John Deere 650J LT Bulldozer "Precision Series No 3"
Presented here is the exceptional 1:16th scale John Deere 650J Bulldozer from ERTL. The 650J LT tracked dozer from John Deere features the 99hp 4-cylinder Tier 3 Deere 4045H engine at it's heart with dual path, electronically controlled load sensing hydrostatic drive with infinate speed ranges coupled with triple reduction final drives to give a very capable, agile and powerfull dozer. The 1:16th scale model produced by Ertl has perfectly captured the essence of the 650J and features a host of fine details and realism.
The Deere 4045H 4-cylinder engine has been accurately modelled and housed in the engine compartment which features spring loaded side panels which can be moved to reveal the internal engine compartment.
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One side panel has an opening door (as pictured left) which swings open and has integrated handle detailing, highlighted in a metallic gold colour which looks very authentic. Even the internal door catch mechanism has been cast and highlighted.
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The side compartment door can also be opened (as pictured right) to reveal even more hidden detailing including the central lubrication system and, as with the engine door, the handle has been modelled and highlighted. |
The oposide side compartment opens (pictured below) to reveal the battery components and the inside surface of the door has fine safety and instruction printed labels which is a nice touch.
Accurately scaled grab rails have been added to the front and upper edges of the engine compartment and the side panels have a crisp grill pattern printed onto their surfaces. The main lift hydraulics for the blade are anchored to the main frame by highly detailed metal pins and have flexible hydraulic piping added.
The Power-Angle-Tilt blade can be raised to a realistic height and the ball joint linkage of the blade has been accurately captured, allowing the blade to be angled left/right and also tilted to simulate the full range of movement of the full sized machine. Once again, flexible piping has been added for extra realism and the only let down on the whole model are the four screws used to fix the front and rear blade sections together. It is a shame these could not have been hidden with small yellow plastic grommets.
The interior of the cabin has been accurately captured, including the fully modelled suspension armchair with an authentic fabric texture looking finish and adjustment controls below the seat with a ribbed effect suspension column for total realism. All the driver's controls have been added including throttle, steering and blade control joysticks with foot pedals and instrument information screen integrated into the central console.
The flooring of the cabin has a contoured, simulated rubber panel which really adds to the visual impact of the model. Even the small access panels have the bolts highlighted for that extra level of realism and the opening clear plastic doors have internal door handle detailing and windscreen wiper motor housing.
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The external cab frame also has some nice touches including the door stoppers and rear mounted air conditioning unit with black grill highlighting. Both doors have fitted wipers with wipers also added to the front window whilst the rear window is shaped to house the filler cap which has been highlighted in silver and looks very authentic. Even the Halogen driving lights have been accurately integrated into the roof on each side with painted lenses. |
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The parallelogram ripper bar at the rear of the model uses a single hydraulic cylinder which has flexible piping and provision of up to five ripper teeth, three of which are supplied and fitted to the model. The range of movement of the ripper assembly is good and the definition of each of the ripper teeth has been captured nicely with red bars printed onto the upper frame and metal pins used to join the linkage which again look great and realistic.
The tracks consist of individual, single grouser pads with well defined bolt head detailing with six rotating undercarriage rollers, a toothed drive sprocket and front idler wheel along with a single guide roller giving the track a nice contour, adding greatly to the realism.
This is an exceptional and very realistic looking model with a quality paint finish and accurate Deere logos and markings. The model is supplied in a two piece polystyrene carton with printed outer box and includes a small metal medallion highlighting 3rd in the Precision Model Series along with a printed booklet with pictures and details of the full sized machine. This is a must have model for any dozer fan.
