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| High quality
Liebherr branded box. |
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| Liebherr name
in the ballast blocks. |
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New cab design. |
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| Counter jib is
heavy, and has advertising signs. |
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| Modern Liebherr
tower crane colour scheme. |
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| Fibre coloured
rope runs to a nicely decorated hook. |
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Liebherr and its partner Teufelberger have been
researching and developing fibre hoist ropes to replace
the usual steel ropes, and Bauma 2019 saw the launch of
a commercial product.
The 370 EC-B 12 Fibre tower crane is a topless tower
crane and is fitted with a fibre hoist rope. It is
in a new colour scheme and has a new cab design.
Packaging
The model comes in a high quality Liebherr branded box with
the parts held in foam rubber.
The review model had
no defects or missing parts.
There is a detailed instruction manual for the model
which has clear pictures. The manual also incudes
some information about the real crane, and that is
always nice to see.
The tower sections have a new sliding connection method
which produces a strong connection. In part it
relies in slight flexibility of the metal castings so it
might be a good idea to avoid trying to join the parts
at very low temperatures.
Detail
At the bottom the undercarriage is a detailed
casting and it clips onto four concrete coloured pads.
Two ballast plates carry four interlocking blocks which
are modelled as stacks of slabs each with the Liebherr
name in the casting. There are no access ladders or
platforms leading to the tower, and there is no capacity
board.
The tower sections are modelled as sets of three real
sections so they are too long for use as a truck load.
The new connection system for joining the sections helps
to produce a realistic look. Inside the sections are
plastic ladders and platforms which are a bit thick for
the scale. A very nice detail is the inclusion
of the LiUP crane driver elevator in one section, with
rails in the others.
The slewing ring and jib head section are modelled as
one piece. The cab looks good and inside there is
a seat and controls. The electrical cabinet is
modelled and the handrails are metal.
The jib is excellent with a very straight profile. It
is made up of lattice work on the two sides and is
hollow underneath, presumably to keep the weight down.
The counter jib is very nicely made. It is a heavy
part with a solid textured walkway and metal handrails,
and a nice structure underneath. At the back there
are plastic advertising boards and a very nice aspect of
the model is that a variety of stickers are included
which can be fixed to them. It also opens up the
possibility of making and attaching bespoke stickers in
company colours.
The counterweight is a solid block with the individual
slabs detailed.
The trolley is a plastic part with metal pulleys.
The hook block is a nicely decorated part with a metal
pulley. As befits this model the rope is a light colour
to indicate the fibre rope of the real crane.
A Liebherr branded flag is provided for use as a load,
but because of its large size it does not hang nicely on the
small hook.
Features
The crane rotates smoothly.
The trolley can be positioned anywhere along the jib by
moving it by hand.
The hoist winch works well by using a supplied key, and
a separate part is included to complete the side of the
counter jib when the model is not being operated.
The configuration options allow the tower to be built in
four different heights. The jib is partly
sectionalised, so four different jib lengths are
possible. However, the counterweight is a solid
block so is not adjustable. The model is at the limits
of stability when the jib is at its longest and at its
shortest.
Alternative stickers can be fitted to the counter jib to
personalise the model.
Quality
This is a very good quality and robust tower crane
model, with a high metal content.
The paintwork is very good as are the graphics.
Price
It is reasonable value given the overall size
of the model.
Overall
This is a very nicely presented tower crane
model by Conrad, and it reflects the innovations of the
real crane well. The overall geometry and straightness
is excellent, but it would have been nicer if there was
a greater possibility to configure the tower, jib and
counterweight.
Footnotes
The model first appeared at Bauma in 2019. |
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| Top layer of
parts, manual and sticker sheet. |
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| Profile view
with shortened jib. |
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| An elevator
for the crane driver is modelled. Ladders have
safety cages. |
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| Metal
handrails. |
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| Very straight
jib. It is hollow underneath. |
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