 | | The usual Liebherr picture box. The crane has since been renumbered as the LTC1055-3.1 by Liebherr. |  |  | | Fly jib sections can stay on the rack when the crane is working. |  | | It looks the part when working and the fly jib stays on at all angles. |  | | Clever little crane! |  | | Sections fit together well with the plastic bolts provided. |
| This is a model of Liebherr Crane's first version of the popular 'City Crane' concept.
Packaging
The box presents no surprises as it is in the typical Liebherr style of a picture sleeve holding together two expanded polystyrene trays. Inside, the model is securely packed and there was no damage to the review model. No instructions are provided with the model although some would be helpful to the crane novice.
Detail
Out of the box, this is a heavy and solid little model.
Beginning with the carrier, the wheels are of the standard type for Conrad truck cranes of this size with good rubber tyres mounted on plastic hubs. Outrigger beams are plastic as are the outrigger pads. At the front are two latches which hold the separate counterweight. Tiny glass headlights peer out from under the counterweight. At the rear a towing hitch is provided and there are place holders into which slots the rack which carries three fly jib sections. The lights are painted on and plastic wheel chocks are attached. On top the carrier has textured walking plates.
The driver's cab includes some basic detail including a steering wheel. A plastic wing mirror is also provided which fits into prepared holes. Strangely, the mirror consists only of black plastic without a silvered surface and we can only wonder why Conrad has left this off the model. Black plastic grab rails are provided rather than them being part of the die cast metal. Presumably this has been done to provide an easy colour match of this part of the crane to the original. A pair of orange beacon lights is fitted to the roof of the crane body. At the rear a solid articulated counterweight block is attached. The body of the crane has various cast-in grooves and details and a metal ladder is fixed to the side.
The crane boom itself is a seven section telescope and it is something of a marvel that this has been engineered so well in such a small model. It is raised by a pair of hydraulic cylinders which are relatively stiff for a crane of this size. Two plastic brackets slot into the side of the first boom section which are used to carry the main fly jib. Also a large plastic unsilvered wing mirror holder clips in. The tip of the boom has plastic pulleys and a slightly cheap looking boom protector for use when the crane is travelling on the road. A single pulley metal hook is provided.
A problem exists with the scaling of the model as the boom does not sit right down for travelling and remains around 10mm or so too high. This is probably due to the plastic cylinder jackets on the rams being a little too long.
The fly jib comes in a number of parts. All sections are metal except the final solid swing out section which is plastic. Because of the small scale the pinning points on the three middle sections look disproportionately large. All parts fit together well however and are held together by plastic pins. As mentioned before the three middle sections are stored when not in use on a plastic rack which attaches to the carrier. Although this looks good the plastic used is very stiff and holds the sections by clipping them. The result is that removing the sections easily leads to scratching the paint off where the sections are clipped in place.
Features
All axles steer with the rear pair being linked together. A good hard lock can be obtained without the wheels fouling the wheel arches.
The basic crane functions all operate. Outriggers can be extended and set down, the crane rotates, the boom can be raised and set at any angle and the telescope sections can all be extended. The winch is operated by using the a finger although this is not possible when the boom is at a very steep angle as the winch becomes hidden between the boom and the counterweight.
A most interesting feature of this crane is the way the detachable counterweight is transported in front of the front axle and is picked up when required by an articulating mechanism on the rear of the crane body. This is modelled very well by Conrad and works just fine.
The fly jib can be bolted together in a variety of configurations and the only feature missing here is the ability to set the jib at an offset angle.
Quality
The castings are all to a very good standard with the fly jib sections being particularly small and intricate. There are a few areas where plastic has been used and metal would have given a better feel to the model. In particular this applies to the outrigger beams and also the rack for holding the fly jib sections would have been better in metal with the sections hung instead of clipped. With that said, the model is heavy having regard for its size and it certainly feels like a quality item.
The paintwork and lettering are of a very good standard with the 'embossing' of the Liebherr name on the detachable counterweight particularly good.
Price
The model compares well with similar models and value is added through the separate parts and working counterweight mechanism.
Overall
Conrad have produced a very pleasing crane model which has a large number of display options. It is a pity it has one or two flaws, in particular the boom which does not sit down properly for transport and the unsilvered mirrors, but these do not detract seriously and the experienced modeller can attempt to correct these issues. In summary this is a very good model and is highly recommended.
Footnotes
This model first appeared at the BAUMA Construction machine exhibition in April 2004 where it appeared in 'Mammoet' and Liebherr versions. In early 2005 a version in 'Cranes Inc' red livery appeared. In December 2005 versions in 'H N Krane' and 'Grohman' colours appeared. The crane was renumbered as the LTC1055-3.1 by Liebherr in 2005.
|
| |
|  | | Sitting snugly in the box. |  | | Looking good but it's a pity the boom can't sit right down like the real crane. |  | | 'I've told the driver but the boom won't go any lower'. |  | | Conrad gets its tolerances right at the back and the fly jib rack does not foul the crane. |  | | Wheel steering is very good. The mirrors aren't mirrors though. |
|
