 |
| The box. |
 |
| On the road. |
 |
 |
| Ballast attaches
at the rear. The 'knob' is fixed in place. |
|
|
|
This is a model of a 5 axle 160 tonne
capacity Liebherr crane.
Packaging
The model is packed within the usual Liebherr style picture
sleeve which holds together two polystyrene trays containing
the model and accessories. No instructions are provided
with the model and although it is intuitive to assemble,
the novice would be helped by some instructions. The
review model was undamaged.
Detail
Starting at the front of the model, the cab has beacon lights
and wing mirrors, although the wing mirrors are completely
silvered all round which looks slightly strange. Lights
at the front are painted and there is no loop for fixing
on the hook during transport. Moving towards the back,
the carrier has various textured horizontal surfaces and
there is reasonable detail with an exhaust pipe and various
boxes. At the rear of the carrier the lights are also
painted and a set of wheel chocks is attached.
Turning to the crane, the cab has a reasonably detailed
interior and there are very good cast grab rails to the
front and top. However details such as a windscreen
wiper are missing. A small plastic hydraulic cylinder
controls the tilting cab. The body is fairly basic
with an exhaust pipe and a plastic ladder. The main
boom has two grooves on one side to hold plastic inserts
which can be used to carry the top section of the fly jib.
At the main boom head the pulleys are plastic and consist
of single blocks with two pulleys in each so do not expect
to run the model with a free rolling multi line hook.
Two hooks are provided; the standard single line hook and
a block with three pulleys.
Features
The axles are linked in two groups. The front three
axles steer together with the rear pair making up the second
group. Both sets can be turned to a hard lock so the
model can be posed impressively. The outriggers
are dual stage telescopic and are plastic. The pads
are also plastic and screw down in the normal manner.
The usual crane functions can be performed. The crane
rotates well and the winch is operated by the Conrad style
plastic winding handle. Although this can be pulled
out so that you can pose the model without it, the winch
drum ends up floating in an unsatisfactory manner.
Additional features include the tilting cab which tilts
upwards to allow the operator a less strained view of high
lifts. The counterweight is a single separate block
which can be screwed into position on to the rear of the
crane.
The boom itself is a six stage telescope and so reaches
to an impressive height. The fly jib provided with
the model is very good, and is assembled using the usual
steel pins. The boom head adaptor has a ratchet
mechanism so that the fly jib can be offset at four angles
to the main boom and to facilitate the running of the winch
line a dolly pulley can be folded out to keep the line from
fouling the jib. Two intermediate fly jib sections
are provided as well as final top section, which also includes
a folding final piece. When all pieces are assembled,
the fly jib adds significantly to the overall boom length.
Quality
The impression of the model is good out of the box and its
weight gives a quality feel. The casting is good,
especially the fly jib, and the paintwork and lettering
are all fine. Some plastic is used, most notably in
the outriggers, however this does not detract seriously.
Price
The model is good value for money taking into account the
large lattice fly jib that comes in the box.
Overall
This is a good model for the large crane collector and the
extra long fly jib provides a number of different display
options. The robustness of the model would be improved
by metal outriggers and some further detailing would enhance
the overall look. A big improvement would be the provision
of separate counterweight plates rather than a solid block,
which would open the options for posing the model.
Footnotes
The model first appeared in this version in 1999.
It has been produced in a variety of liveries. The
model was withdrawn from Conrad's online model list in February
2006.
|
|
|
|
 |
| Inside the box. |
 |
| Rigged with a single
line hook. |
|
|
 |
| Profile view. |
|
