JCB 330 Wheeled Skid Steer Loader

Presented here is the 1:50th scale JCB 330 skid steer loader from Motorart. This is the first 1:50th scale JCB skid steer and is a nice addition to the range. A Volvo version, designated MC155C has also been produced.

On first impressions, the level of detail is very good with an opening cab door revealing the fully replicated interior, complete with joystick controls. The door, inset with a glazed panel opens to a good angle while the front screen has a plastic wiper with light lenses fitted into the roof.

The rear of the model has cutouts where small clear and tinted plastic lenses are fitted with a contoured engine cover and tiny printed safety labels. The tyres have a crisp tread pattern with silver paint hilighting the fixing bolts on the hubs.

The general purpose bucket has a reasonable range of movement with non-functional quick coupler casting detail and bolt heads visible along the front edge. While the model looks good, one dissapointing aspect is the range of movement of the single piece boom. It does not lower enough for the bucket to correctly make contact with the ground.

This appears to be a limitation due to the over thickness of the boom geometry castings and this is added to with the use of large, silver headed rivets which really stand out. They would look much better if they had been painted over.

On the sample model reviewed here, the paint finish is far from what would be expected from Motorart with several paint chips on the boom (Seen above) and door handle. The model is pictured below alongside the JCB Vibromax VM 115 roller from Motorart to give an idea of the tiny dimensions of the model.