1:50th Scale John Deere 2954D Harvester

Presented here is the 1:50th scale John Deere 2954D tracked road builder excavator with Waratah tree harvesting head from Ertl. This is a nice addition to the John Deere forestry fleet and has some good detailing.

The undercarriage frames are fairly basic castings with some detailing visible and jet the addition of the linked metal tracks really makes the undercarriage look good. The tracks rotate freely and have bolt and grouser detailing on each pad.

One of the nice features on the model are the three opening engine doors which reveal the replicated engine and cooling components within. This is one of the "High Detail" series of models and the opening doors really do add to the overall appeal of the model.

The highly detailed, plastic Waratah harvesting head features rotating drive wheels and folding grapples with armoured flexible hydraulic piping and tilt and rotate frame connected to the stick.

The accurately shaped cab is a nice touch on the model with large glass windows allowing a good view of the basic interior. The only dissapointment on the model is the use of the large, silver headed rivets which does detract from an otherwise good model. This is a pity, even more so due to the fact that the previous forestry releases (1270 harvester and 1110E forwarder) had black headed rivets which was a nice touch. One solution is to touch up the rivets with satin black paint and this really makes a difference.

The 2954D road builder is a good companion to the 2954D log loader and both are great additions to the growing John Deere forestry range. The model is supplied with a Deere forestry DVD which features footage of the range of forestry machines and this is a very nice addition and interesting viewing for all those with a keen interest in forestry equipment.