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| The Hitachi box
with collector card on the outside. |
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| The model poses
well with the shear fitted. |
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| Cab interior
is convincing. |
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| The massive
Demarec DRS-75 Shear.
|
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| Detail around
the body is first class. .
Excellent door handles on the panels. |
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| Hydraulic lines
on the boom top are really good. |
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| Chomping
through metal is this machine's speciality. |
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| The overall
size of the machine is apparent compared to the Cranes
Etc team member. |
|
The Hitachi ZAXIS 870 3 series are
large hydraulic excavators and the version modelled here
has an operating weight of over 85 tonnes. It has an
8.4m boom and is fitted with a massive Demarec DRS-75
Hydraulic Shear.
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 Demarec DRS-75 shears is made with bolts. The
very large proportions of the shear are rendered well.
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 Demarec shear can be removed by unscrewing
the two nuts and bolts and these are a much nicer
connection than the simple pins often used. The
tool rotates and the jaws of
the tool open and close.
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.
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
This is the third version of the Hitachi ZX870 modelled by WSI
and it is certainly an impressive demolition machine.
There is no question it is an outstanding model.
Footnotes
The model appeared in October 2010. Two other
versions were produced, one with a
Demarec Multi-Quick
Processor and the other with a
digging bucket. Each of the three versions was made in a
run of 1000 models.
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| The model in
the tray. |
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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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| The
two demolition versions of the ZX870. The one on
the right is fitted with a
Demarec Multi-Quick
Processor. |
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