Caterpillar 323D Tracked Excavator

Presented here is the 1:50th scale Caterpillar 323D tracked excavator with H120E hydraulic hammer which is the latest release based on the existing 323D tooling. The undercarriage has linked metal tracks with sprung loaded idler wheels and triple grouser pads.

The cab features clear windows with detailed interior, rear view mirrors and scaled hand rails. Rear view mirrors have also been added to the opposite side of the body along with hand rails and anti slip texture on the upper deck surfaces.

The small deck access steps consist of a hollow grill pattern which is a good improvement on how Norscot usually cast such parts and demonstrates the improvements that Norscot are making to their new releases. The paint finish on the model is very good with crisp power edge markings on the boom and body.

The boom and stick have a good range of movement with the stick having cast hydraulic pipe detail along with flexible pipework connected to the bucket and stick cylinders. All the rivets and pins have been painted which greatly adds to the level of realism although unlike the standard 323D, the ends of the piston rods for the stick and bucket linkage have not been painted.

The H120E hammer is a good representation of the full sized unit with a silver finished sprung chisel and crisp printing of the designation. The hammer casting incorporates lugs which prevent full movement of the linkage which is a little dissapointing and the thickly applied paint hides some of the finer casting detail.

The 323D with H120E hammer is one of two models released to highlight the Caterpillar tools range, as pictured below alongside the 336D with S365C scrap shear.