 | | Special H N Krane box sleeve. |  |  | | The parts out of the box. |  | | Good steering angle. |  | | Good graphics. |  | | Handrails on the crane folded for transport mode. |  | | Tilting cab, and the full counterweight on board. |  | | Ready to lift. |  | | No detail underneath. |  | | Loading the counterweight. |  | | Rigged with a short heavy lift jib. |  | Fly jib set at an offset angle.
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| The Liebherr LTM 1200-5.1 is a five axle crane with a 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.
This model is in the colours of H N Krane, a German crane hire and transportation company, and has been commissioned by Heavy Transport Models from Conrad. The model in Liebherr colours was reviewed here.
Packaging
The model comes in a special H N Krane / Heavy Transport Models branded box which surrounds a couple of expanded polystyrene trays. The review model had no defects or missing parts.
A comprehensive instruction sheet is provided which lists the various parts and includes clear diagrams. It also has instructions in German, English, French, Italian and Spanish.
A neat touch is that that this version includes a uniquely numbered collector card.
Detail
The underside of the carrier has almost no detail with just the barest amount of chassis structure. The wheels are more detailed than the wheels provided on the first issue of the model and it is good that the undriven axle 3 has a slightly different hub design from the other axles. The rubber tyres have a good tread pattern.
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 fairly simple with no wipers or mirrors. 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 although the lifting lugs are not usable.
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 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. The top of the first main boom section also includes a working hoist rope guide frame.
At the boom head the pulleys are metal and high quality, and are an improvement on the earlier versions of the model.
The hook is a three pulley block and the pulleys are metal. The block has a double hook and is good but looks too large when hung from 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 are attached 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. This means that 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. 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
The engineering is excellent with a heavy solid robust model the result. It looks very good in the H N Krane livery and the graphics are sharp.
Price
It is a very limited edition and so is relatively pricey as a result.
Overall
This is a very good crane model for experienced or new collectors alike. It has a large range of display possibilities as result of the sectional counterweight and fly jib, and looks good in transport mode. This version of the model has improvements compared to the original version, and is highly recommended.
Footnotes
The model first appeared in Liebherr yellow and was at retailers at the end of 2006. This version by Heavy Transport Models appeared in April 2012 in a limited edition of 100 models together with a version in Kanson colours.
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|  | | In the box. |  | | Profile view |  | | H N Krane colour scheme is attractive. |  | | Axle 3 wheel design is slightly different as it is a non-driven axle.. |  | | Hook attached on at the front. |  | | Carrier deck detail. |  | | Plastic outrigger beams are strong enough. |  | | Pair the crane with a suitable suitable vehicle and you get a terrific combination. Here it is teamed with a Goldhofer Trailer and Mercedes Benz Sprinter. |  | | Fully erected the model is around 2m tall. |  | | All boom sections have H N Krane on them. |
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