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Wednesday, April 13, 2016

U.S. Tractor D7 w/Towing Winch D7N

Here are some images of MiniArt's 1/35 scale U.S. Tractor D7 w/Towing Winch D7N.

The Good -
This is easily one of the most detailed model kits I've seen. I would guess that It builds up practically much like the real thing.

The Bad - A major problem I've found with this kit, as I have seen with other MiniArt kits is their tendency to have too many tree attachments for really small delicate parts.This increases the chances of the part being broken upon removal.

The Ugly - The worst problem is related to the problem above, and that the plastic is noticeably brittle especially when dealing with the smaller thin parts. Which means the rod and cable/hose parts will definitely break upon removal. Even if you try and cut them out with a heated knife. This of course will mean replacing the rods and cables with wiring. I would recommend that you do not remove them from their trees, and instead use them as shaping templates.

From Wikipedia"
The Caterpillar D7 is a medium bulldozer manufactured by Caterpillar Inc.. The first D7 appeared in 1938. The D7C came next in 1955. The D7D came in 1959. The 160 hp D7E in 1961. The 180 hp D7F 1969.The 200 hp D7G in 1974.The 215 hp in 1986.The D7H was the first D7 to come with the exclusive elevated drive sprocket undercarriage.The D7R replaced the D7H in 1996 with the current D7R Series 2 replacing that.
In March 2008, at Conexpo 2008 held every 3 years in Las Vegas, Caterpillar introduced the D7E. This 235 hp D7E comes with an electric drive system powered by a 537cid C9.3 diesel engine. The C9.3 powers a generator that turns out electricity that will supply power to a pair of AC drive motors. Compared to the Caterpillar D7R Series II, the D7E is projected to deliver 25 percent more material moved per gallon of fuel, 10 percent greater productivity and 10 percent lower lifetime operating costs.
The D7R Series II at 240 hp power and an operating weight of 25 tons, is in the middle of Caterpillar's track-type tractors, which range in size from the D3 57 kW (77 hp), 7 t (8 short tons), to the D11 698 kW (935 hp), 112 t (124 short tons). It is primarily used to move material short distances or through challenging terrain. The vehicle is powerful, yet small and light 16 to 20 t (18 to 23 short tons) depending on configuration). This makes it ideal for working on very steep slopes, in forests, and for backfilling pipelines safely without risking damage to the pipe.
An agricultural version without the blade and rippers is commonly used by farmers.
Specially modified D7E's fitted with Rome plows were used to clear forest in the Vietnam war.
The US Army used armored D7G to clear mine fields and unarmored D7G and D7H for earthworks. The armor was developed by the Israel Military Industries (IMI). Later, the US Army developed a remote controlled version of the D7G for mine-clearing applications.
The United States Marine Corps has replaced its fleet of D7Gs with John Deere's 850J MCT in 2009
The Egyptian Army operates an unknown number of armored D7R II.
The current model is the D7R Series 2 Track-Type Tractor and will be replaced by the D7E in early 2009.

M1 Heavy Tractor was a term used by the US Army for several tractors prior to and during the second world war. Under the Ordnance Corps these "off the shelf" tractors were meant to tow artillery pieces so were not equipped with blades like their Engineer counterparts. Eventually these were replaced by purpose built "High Speed Tractors" (HST). Some tractors were equipped with crane attachments for ammunition, and material handling.
More than 1000 were leased to the Soviet Union. They mostly used them to tow 152 mm guns, 122 mm guns, even 203 mm guns. It saw good service as a prime mover for artillery.

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