 | | Liebherr branded box. |  |  | | Twenty sets of wheels. |  | | Pads raised. |  | | Each wheel unit can be steered. |  | | Upper cab mounted on the tower. |  | | Metal pulleys at the top of the tower. |  | | It is a big crane. The tipper truck is the same scale. |  | | Impressively large model. |  | | Boom lowered for service and resting on the dolly wheel. |
|  Comment on this model.
The Liebherr LHM 550 is a mobile harbour crane, and it replaces the previous LHM 500. It has a radius of 54m and a maximum capacity of 144 tonnes and is optimised for Post Panamax / Capesize ships. The crane weighs 439 tonnes.
Packaging
The model comes in a large Liebherr-branded box which has a plastic carry handle at the top. The parts are contained in two expanded polystyrene trays.
There were no missing parts or defects on the review model, although one of the tools for tightening nuts and bolts did not fit the parts well.
There is no information provided about the real crane, but an instruction leaflet in German and English describes the assembly and operation.
Detail
The twenty sets of wheels are finely detailed for the scale with nice rubber tyres mounted on detailed wheels and assemblies. Large metal spreader plates are hung off metal beams. The pistons are simple screw threads and therefore are not so realistic. A metal stairway leads to the crane body.
The crane body and counterweight are metal and the graphics and paint have a good finish. Metal handrails add to the quality feel and the grilles on the engine boxes look good. Some ladders and lights are plastic. The small lower cab has a seat but no console. A hole in one side where a window would be allows the winch to be accessed with a key, and this means the look of the model is not spoiled.
The tower is an enclosed metal design with the upper cab and platform modelled in metal. A seat is provided inside the cab. At the tower top the pulleys are metal.
The large lattice boom is cast in two parts and it is well made and painted. The two sections are connected with tiny brass nuts and bolts. At the boom tip there are more metal pulleys and a large metal dolly wheel for when the boom is lowered to the ground.
The tension luffing cylinder has a plastic jacket with pipe detail and a good colour match.
The hook is metal and heavy so it provides good tension on the threads. Two falls of the hoist ropes are facilitated.
Features
The small wheels roll well and each wheel unit steers independently so all the steering modes of the real crane can be replicated including crab steering and rotation on the spot.
The outrigger beams fold out and the pads can be lowered by unscrewing. The pads hold the weight of the crane easily allowing the model to be posed wheels-free.
The crane rotates smoothly.
The tension luffing cylinder works well to hold the boom and a full range of boom movement is possible, including lowering the boom fully onto the dolly wheel. Boom positions can be held if necessary by tightening the screws at the boom pivot.
The winch has two lengths of thread and the hook can be raised and lowered using a key. Equal lengths of thread for each half of the hook are maintained well.
Quality
This is a very good 1:87 scale model, with a high metal content.
The paint quality and graphics are very good.
Price
It is a large model which is fully priced.
Overall
This is another large and impressive harbour crane model which is updated from the previous LHM 500 version to reflect changes in the real crane. It makes a very interesting display piece and the functionality is very good also. It would have been nice if a container load or grab had been included with the model.
Footnotes
The model first appeared at the Nuremberg Toy Fair 2015.
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|  | | The tray and instruction sheet. |  | | Metal handrails and stairs. |  | | Lots of wheels. |  | | Large counterweight. |  | | Boom has an excellent profile. | |
|  | | Very good geometry. |  | | Profile view. |  | | Dolly wheel is metal. |
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