One of the main limitations of discrete element modeling for understanding excavation is the large number of particles required to model any realistic problem. This means models require significant computational power to solve. One approach to solving such problems is to use scaled numerical models to study larger physical problems. This work studies the effect of cutting tool attack angle on the initial penetration of a bucket into a muckpile using a 1:16 representative scaled model of a load haul dump (LHD). We built a discrete element model of the bucket-muckpile interaction in Abaqus from the scaled model of the LHD. We then use the model to conduct experiments to examine the effect of different attack angles on initial penetration. Our results show that attack angle affects resistive forces. The resistive forces on the bucket over the simulation experiment changes with different attack angles showing that the attack angle is a key parameter that determines the forces exerted on the bucket. This work serves as a good basis for further work to fully calibrate and validate the model and upscale discrete element model results to real life mining excavation studies.