 |
| The Hitachi box
with collector card on the outside. |
 |
 |
| The parts out of
the box. |
 |
| Cab interior
is convincing. |
 |
| View underneath.
|
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| Detail around
the body is first class. .
Excellent door handles on the panels. |
 |
| Hydraulic lines
on the boom top are really good. |
 |
| Large bucket is
matt black. Black bolts with nuts can be
undone to release the bucket. |
 |
| Realistic
horizontal reach. |
 |
| It is
a heavy load for a
Nooteboom Euro-99-24 Low Loader. |
|
The Hitachi Zaxis 870 3 series machines are large
hydraulic excavators and the version modelled here has
an operating weight of 84 tonnes. It has an 8.4m
boom and is fitted with a heavy duty bucket.
Packaging
The Hitachi branded box contains the model held within expanded
polystyrene trays. A collector card is held in a
wallet on the outside of the box and this provides the
unique number of the model within the production run. There were
no defects or missing parts on the review model.
Unfortunately there is no information provided about the real machine
and nothing which describes the features of the model.
Detail
It is immediately clear that this is a highly detailed
model.
The underside of the track frame is plain but the
underside of the body is very good with various plates
and bolt heads present within the casting. The
track frames are nice pieces with tiny graphics and
working rollers on the top, but not the bottom.
The tracks are metal and high quality with very good
bolt and grouser details.
The body is excellent and is probably the best yet seen
on an excavator of this size. Alongside the cab
the walkway has a finely perforated surface although it
cannot be removed for when the machine is being
transported. The cab has a metal grab rail and
very well made falling object protection. Inside
the controls and pedals are fully modelled, and the seat
is blue with the Hitachi name which mirrors the original
machine.
Behind the cab the details are first class. Panels
are detailed within the casting with individual rivets
shown, and inside the body there are silver panel
handles and clasps which are really great details.
Various doors can be opened and these let the superbly
detailed engine be seen. The cooling fan can be
seen behind a grille and appears very realistic.
Various metal grab rails and hand rails adorn the body
and they have the fixings to the body clearly detailed
which is outstanding.
The counterweight has detail within the casting and
warning signs applied. The lifting eyes are also
useable so it could be posed being lifted if desired.
It is however difficult to fit completely flush to the
back of the excavator so from some angles a slight gap
can be seen.
The boom has individually fixed metal hydraulic lines
and they are excellent. Plastic lines join them to
the cylinder. The cylinder jackets are plastic as
usual, but the colour match is very good, although with
the rest of the detailing being so good metal cylinder
jackets would have been a fitting inclusion. The pinned
connections to the main lift cylinders and the arm look
right.
The arm has some small graphics and the connection to
the bucket is made with black bolts. The bucket is
very nice with strengthening on the cutting edges and it
is a matt black colour which looks good.
Features
The
tracks roll well on the frames and the idler is spring
loaded so removing the tracks is straightforward.
A pair of doors open on the cab side of the body, and
there is an opening cowl which gives access to the very
detailed engine.
The model rotates well and the range of movement of the
boom and arm is very good, and the cylinders are stiff
enough to hold any pose.
At the rear the counterweight can be removed although it
is fitted very firmly so needs to be gently prised off
taking care not to scratch the paint. This makes
it a more realistic haulage load but the tracks cannot
be retracted so it sits wide on most vehicles.
The bucket can be removed by unscrewing the two nuts and
bolts and these are a much nicer connection than the
simple pins often used. It is possible to reverse
the bucket and fix it as a face shovel if desired by the
collector.
Quality
WSI have produced a very high quality model with
excellent details and the applied graphics really add to
the realism. The quality of the paint finish is
very high with only one very minor blemish on the review
model.
As the model is so highly detailed care is needed in
handling the model so as not to apply undue pressure on
delicate parts.
Price
This model offers really good value for the quality and
details provided.
Overall
WSI has a reputation for high detail and if anything
this model enhances it with some aspects moving forward
the standard for reasonably priced excavator models.
Hitachi have every reason to be pleased with this model.
It is outstanding.
Footnotes
The model appeared in October 2010. Two other
versions were produced, one with a
Demarec Multi-Quick
Processor and the other with a heavy
Demarec DRS-75
Shear. Each of the three versions was made in a
run of 1000 models.
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|
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| The model in
the tray. |
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| Profile view. |
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| Excellent
detailing of the hydraulics at the base of the boom. |
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| Tiny graphics
on the track frames. |
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| Opening doors
to the engine bay. |
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| Tiny graphics
on the engine. |
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| The
counterweight has lifting eyes. |
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| Excellent
grilles and hand rails. |
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| Reaching at
height is very good. |
 |
| The
counterweight removed to lower the transport weight. |
|
