Auto news on Youtube Apr 2 2018

It was at the Nuremberg Toy Fair in 2018 that WSI models revealed its new models for

Palfinger. They were trucks with Palfinger Hook

lifts with removable containers, and in this review we take a look at one of the

first models. It is a Volvo FH4 with a sleeper cab, and it has the hook lift

system together with a hook lift asphalt container. This particular model is made

for Palfinger which is why it comes in a Palfinger branded box, but once we

open it up we see the insides are like the usual WSI packaging. So that means the

first thing we need to do is to cut the factory tape and it's about time we got

good at doing this instead of faffing about. With the lid opened up we can just

lift out the model and there's no assembly to do because this model is

complete out of the box.

The Volvo chassis is nicely detailed with the

gearbox, driveshaft and rear axles made of metal, and there are different tyres

on the front and rear axles. The Volvo cab has got nice little stub aerials and

colour-coded door mirrors, and there's a good-looking Volvo grille. There's nice

lights but there's no number plate because this is a generic truck. Among

the nice detailing is the fuel tank and the AdBlue tank, and they give the

vehicle a realistic appearance, and the container has nice shiny sides with the

plastic top having texture like tarpaulin.

There are nice textured wheel arches and a particularly nice touch is that the

hydraulic ram jackets are metal. There are also nice sharp Palfinger

graphics, and there are plastic rollers at the back.

We move out onto the Cranes

Etc test track, and for our first test we see that the Volvo rolls very nicely in a

straight line. There is some steering on the front axle although it's not a full

lock, but at least we can pose it and the model will drive in a shallow curve. As

always we like to see what's making the model move along and if we tilt the cab

we can see there is a Volvo engine underneath. It looks nice enough and

there's the Volvo name on it. This is an asphalt container so it has a cover to

keep the asphalt warm, and that just pulls off and then we can see the super shiny

half pipe shape, and definitely this container has not yet seen any asphalt.

To empty the container you just tip it in the normal way and the twin hydraulic

rams are nice and smooth. If we then turn it around we can see that the tailgate

flap opens but it's not free swinging and it does not flap about, so giant

fingers are required to operate it. But what's different about this truck is

that it has a Hooklift system, so that means we can detach the container that

it's carrying and now let's demonstrate how that works. The container is pushed

back on the telescopic arm and then raised up, and it firstly uses the

rollers at the back of the truck and then its own rollers until it's laid

flat, and after that you can unhook it and drive away.

This is a very nice-looking model from WSI and it has the usual high standard

of detailing. What makes it particularly interesting is the Palfinger Hooklift

system and that has been implemented very well so models of this type will

pose well with others, and it's easy to rate it as very good.