Athearn Freightliners & 20' Containers On Chassis, Standard Axle Position
Athearn Freightliners & 20' Containers On Chassis, Extended Axle Position
Athearn announces all new owner-operator paint schemes for the Freightliner cabover. New to this release of the Freightliners are dual chrome exhausts, dual chrome horns, and new 10 hole aluminum style wheels. Each new tractor in these paint schemes will come packaged with a 20' container and 23' container chassis. All models come fully painted and assembled. Detail shots below; note that all stripes are continued on backs of cabs, prototypical size of wheel vent holes, wheel dish shape and proportions, and that small red simulated hub oil cap on the front wheels!
Above is a shot of all 12 tractors in the new paint schemes. You might notice the pairs of tractors shown here have the same schemes in different color combinations. There's still some "tweaking" to do on some of the schemes and at least one of the paint jobs you see here is very unlikely to make it into production. Click on the photo above for a much larger view (Caution: larger file size than you're accustomed to here!)
Athearn's third release of the Ford C cab fire trucks (shown immediately above) should be in your hobby shops this month. These are painted and pinstriped models but without city or engine company identification so you can apply the decals of your favorite engine on them.
Herpa announces the releases for January and February 2004.
Passenger Cars
023221 – 2004 BMW X3 3.0i - red 033220 – 2004 BMW X3 3.0i - metallic green BMW’s second sports activity vehicle –only slightly smaller than the successful X5– was just introduced at the Frankfurt Auto Show in September. The initial range of engines compromises three inline sixes: 2.5 or 3.0-liter gas engines and the 3.0 diesel. Herpa had the promotional model ready for the show and will deliver the regular models (sans decorations and chrome parts) in late January when the prototypes come to German BMW dealers, as well. 046107 – 2003 BMW 530i sedan, Bavarian police - Three-and-a-half years after the first silver arrows appeared in Baden-Württemberg, the German state of Bavaria decided on a fleet of silver police cruisers, as well. This one was presented at the Frankfurt Auto Show and will soon be patrolling Southern Germany’s autobahn.
Light Trucks
046022 – 1996 Mercedes-Benz Vito passenger-van, Bundesamt für Güterverkehr - Company for the white-and-blue Sprinter produced earlier. The BAG, Federal Agency for Commercial Transport, is the truck safety authority on German highways. 046114 – 2002 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter facelift van, DHL - The German post started to offer freight and logistics services under a common name all over the world in summer, 2003: DHL is what Deutsche Post Euro-Express, Danzas, and DHL used to be. The vehicle’s yellow paint is all that survived from the traditional German freight post. 046121 – 2002 Mercedes-Benz facelift passenger-van, Luxembourg Red Cross - Used by Luxembourg Red Cross’s dog squad. Limited edition. 046138 – 1990 Volkswagen Transporter (T4) passenger-van, Hamburg police - Part of Hamburg’s police fleet is this mobile traffic sign, used both to follow heavy haulage convoys and to indicate traffic jams. 046169 – 2001 MAN ME2000 L-cab, aerial ladder - Updated with the modified cab and Herpa’s current generic design.
Heavy Trucks
149838 – 2001 MAN TGA M-cab tandem tractor and cement mixer semi-trailer - Fitting into the red-and silver fleet of construction equipment. 149884 – 2000 MAN TGA XL-cab tractor-trailer (box type), DHL - Used for domestic long distance transports by Deutsche Post’s freight branch. 149945 – 2002 DAF CF85 SpaceCab tractor-trailer, Cargospol (Czech Republic) - Continuing the series of trucks from all over Europe. Limited edition. 150057 – 2001 Renault Magnum tractor-trailer (curtain-style), Bernhard Land/Mariacron - A former promotional model makes it into the regular range. Mariacron is a popular brandy; Bernhard Land is the forwarder that carries the liquor on Eckes’ behalf. Limited edition. 150064 – 2002 Mercedes-Benz Actros LH-cab tractor-reefer trailer, Baam/Karlsruhe Zoo - The tractor comes painted in metallic blue; the semi advertises the Karlsruhe Zoo. As it is a refrigerated rig, it features ice bears. Quite a sight! Limited edition. 150071 – 2003 Volvo FH12 Globetrotter lowliner tractor-trailer (curtain-style), Wincanton Trans European - Peninsular & Oriental, or P&O Trans European was a name with quite a tradition. Wincanton Group took over both the company and the fleet. Limited edition. 150088 – 2001 MAN ME2000 L-cab refrigerated van, Dachser - 14 years ago, Herpa introduced a functioning liftgate. The first regular release was a MAN M90 van in Thomas Dachser’s paint scheme. Box, liftgate, and operator remain unchanged while the current release gets the most recent MAN daycab. 150095 – 2000 MAN TGA LX-cab truck and full trailer, Schenker - Deutsche Bahn (German railways) bought it, they sold it, and they bought it again last year, complete with the rest of Stinnes Group: Schenker probably is Germany’s largest logistics company. This truck features their most reduced paint scheme. 150101 – 2002 Mercedes-Benz Actros L-cab, tractor-tank trailer, Scalar - Bright with chrome. Limited edition. 150118 – 2002 Mercedes-Benz Actros L-cab truck and full trailer, Tatschl (Austria)/Knauf - Collectors had asked for the once so common combination of two-axle truck and three-axle full trailer. The chassis dates back to the Actros’ predecessor and is not prototypically correct. Herpa had offered another Actros of Tatschl’s fleet not too long ago. This one advertises Knauf’s construction supplies. Limited edition. 150125 – 2001 MAN TGA M-cab tipper truck and tandem trailer - Matching Herpa’s generic construction fleet. Unfortunately, Herpa combines the current TGA cab with an old, incorrect MAN F90 chassis. 150132 – 2002 Mercedes-Benz Actros L-cab tractor-trailer, Tasche - Your cool partner, it says on the semi’s sides, although Tasche does not just operate reefers. Limited edition. 150149 – 2001 Renault Magnum tractor-reefer trailer, Pflüger - To go with the show trucks of Pflüger’s fleet Herpa had produced earlier. Limited edition.
149838 – 2001 MAN TGA M-cab tandem tractor and cement mixer semi-trailer - Fitting into the red-and silver fleet of construction equipment. 149884 – 2000 MAN TGA XL-cab tractor-trailer (box type), DHL - Used for domestic long distance transports by Deutsche Post’s freight branch. 149945 – 2002 DAF CF85 SpaceCab tractor-trailer, Cargospol (Czech Republic) - Continuing the series of trucks from all over Europe. Limited edition. 150057 – 2001 Renault Magnum tractor-trailer (curtain-style), Bernhard Land/Mariacron - A former promotional model makes it into the regular range. Mariacron is a popular brandy; Bernhard Land is the forwarder that carries the liquor on Eckes’ behalf. Limited edition. 150064 – 2002 Mercedes-Benz Actros LH-cab tractor-reefer trailer, Baam/Karlsruhe Zoo - The tractor comes painted in metallic blue; the semi advertises the Karlsruhe Zoo. As it is a refrigerated rig, it features ice bears. Quite a sight! Limited edition. 150071 – 2003 Volvo FH12 Globetrotter lowliner tractor-trailer (curtain-style), Wincanton Trans European - Peninsular & Oriental, or P&O Trans European was a name with quite a tradition. Wincanton Group took over both the company and the fleet. Limited edition. 150088 – 2001 MAN ME2000 L-cab refrigerated van, Dachser - 14 years ago, Herpa introduced a functioning liftgate. The first regular release was a MAN M90 van in Thomas Dachser’s paint scheme. Box, liftgate, and operator remain unchanged while the current release gets the most recent MAN daycab. 150095 – 2000 MAN TGA LX-cab truck and full trailer, Schenker - Deutsche Bahn (German railways) bought it, they sold it, and they bought it again last year, complete with the rest of Stinnes Group: Schenker probably is Germany’s largest logistics company. This truck features their most reduced paint scheme.
150101 – 2002 Mercedes-Benz Actros L-cab, tractor-tank trailer, Scalar - Bright with chrome. Limited edition. 150118 – 2002 Mercedes-Benz Actros L-cab truck and full trailer, Tatschl (Austria)/Knauf - Collectors had asked for the once so common combination of two-axle truck and three-axle full trailer. The chassis dates back to the Actros’ predecessor and is not prototypically correct. Herpa had offered another Actros of Tatschl’s fleet not too long ago. This one advertises Knauf’s construction supplies. Limited edition. 150125 – 2001 MAN TGA M-cab tipper truck and tandem trailer - Matching Herpa’s generic construction fleet. Unfortunately, Herpa combines the current TGA cab with an old, incorrect MAN F90 chassis. 150132 – 2002 Mercedes-Benz Actros L-cab tractor-trailer, Tasche - Your cool partner, it says on the semi’s sides, although Tasche does not just operate reefers. Limited edition. 150149 – 2001 Renault Magnum tractor-reefer trailer, Pflüger - To go with the show trucks of Pflüger’s fleet Herpa had produced earlier. Limited edition.
Private Collection
110280 – 2002 Mercedes-Benz Actros LH-cab - Mercedes-Benz was one of the first manufacturers to offer wider single tires (called super-single) on the drive axle of their long distance tractors last year. Herpa follows suit. Metallic paint job and the bull bar are additional extras.
1205124 – 2001 Steyr STA XXL-cab tractor-silo trailer, Silo-Melmer/Xtreme (Austria) - The fifth truck in the Melmer series, designed by Austrian Knut Tiroch once again. This one does not carry scenes from the Pitztal winter resort, however, but is decorated for the artist’s enterprise. Limited edition. 120531 – 1996 Scania R144/164 Topline tractor-reefer trailer, Vendel/Rio Grande - Rio Grande is Edeka supermarket’s in-house brand for fruit and vegetables. The truck is decorated accordingly. Limited edition.
Sheepscot Scale Products announces two new classic International trucks (shown above). Availability expected in mid-December 2003.
