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| Liebherr
branded box. |
 |
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| The parts out
of the box. |
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| Good steering
angle. |
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| Single line
hooked on to the boom support frame, but a short chain
would be better. |
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| Smooth-pistoned
outriggers and metal clip-on tool box holder. |
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| Ready for work
with the cab elevated.
|
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| Lifting on the
offset fly jib. |
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| Detail
underneath. The transmission is partially
modelled. |
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| The flag is
provided with the model. |
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| Rigged with a
single line at the end of the lattice jib. |
 |
Parrot's eye view.
|
 |
|
Convincing on the skyline |
|
 Comment on this model.
The Liebherr LTC
1045-3.1 is a three
axle crane with a maximum capacity of 45 tonnes.
The telescopic boom can
reach 36m and the fly jib can be configured up to 13m
long. A feature of the crane is the single dual-purpose cab
which is used in both travelling and crane modes.
Packaging
The model comes in a Liebherr-branded box which
is a sleeve surrounding a couple of expanded polystyrene trays.
The review model had no defects or missing parts.
No instructions are provided and there is no information
about the real machine.
Detail
The underside has some elements of the
transmission modelled, but the crane is a 6x6x6 and
there is no drive shaft modelled to the front axle. The
wheels are all the same with decent tyres mounted on plastic hubs.
At the front, there
is a removable tool box holder which also holds a plastic
mirror assembly. The tool box is a nice metal part with
very good non-slip texture, highlighted handles, and
nice lights and a generic number plate.
The carrier deck has more excellent texturing and there
are fixed ladders, and a folding plastic bracket to
support the boom. At the rear there is a metal
exhaust and the curved body shape is modelled well.
A clip-type towing hitch is also provided.
The outrigger beams are single stage and appear to be
metal. The pistons are very good being smooth in
appearance and with detailed plastic pads.
At the crane mounting point there is a very nice toothed
slewing ring visible. The driving cab has metal
grab rails, and a mirror and wiper. Inside the cab
the detail is quite good. The whole arrangement is
mounted on a telescopic beam which is part metal and
part plastic, but the colour match is very good.
The crane body has some simple chevron graphics and the
orange beacon lights are very good. A mirror clips
on but oddly it is not silvered.
The main boom is lifted by a single hydraulic
cylinder with a plastic jacket and the colour match is
very slightly off. The boom is a six section telescope
with the lowest section having a good structure although
the fixed spooling drum is fairly obviously plastic. As
the boom sections are diecast, wall thicknesses mean the
top section becomes very thin.
At the boom head the pulleys are metal and
of high quality.
Two hooks are provided - a three pulley block
(with metal pulleys) and a metal single line hook which
gives welcome display flexibility.
The fly jib consists of a number of pieces. The lattice
work sections are fine metal castings with the offset
mechanism being of plastic with a weak colour match. It connects to the
main boom with hook-over pins and the top, and is secured
with separate pins at the bottom. When in transport mode the
fly jib rests on plastic brackets which are attached to the main boom.
A small Liebherr flag is provided as a load.
Features
The axles all steer
with the rear two linked together. Because of the
linkage not all of the steering modes of the original crane can
be replicated. The range of movement is good.
The front storage box is removable although there is no
easy way to connect lifting chains to simulate it being
lifted by the crane.
The outrigger beams can be extended and the pads lowered
by unscrewing. They are able to support the crane
wheels-free.
The cab elevates and extends on its telescopic boom and
any pose can be held. The cab also tilts. An
unusual feature is that it has an opening windscreen.
It relies on a plastic hinge and works well although
care may be needed to not fatigue the hinge with
repeated opening cycles.
The crane rotates well after any stickiness is released.
The main boom ram is
stiff enough to hold any reasonable pose and load.
The boom sections telescope easily and lock at full
extension with a spring clip in each section, although
there was distinct stiffness between the bottom sections
probably due to a casting issue.
The winch is operated by running a finger over the winch
drum as the design of the real crane prevents a discrete
key mechanism for the winch to be modelled.
Although extensive use of the winch is therefore
difficult it has enough friction to hold any reasonable
load on the hook.
The fly jib provides a variety of
options. It can be posed on the side of the boom
although it is a little tricky to get it in the right
position. It can have the solid swinging section
deployed, or lift at the end of the lattice section.
Also the main lattice section can be detached to leave a
short assembly jib. A ratchet system allows all
the fly jib configurations to be set at a variety of
offset angles.
With the crane configured to its maximum height the
model is around 100cm or 39 inches high.
Quality
This
is a strong model with a high metal content, with
plastic used in some locations.
The paint is good and the graphics used are sharp and
clear.
Price
The model is reasonably priced for the functionality
offered.
Overall
Conrad has produced a highly functional model of the LTC
1045-3.1 and many of the details are very good too.
It is a very nice flexible model of an interesting crane design.
Footnotes
The model first appeared at the BAUMA 2013
exhibition.
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|
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| In the box. |
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|
Profile view. |
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| Cab extended
forward for road driving. |
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| A compact 45
tonner.
|
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| Fly jib hangs
off the main boom. |
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| The crane body. |
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| Opening
windscreen on the cab. |
|
|
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| It makes a good
taxi crane laying out spreader plates for a big brother.
|
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| Rigged with a
short assembly jib. |
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| Jib adds useful
extension. |
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| Overall height
is about 1m. |
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