| |
I felt sorry for the mail-girl today when she knocked on my door holding a 3' long carton. She made me an early stop just to unload it. This IS a big model. These forward-control COE Whites were known as the Super Power 3000 Series and were manufactured between 1949 and 1958 with very little change during the course of their run. They were powered by a 743 c.i., 6-cylinder, 200 HP Cummins diesels with a 5-speed transmission and 2-speed rear axles. Developed right after the war, they were modern for their time and still look good today.
This diecast measures a whopping 21" long (28" w/ the ramps) and is full of interesting details. DM's devotion to detail is reflected even in correctly changing the vintage from the '55 seen with their other White models (i.e Bud, Bordon's, Coke) to a '52 model year. The subtle changes that distinguish one from the other are the addition of roof-mounted running lights, air horn, grag handles, TWO photo-etched windshield wipers and the deletion of
the amber turn signals above the headlights. The reworked dashboard now features chrome bezeled round guages in a separate pod instead of the flush mounted rectangular cluster on the '55's. Of course, all the usual operating fearures exist and all fit well. The amidships mounted engine is fully wired and plumbed as expected, and includes all the correctly executed air brake lines and connections. These brake lines are modeled in red so you're able to easily follow them from the compressor to the air tank and on to the wheel units, a nice touch. While examining the engine, I noticed that it has a split-exhaust manifold with two separate exhaust pipes going into a single muffler. Other details include diamond-plate fuel tanks, cast spoke wheels and air and electrical lines that connect to the trailer.00 The car-carrier trailer is a model unto itself. Packed in a plastic container within the trailer are two sets of ramps, ramp stands, ramp stabilizer rod, trailer stands, spare tire and 16 rubber chocks.The instruction sheet explains how to utilize all these pieces. Although I believe this to be a "generic" car carrier, it's very realistic. Some of the features are a drop-down spare tire rack, all running lights, the red air brake lines and the top deck which lowers and raises with the aid of twin scissor-like spring-loaded mechanisms.
Painted a fitting shade of bright yellow with a simple DM logo on the cab doors, this rig should stand out in any collection. If you've got 2 1/2' of extra shelf space (or can put a load of 4 cars on it and make room) I'd say go for it! At $195.00 + S&H, it's a lot of diecast for the money. (07/05/1999)
(07/06/1999)
|
|
