 | | Liebherr picture sleeve. |  |  | | Top half has the fly jib sections. |  | | The bags contain the small items, but of course not the man. |  | | Profile view. |  | | 'Stand aside or end up pancake style'. Plastic pulleys in the boom head. |  | | Handrails on the crane folded for transport mode. |  | | Posing the crane loading up the counterweight is a great display option. |  | | Rigged with a short erection fly jib. |  | | Tilting cab for the avoidance of operator neck ache. |  | | Pair the crane with a suitable ballast carrier and you get a terrific combination. Here it is paired with a Goldhofer Trailer. |
| The Liebherr LTM 1200-5.1 is a five axle crane with a maximum load capacity of 200 tonnes. The telescopic boom comprises of seven sections and can reach 72m. A variety of combinations of fly jib up to 43m long can extend the reach.
To see photos of the real crane, click here.
Packaging
Initial impressions are that the box is satisfyingly heavy. The model comes in the usual Liebherr picture sleeve which surrounds a couple of expanded polystyrene trays. It would have been better if the trays were marked 'top' and 'bottom' to avoid being opened upside down. There were no instructions provided with the initial release of the model.
The model suffered no damage in transit. One of the clip-on plastic handrails was poorly moulded but this was quickly replaced by Conrad.
Detail
The underside of the carrier has almost no detail at all with just the barest amount of chassis structure. All five axles have the same plastic hubs meaning that the central axle is not quite true to the original. Tyres are the normal Conrad type and are fine.
At the front, the driving cab has the smooth lines of the original. There are good headlights and a loop for attaching the hook during transport. Other details include orange beacon lights and clip-on plastic wing mirrors. Behind the driving cab the exhaust stack, tanks and other equipment are modelled well. The carrier deck is patterned and there are a couple of ladders detailed within the casting.
At the rear of the carrier the detailing is very good with wheel chocks and a towing hitch as well as various panel details within the casting. The rear light clusters are painted on with all lights the same colour.
The crane cab is typically Conrad - effective but not laden with detail. The grab rails are plastic and inside the cab the controls and computer screen are modelled. Behind the cab the casting of the body includes access steps which lead up to a platform with plastic handrails which clip on to the model. There are a couple of orange beacon lights, an exhaust stack and another platform with handrails. The counterweight consists of a variety of separate plates which are pleasing castings and they include lugs for lifting chains. There are two additional triangular ballast blocks which slot into notches on the slab. These look the part too, but sadly the lifting lugs are not properly formed so it is not possible to properly pose the model lifting these.
The main boom is lifted by a single large hydraulic cylinder. Although the cylinder jacket is plastic the colour match with the rest of the model is very good. The boom is a seven section telescope with boom sections in the 'oviform' shape of the original. A cable drum is included on the side of the lowest boom section and although this is a welcome addition of detail it is marred by the plastic having a poor colour match. The top of the first main boom section also includes a working hoist rope guide frame. At the boom head plastic pulleys are provided which are not the best quality and are packed too tightly to turn freely.
The hook is a three sheave block with a double hook. It is a pity that a second smaller hook was not provided for use with certain configurations of the fly jib.
The fly jib consists of a number of pieces. The lattice work sections are fine metal castings with the offset mechanism being of plastic. The connecting method is grey plastic pins and the fly jib connects to the main boom using four short pins rather than the more usual two long ones. When in transport mode, sections of the fly jib rest on plastic brackets which the collector has to attach to the main boom.
Features
The axles all steer and are linked together as a group of three at the front and a pair at the back. Nearly all of the steering modes of the original crane can be replicated including 'crab' steering where all wheels point in the same direction to allow the crane to move sideways.
Outrigger beams are two stage so they can be set down in different offsets and although they are all plastic they are quite strong.
On the crane the operator's cab tilts and the handrails on top of the crane body are foldable to reduce the height of the vehicle when in transport mode.
All the usual crane functions can be operated. Raising the main boom is a test of strength as the cylinder is very stiff although on the plus side there is no expectation of cylinder bleed and a drooping boom.
The counterweight mechanism works well on the model, replicating the key hole method used by the original machine. Although initial batches of the model were reported as having a problem with the scaling in this area such that the counterweight did not fit properly, there was no issue with the review model. The separate slabs and cheek weights provided give an excellent variety of display options.
Similarly the fly jib provides a large variety of options with fifteen different configurations possible in terms of length and offset angle.
Quality
This model is typical of Conrad. The miniature engineering is excellent with a solid robust model the result. In terms of detail it is not to the highest modern standards but does represent a gradual improvement by Conrad rather than a dramatic addition of detail compared to earlier models.
The quality of the casting and paintwork is very high.
Price
It is very good value compared to other 5 axle mobile cranes being produced at the time of the review.
Overall
This is a great crane model for experienced or new collectors alike. It has a huge range of display possibilities as result of the sectional counterweight and fly jib, and looks great in transport mode particularly if accompanied by a ballast carrier.
There are a few areas where improvements would improve the model. Some instructions and a data sheet would be helpful and a little more attention on some of the details would have been appreciated by collectors. Later versions of the model included improvements. Overall though, there is no question that this is a recommended model.
Footnotes
The model first appeared at retailers at the end of 2006. Early models had a problem reported with the counterweight fixing. This was amended for later models. An instruction leaflet was produced for the model and appeared for download from the Conrad website in February 2008: instructions.
It has been produced in a variety of liveries. In September 2007 a limited edition of 1000 models in Mammoet colours was produced. In April 2012 versions commissioned by Heavy Transport Models appeared in Kanson and H N Krane livery.
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|  | | Sitting nice and warm in the box. |  | | Out of the box there are quite a few pieces. |  | | Photo shows which fly jib supports go in which place on the main boom. |  | | Wheel chocks and towing hitch at the rear. |  | | Counterweight slabs sit well on the carrier deck. Click above to get the large photo and see the 'key-hole' connecting system for picking up the counterweight. |  | | A full counterweight setup including the cheek weights. Foldable handrails opened up. |  | | Close up of the offset mechanism. |  | | Crane looks dramatic when raised and there are still another three telescope sections to go. |  | | Fly jib attached. Big, and there is still another lattice section not fitted in this pose. |
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