspension and the whole rear axle floats as a result. The cab tilts forward by about 45° to reveal a very nicely detailed engine block where hosing and piping can be seen.
Quality
WSI have produced a high quality truck model and although there is a fair amount of plastic used it is generally carefully used and enhances the detail. The large number of highly detailed graphics sets the model apart from others.
Price
The model is good value and the model is collectible as a result of the limited production run.
Overall
This is an unusual and interesting model which looks very good when displayed due to the high quality graphics. It is highly recommended.
Footnotes
The model was introduced in January 2010 in a limited run of 500 models.
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|  | | Plastered with graphics at the front. The roll cage structure is visible inside the cab. |  | | What you see if you tip the truck over during the rally. |  | | Decorated roof. |
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