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Potain MDT 389 Tower Crane

Maker:  Conrad
Model No:  2028
Scale:  1:87
Review Date:  April 2016


Conrad Index
Tower Crane Index


Cranes Etc Model Rating
Packaging   (max 10)8
Detail   (max 30)20
Features   (max 20)14
Quality   (max 25)20
Price   (max 15)10
Overall   (max 100)72%

Footnotes


Potain MDT 389 Tower Crane video.  [Youku video]
Potain branded box.
Metal blocks stabilise the bottom of the tower.
Nicely detailed cab.
The Potain MDT look.
Excellent straight geometry.
Realistic profile.
The triangular jib has no bottom face.
Looking up.  Ladders in the tower.
Comment on this model.

The MDT 389 is the largest of a new line of topless cranes from Potain, and it was displayed at the Bauma Exhibition in 2016.

It has a maximum jib length of 75m and can lift up to 16 tonnes, depending on configuration.

Packaging

The model box is a Potain-branded sleeve enclosing a pair of expanded polystyrene trays.  The sleeve has some technical details and a photo of the real crane on it.

There were no missing parts or defects on the review model.

The model comes as a kit and has to be assembled.  Good assembly instructions are provided, although they show the ladder positions inside the mast having a varying orientation rather than being consistent.  However it is straightforward to build the model.

Detail

The cruciform base has plastic wheel bogies and the counterweight blocks are metal, but not solid.  There is some detail to represent layers of concrete counterweight block.

The mast sections are made up as pairs of two sections on the real crane, so it is not possible to pose the model simulating climbing.  Plastic ladder sections and platforms are included.  The mast sections join together using small longitudinal pins.  It works well enough, but the tower can be knocked out of line.  On the review model some cleaning around the pins enabled the best true fit of adjacent sections to produce a straight tower.

The climbing frame has two platforms with metal hand rails.  However there is no hydraulic ram or means to support a tower section prior to insertion.

Detail at the cab level is very good.  The 'Premium Ultra View' cab has a windscreen wiper, and inside the seat has joystick controls.  The tubular mast section has an access slot.  Behind the cab there is the hoisting winch deck, and plastic hand rails add detail.

The counter jib has the distinctive Potain profile, and it looks good.  The Potain name is rendered well on the handrail at the counterweights.  The counterweight block is a single metal casting and may be a little overlarge as a compromise to provide the necessary weight for the model. If it had been made in two or three pieces displaying the model with shorter jib configurations would have been possible.

The jib is made up of three metal sections which interlock to make the full jib, which scales in as a full 75m jib.  Conrad has done an excellent job to fabricate the jib elements to combine and be dead straight.   There is no underside to the jib, and a plastic trolley motor adds detail at the tower end.

The trolley is plastic, and the hook is metal.  Small metal pulleys are used throughout the model.

Features

The tower is made of five sections so the model can be built to a variety of heights.   The climbing frame moves up and down the tower but there is no means to lock it at any given position.

The crane rotates smoothly, although care is needed to handle it in the right place.

The trolley can be positioned anywhere along the jib.

The hoist can be operated using a supplied key, but the machinery deck is only slotted in place so it can be easily dislodged.   The hook does not have enough weight to lower smoothly when the drum is unwound, so a small load helps.

Quality

This a good quality model having regard for the small scale and large size.

The paintwork is very good with detailed graphics.

Price

It is fair value.

Overall

After a gap of many years it is good to see a new tower crane model.  Conrad has met the 1/87 scale model engineering challenge of a very long jib very well, producing a big model.   When carefully assembled it looks realistic.  It is not really a 'playable' model, but it is impressive.

Footnotes

The model first appeared in the Manitowoc Store in February 2016.
 
Inside the box.
Large climbing frame.
Machinery deck behind the cab.
Trolley and hook have metal pulleys.
 
Convincing.