Total Tanker: WEB EXCLUSIVE!

As businessman François Maquaire neared retirement, he decided to chase a dream. Partnering with long time friend and fellow diecast collector Christian Carcassonne, Maquaire wanted to create and manufacture a line of high-detail, high quality models of French commercial vehicles in 1:24.

It didn’t take long for the pair set up shop in Puligny, France, name their new company MAQMADON, and get to work, choosing to replicate a machine once touted as France’s “Truck of the Century” - the 1957 Berliet GLR 8R. 

It was a great call on the new maker’s part, and an historic subject that hadn’t been done before. The Berliet company had gotten started in 1895 when Marius Berliet began tinkering with single cylinder cars; the tinkering went well, and took a fateful turn when the bullets started flying in World War I. The French military approached Messr. Berliet to manufacture a troop transport truck - and Berliet’s design proved so good that by the time the next war rolled around, the company had completely left the car business, choosing instead to concentrate on heavier machinery.

After the conflict, Berliet’s trucks were a common sight on European roads; in 1967, the company was bought out by Citroën, who then sold the line - and the Berliet name - to Renault in 1973. Once known for dominating the heavy truck market, the name all but disappeared into Renault’s Saviem series, leaving behind a legacy that still resonates with collectors and enthusiasts today.

The Model

Maquaire and Carcassonne knew that tooling the curvaceous Berliet wouldn’t be easy. But the GLR 8R’s history made it a great choice. That, and the willingness of the Berliet Foundation to give the new makers a hand, sealed the deal. Maquaire and Carcassonne rolled up their sleeves and got busy.

This production sample of a GLR 8R in Total Fuel Oil Company tanker truck deco shows that the work paid off; MAQMADON’s offering has great detail and a top shelf build. The graphics are clean and crisp on top of Total’s trademark colors of red, white and blue. The cab, hood, framework and functional tank are all realized in metal, and so is the tank; that adds a lot of weight - and a solid, quality feel - to the image.

Each of the filling ports at the top of the tank open, and though we didn’t try, we are told that the tank will actually hold fluids. Before you decide to store a few ounces of your favorite single malt in the truck’s business end, have a look at the storage compartments running alongside the tank; they open at the rear to reveal removable delivery hoses. Down below, the permanently mounted spare tire forms a rear bumper; separately molded taillight lenses, mud flaps and switch console are all in line with the Berliet’s high level of replication.

A storage locker on the driver’s side opens and the ladder on the passenger’s side is crafted in metal and fully attached. Along the passenger side of the tank is a secondary opening storage locker, as well as nine delivery nozzles (if those worked, I’d have done a tank test myself, and pronto). They almost look like they might actually deliver liquids; well detailed, separate components make up the caps and valves for each nozzle.

The wheels are single piece units, painted red and clad with Michelin tires with raised molded sidewalls and believable tread patterns.  Rotating the rear wheels causes the drive shaft to spin, and the front tires are steerable from the cab.

That cab is finely crafted, wearing the characteristic Berliet GLR “bull-nose” design and a contoured steel bumper complete with the factory towing braces. Fully realized in diecast, and with opening doors and hood, the detail is outstanding. True to the real truck’s design, the sides of the hood are removable - apparently a necessity on hot summer days. Correctly patterned lenses are in the headlamps and driving lamps, there are foot holds under the bumper, and the chrome trim is bright and applied with care.  Photoetched badges grace either side of the hood, and amber colored turn signals are mounted on the fenders. Even the windshield has the rubber molding outlining the window trim.

The hood lifts open over a 162-horsepower Ricardo five cylinder diesel. While not the most powerful engine used in any of the Berliet trucks, it was more than adequate for the truck’s maximum load of 19 metric tons. It’s fully detailed, wired and plumbed. Inside, the cab is equally fitted out; the raised driver’s pod has readable gauges and detailed controls for the turn signals, gear selector and emergency brake. All the foot pedals are fully realized, not molded in, and the seat is a great take off of multi-adjustable perches found in commercial vehicles.

Overall, the detail is simply outstanding, and the model certainly helps to fill the void of commercial vehicles in 1:24th scale. The downside is that MAQMADON doesn’t yet have a distributor here in the States, so if you want to have a look at the line, or purchase one of your own, you’ll need to check out the company’s web site. Bring along around $240.00 US dollars (179 Euro) if the tanker floats your boat. Each model comes with a certificate of authenticity, as well as a multi-lingual printed history of the Berliet Company.

The tanker will see a production run of no more than 1,200 units, and comes very highly recommended.  Scotch optional, of course. - www.maqmadon.com - CRM

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