Mercedes Benz Actros with Doll 5-axle low-bed semitrailer
Doll Fahrzeugbau AG are a fourth generation family company that specialise in high-tech transport solutions. Based in Germany, the company produce specialised trailers in the logging transport and special haulage sectors and have a number of trailer designs including the 5-axle low-bed semi trailer which has been accurately captured in 1:50th scale by Conrad.
|
|
The sides of the trailer feature five, slide out extension arms allowing the trailer to carry wider loads than the deck width.
The trailer has an extending section allowing for longer loads to be transported and this mechanism extends smoothly on the sample reviewed here. |
|
The folding ramps on the rear of the trailer are connected to a bar allowing them to slide along the rear of the trailer to accommodate both narrow and wide loads. Each ramp unfolds and has ridge detailing on the upper surface with structural detail on the underside. |
|
|
|
The gooseneck features two spare wheels at the tip with plastic moulded wheel chocks and a course textured bed surface with silver side walls giving a large storage area for accessories and rigging equipment. Four plastic stabilisers can be deployed by extending them gently to give the trailer stability during loading.
The underside of the trailer features five steerable axles which are all linked together to give progressively tighter turning radius on each axle from front to back. This is a nice addition on the model and the steering works well with the rear most axle achieving a very tight turn radius. Each axle also oscilates with simulated suspension which is another nice touch to the model.
The trailer bed can be completely detached from the gooseneck (as pictured above) by removing the plastic pin. This appears to be a strange requirement on the trailer and it is not clear to me as to why the gooseneck would be detached in this way.
|
|
The side edges of the trailer deck have a number of rectangular holes which allow the small metal bars provided in the box to be inserted (As pictured below). This is another good addition to the model and demonstrates the level of thought and engineering that Conrad have added to replicate as much functionality as possible from the full sized trailer.
|
|
The upper deck surfaces of the trailer have an inset strip on each side with a raised single diamond pattern texture which is very nicely defined while the side walls of the trailer have tie-down rings cast into the surface. |
A 3-axle Mercedes Benz Actros is included with the trailer and has been decorated in a striking silver and grey colour scheme of the Bloedorn Spedition GmbH company with yellow markings and chevrons across the front bumber. The cab can be tilted forward to reveal the metal engine block at the heart of the chassis while the underside of the truck features replicated drive axles to the rear wheel hubs along with oscillating axles simulating the suspension found on the full sized truck.
The front wheels have working steering which achieves a good degree of turn and the tyres all have an accurate road tread pattern, mounted to detailed silver wheel hubs with dark grey centres. The rear of the chassis is open with the prominent fifth wheel and a large storage box with diamond plate foot panel and plastic wheel arches, complete with integrated light clusters.
As with most Conrad models, the rear view mirrors need attaching to the cab frame and they have a reflective mirrored surface which adds to the realism. The Doll trailer has various posing possibilities and can accommodate a number of loads and is pictured below carrying the latest Doll log transporter model which is another great release from Conrad. For more information on the Doll range of products, check out their website.
