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Actros 8x4 4165 SLT + 12 axle Scheuerle Trailer - Mammoet

Maker:  WSI
Model No:  9934
Scale:  1:50
Review Date:  January 2011


WSI Index
Special Transport Index


Cranes Etc Model Rating
Packaging   (max 10)7
Detail   (max 30)27
Features   (max 20)16
Quality   (max 25)22
Price   (max 15)10
Overall   (max 100)82%

Footnotes


Actros 8x4 4165 SLT + 12 axle Scheuerle Trailer - Mammoet Video
Smart Mammoet box.
Most of the parts out of the box.
Plenty of mirrors.
The ballast box fitted.
With the ballast box removed the Actros can be used to tow other trailers.
A three axle module.  The rear light clusters are shown clipped on.
The connection of the axle steering to the drawbar uses a heavier bar which is screwed as shown.  The drawbar is pinned to the steering with the silver headed pins shown.  The control console clips on.
Tow bar is supported by springs.  The generator for the trailer sits on the tractor.
The Scheuerle trailer looks great with a load.
Scheuerle is a German company with a history of making transport vehicles since 1937.  The Scheuerle InterCombi trailer units have a 36 tonne axle load and a transportation speed of up to 80 km/h.  In addition to their use as trailers they can be fitted with a Power Pack Unit to produce a self-propelled platform vehicle.

This version of the model is in the colours of Dutch heavy haulage and lifting specialist, Mammoet.

Packaging

The box is of an excellent standard with the model packed very nicely within black foam rubber.  There were no defects or missing parts on the review model.

There are a large number of small parts supplied as this is a precision model.  No instructions were provided with the model when originally sold, but some were made available for download from the WSI website later (see the Footnotes below).  There is no information on the real machine provided.  A nice touch is that a Mammoet collector card is included.

Detail

The tractor unit is an Actros 8x4 4165 SLT and it is to WSI's high standard of detailing.  Underneath, the chassis is excellent with the major components faithfully reproduced.  Appropriate tyres are mounted on the steering and non-steering wheels, and the hubs are excellent.  The front has a towing hitch and cover, and there is a realistic number plate which matches that on the photo on the box, but strangely the fleet number on the side of the cab does not match. 

Behind the cab the equipment tower is mainly plastic but it is detailed and looks good.  Diamond plating extends to the rear and the wheels have realistic mud guards.  At the back there is a metal towing bracket, and the rear lights have nice plastic lenses.  A simple but well decorated metal ballast box is provided.

The trailer units consist of one 6 axle and two 3 axle units.  They impress because they are almost entirely metal and are engineered really well.  Underneath the trailer just visible along the spine beam is some intricate hydraulic lines joining the tanks.  The wheels are nice and the structure of the trailers is modelled in an authentic way.  The steering linkages are metal and diamond plated metal cover plates provide the protection.  Decoration of the units is excellent, with a fine yellow stripe and each of the three trailer units has a unique fleet number which is a great detail.

A plastic generator unit and a separate control console are provided and they are both plastic and very detailed.  A drawbar can be fitted to the trailer and it has two springs which support it in a horizontal position when not attached to a tractor.  A pair of light arrays can be clipped to the rear of the trailer.

Features

The tractor unit has very limited steering ability on the front axles.  The cab tilts forward to reveal the engine and the ballast box can be attached or removed.  The towing hitches at the front and back have pins.

The trailer units have excellent proportional steering and the draw bar can be attached which steers with the movement of the tractor.  In addition the steering is fully configurable in that each linkage can be unscrewed and reattached in a different way, and plenty of spare linkages are provided with the model.  Unfortunately the lack of instructions means that it is trial and error to amend the configuration.

The trailer units have very good operating suspension on all axle lines.

The trailer can be configured in different lengths by joining the units.  The connection method is excellent and consists of a small metal bolt which slides into place to lock the units and the great thing is the bolt is retained in a holder rather than being an easily lost separate pin.  Also the overall design is such that when the units are lifted they are rigidly fixed in line rather than flopping about.

Quality

The tractor is a typical WSI high quality product whilst the Scheuerle units are highly engineered metal models.  The paintwork and graphics are very good.

Price

Although the price is on the high side it reflects the work that has gone into the Scheuerle trailer units.

Overall

This is a high quality offering and a great addition to the Mammoet collection.  It is disappointing that no instructions have been provided with the model because it really deserves some to enable all collectors to enjoy it fully.  Nonetheless it is easy to highly recommend and no doubt other parts will become available to fill out the InterCombi range.

Footnotes

The model appeared in November 2010.  An instruction sheet was made available for download from the WSI website in February 2011.

 
The trailer set up for the road.
Sharp Mammoet decoration.
Highly detailed underside.
Tilting cab.
Metal steering linkages.
Proportional steering is excellent.
Small details count.  Each module has an individual fleet number.
Loaded with a Fermentation Tank.  Perhaps not the heaviest load in real life but the Cranes Etc version is filled with beer.
Light details at the rear.
Control console is very detailed.