Sneak Peek of New Jaydeez Commodity Box Trailer (Prototype Pictured) Click for larger Images.

Well, my first month of writing for TTT went very smoothly and without any serious issues. Therefore, I guess I'm off to a good start! LOL

As always the model truck industry is moving along at its usual pace of 100 mph and is busy releasing new and exciting trucks for us. We found out about the Brenner tank trailers last month and not even a month later we got 10-15 new trucks coming out for various trucking companies. You will find one of these new releases featured below in the marketplace section.

Another item on the horizon is an all new commodity box trailer from Jayeez. Here you can see pictures of the prototype unit. We will be making some slight modifications but for all intents and purposes, it will be very much similar to what you see here.

This month I have also tried my hand at my first review, which is of the new First Gear Mack Granites. A wonderful truck, but I'll get more into that below.

Review:
First Gear Mack Granite Trio Set - Stock #0012

First Gear has been in the collectibles market for quite some time in pretty much every scale other then 1/64th. In 2004, they announced that they would be venturing into the world of 1/64th with a few trucks. The first of these released was the Mack Granite which I have for review today. This isn't the exact first set, as many variations of this trio have been released, the only difference I know of would be the color & graphics on the trucks.

Features

Photo Album

• 3 Daycab Trucks w/Removable Piggyback Hardware
  • 1 Black w/Red Frame
  • 1 Red w/Black Frame
  • 1 White w/Black Frame
• Opening Hood w/Detailed Engine Compartment
• Opening Doors w/Detailed Interior
• Free Rolling & Steerable High Detail Wheels & Tires

Packaging

First Gear has elected to use a mixture of cardboard & plastic in their packaging. The presentation style of this box, with a protective clear plastic sleeve is a great feature because you can remove the trucks for whatever purpose (like reviewing & taking pictures, LOL) and easily re-package them when you are done with no damage to the packaging or trucks. The packaging not only is very visually appealing, but it did a great job of keeping the models safe during transit and storage on my shelves. First Gear was also very clever in their use of the piggyback hardware in this set. This is the first time a set like this has been done. Traditionally tractor units have always been paired up with a trailer of some sort. I really like this 3 truck setup. The piggyback hardware is removable so you can remove it with no damage to the model.

The Trucks

One of the first thing I noticed when I took these models out of their packaging was the incredible level of detail on them. If there is a "precision series" of trucks, First Gear has it. The opening doors, detailed interior & engine, detailed exhaust stack, and many more details, including a chrome Bulldog hood ornament is on the hood! All these details make this truck truly amazing to look at. I could blab all day long about each little component, but instead I'll include some detailed pictures to highlight what I feel are the important details. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.

One thing I will mention, First Gear really has out done the competition on this aspect...Wheels & Tires. I know its a topic which comes up often on the farm tractor side of things, but its been a moot point for truck buyers....UNTIL NOW! First Gear has taken the liberty of tooling up several different tools JUST for WHEELS & TIRES. A quick examination will reveal that the tire tread is different on the front & rear wheels, and the rims are different from truck to trailer, and even different from truck to truck! I will use stock # FG002 - Sysco Navistar 8600 w/28' Reefer Pup and the FG012 Granites to show the different wheels. As you can see in the table below, the trailer comes with 2 Hole Rims and the truck is equipped with 5 hole rims. These are the most detailed wheels in 1/64th as the other MFG's use the same wheels & tires for all their models whether they are trucks or trailers.

Mack Granite Chrome Wheels: Front Wheel Rear Wheel International 8600 "Steel" Wheels: Tractor Front Wheel Tractor "5 Hole" Drive Wheel Trailer "2 Hole" Wheel

As you may have noticed, the Granite comes with chrome aluminum look wheels. They are simply stunning. I have no doubts that even with steel wheels the Granite would look great.

Scale

Scale is always an important factor in any quality replica. In working in 1/64th we must consider that some of the details are unrealistic to have done in 1/64th, and if done, it must be made oversize just to stay together. For example, we can tell just by looking at it, the door hinges are not to scale. But, if we were to scale down the real hinge it just wouldn't be possible to make!

	Dimension	Prototype (Real Truck)	Scale Model
A.	Cab Length	108"	1.6875" Actual Scale = 108"
B.	Cab Height	71"	1.0625" Actual Scale = 68"
C.	Overall Width	117.8"	1.9375" Actual Scale = 124 "
D.	Track Width	81"	1.3125" Actual Scale = 84 "
E.	Body Width	102"	1.5" Actual Scale = 96 "

As you can see, overall the Granite has scaled out pretty close. Well within the margins of what I would call an authentic representation.

Conclusions

All in all, I would HIGHLY Recommend purchasing a Mack Granite trio by First Gear. As I mentioned, many colors & styles are currently available; the newest of which is a Green, Yellow & Black trio.

Scale is good, packaging is great and most importantly, you really can't beat the "Bang for the buck" this set offers. If you have some Wilson flats or grain trailers kicking around, you definitely need this set to tow them all.

Marketplace

Quite honestly, I'm still getting into the swing of things in writing my articles for TTT. It has been very enjoying for me to write. If there is anything that you would like to see me talk about, find out, or for that matter NOT talk about, feel free to contact me and I would love to answer any questions you may have in regards to model trucks.

Till next month, Keep those little trucks rollin!

Dave