 | | VINCI branded box. |  |  | | Instructions and stickers for the counter-jib sign. |  | | The blocky hook is not realistic. |  | | Capacity board mounted on the mast. |  | | Counter-jib with the sign board fitted. |  | | Tower can achieve a straight profile with careful adjustment. |
|  Comment on this model.
The Liebherr EC-H Tower Crane scale model by Conrad first appeared some twenty years ago and it has been updated since then.
This version is in the colours of the French Construction Company VINCI.
Packaging
The model comes in a VINCI branded box. There were no defects or missing parts on the review model.
A printed sheet of instructions is supplied and assembly is straightforward with the fit of some parts being necessarily tight in order to maintain a good geometry.
An interesting inclusion is sticker sheets which allow any of 40 different company names from the VINCI Group to be displayed on the counter-jib signboard.
Detail
The base section is fitted with plastic bogies but these were oriented wrongly compared to the electric cable drum but they were easily rotated through a right angle. The base has pins on to which the four solid heavy ballast blocks fit. The casting of the ballast blocks has delineation to indicate separate concrete slabs.
The mast sections join together by pushing together the sections which have tiny pins included. This system works well but it can be difficult to join the sections if they are not lined up properly. Mast detail is good with one section of the model comprising four sections of the real mast. When joining the mast sections the orientation is important for realism as the lattice work differs on the various sides. The side with the sideways 'K' struts should be on the side of the hydraulic ram of the climbing frame (this is not mentioned in the instructions). There are no plastic ladders as in some other tower crane models of this scale. A capacity board clips on to the bottom of the mast.
The climbing frame is permanently attached to the cab section. Although the climbing frame looks alright, the walkways do not seem quite wide enough and the table for sliding in the mast section looks too high up the frame such that a scale mast section could not be slid in.
The cab is good including a seat for the driver and the internal structure is modelled. A slewing motor is mounted on the outside.
The counter-jib has some basic detail with an electric equipment cabinet and hoist motor and underneath there is a good lattice frame with holes for attaching a plastic signboard.
The main jib comes in two sections which join well to produce a straight geometry. It is a simple casting with the sides only and no bottom. A nice aspect is the metal interlocking jib guy rods and they look good.
The trolley is plastic with tiny plastic pulleys but it looks fine, however the hook block is a very old style with the rope going through an eyelet rather than the block so it does not appear so realistic. However it has chevron graphics.
Features
The crane rotates well without rocking.
The trolley can be positioned manually anywhere along the main jib.
Turning a knob on the counter-jib raises and lowers the hook.
The crane can be configured in three different heights. Fully erected it is around 60cm high and 62cm end-to-end.
The signboard can display many different company names from the supplied stickers.
Quality
The castings are good and relatively little plastic used.
The paintwork and lettering is good and the livery is striking.
Price
It is fair value for a limited edition.
Overall
Although this model has very old origins compared to most models it is still a good looking tower crane. It would certainly have benefitted from a better hook block and a few other improvements but the colour scheme is attractive.
Footnotes
This model in VINCI colours first appeared in 2012 in a limited run of 250 models.
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|  | | The tray. |  | | Standing tall. |  | | Very straight jib. Climbing frame is not accurately scaled. |  | | Detail inside the cab. |  | | Metal guys are very good. |  | | Only the hoist knob gives away that it is a model. |
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