I never thought there would be a day when I introduced Lamley readers to a diecast Chinese military truck, let alone be doing it again! Back in March it was the FAW MV3 from Jackiekim, this time I’m taking a look at XCartoys and their solid Jiefang CA30.
The Jeifang CA30 is a licensed produced version of the Russian ZIL – 157. Throughout the 1950s the Soviet government assisted the Chinese in building up their heavy industry. As a result several vehicle factories were built and Russian vehicle designs shared. The CA30 was Introduced in 1958 in both civil and military guises and proved to be a capable and long lasting truck. Military examples served in the armed forces of several countries, and remained in service with Chinese People’s Liberation Army units until 1990.
An early shot of a cargo configured CA30 
A CA30 bridging vehicle of the Bangladeshi Army
XCartoys are a brand that by now are getting real traction outside of China and Asia. They’ve been in the 1/64 game a bit longer than Jackiekim, and are popular with more cost conscious collectors, as well as individuals like me drawn to obscure vehicles. Their lineup ranges from Chinese market VW Jettas that have been lapped up by European diecast customisers, to cars that are rarely seen outside of China like the Wuling Hongguang MPV. More recently they’ve even tackled the Tesla Cybertruck, and done a grand job of it. And they’ve done brilliantly on this CA30.
There are a few variants of the CA30 in the XCartoys line up and this particular version represents a radar truck of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force. It’s a pleasant model to handle with a diecast cab and metal base and there’s some fantastic details: the clear headlight lenses which can be covered with stone guards supplied on a sprue, accurate wing mirrors, chunky off road rubber wrapped around accurately detailed wheels.
The paint is high quality and has a great thickness and finish to it. The rear box body is constructed in plastic but it does little to detract from the overall feel of the model. Decals are sharp and easy to read and the model rolls beautifully. The detail on the front winch looks a little like an afterthought but it’s a smudge on an otherwise brilliant canvas. It’s fantastic value for money at around £13 on Ebay (with free postage to the UK) a great way to add some heavy metal to your collection.
There’s more XCartoys on my wishlist and some really cool releases still to come from them, so stay tuned to Lamley Group for more from the Chinese brand.
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(Find XCartoys on Ebay)