Caterpillar 316D Wheeled Excavator

The Caterpillar 316D wheeled excavator is a new addition to the Caterpillar model collection. The 1:50th scale model from Norscot was advertised on the Norscot website as having a removable bucket and a hammer and although there is a space in the box for a hammer to fit, for reasons which are still unclear, there is no hammer attachment supplied with the model.

The two piece boom is functional and hydraulic hoses have been added, including auxiliary pipework on the stick to give more detail. The bucket linkage does not look right and the bucket does not have the correct range of movement which is a shame, especially if this limited movement was because of the quick hitch / hammer which is not supplied.

The cab features clear windows with detailed interior, rear view mirrors and windscreen wipers on the front window. Rear view mirrors have also been added to the opposite side of the body with both front and rear facing working and indicator lights modelled.

The undercarriage has two point outriggers which can be lowered and a dozer blade is fitted to the other end. The wheels are freely rotating with rubber tyres and there is limited steering. On my model, the steering wheels are very loose and feel like they are about to fall off. The blade can be raised/lowered but there are no working cylinders so it relies on the friction and tightness of the rivets, which are all painted. The blade does have red light clusters modelled which is something I have not seen on a model before. I guess on the real machine, these are clipped onto the blade when driving on the road.

This model again shows the extra effort that Norscot are going to this year and is another great addition to the Caterpillar model fleet. It is a real shame that the advertised hammer accessory is not included in the box.