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| Demag style box.
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| Good steering. |
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| Nice cab. |
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| Tilting cab. |
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| Maximum
extension.
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| Placing a
column. |
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With the Terex Challenger 3160.
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The Demag AC 55-3 is a 55 tonne capacity mobile crane
with a main boom length and system length of 50m.
This crane was previously branded as the
Terex
Challenger 3160.
Packaging
The model comes in two expanded polystyrene
trays held together by a picture sleeve which has a photo
of the real machine.
There were no missing parts or defects on the review
model.
An instruction sheet is included which details the
attachment of the counterweight. A number of
mirrors have to be attached.
Detail
There is little detail on the underside of the chassis
with the steering mechanism for the axles being purely
functional, and there is no drive train whatsoever. The wheels
have good all terrain tyres.
The outrigger beams are made of tough plastic and the pistons
are standard screw threads, with plastic pads.
The driving cab has four mirrors, although not all are
silvered, and stylised beacon
lights on the roof. The headlights have small plastic lenses and
there is a towing hitch although the
hook cannot fix onto it directly whilst travelling.
Interior detail inside the cab is reasonable.
There are no number plates, as this is a generic crane
rather than one in a fleet.
Behind the cab, the carrier deck has very nice diamond
plated anti-slip surfaces and a ladder is formed within the casting.
At the rear of the carrier the details are simple with
the lights painted.
The crane cab has plastic grab rails and inside there is
an operator's seat and controls, with the computer
console having detail.
The rest of the body is simple, but a slewing motor is a
nice detail. The counterweight comes as a fixed
part on the crane and a separate slab which can be
carried on the deck.
The boom sections are diecast
metal and fairly simple, and the top section of the
telescope ends up narrow
due to the modelling tolerances in diecast. There is a
small spooling drum on the lowest section.
In the boom head the pulleys are metal.
A twin pulley hook is provided, and the pulleys
are metal, and the block has nice red
and white stripes.
Features
The steering works very well and each axle steers
independently, allowing any mode to be posed.
The outrigger beams are single stage and can be pulled out
to any extension and the pads lowered. They can hold the weight of the crane.
The crane cab tilts smoothly to a reasonable angle.
A very good feature is the counterweight attachment mechanism
which can be used realistically on the model.
Two spring loaded pins can be pushed down to engage the
counterweight and lift it into the working position,
like the real crane.
All the usual crane functions work fine with the crane
rotating and the boom able to be set at a reasonable
angle. The boom cylinder is stiff enough to hold a
pose.
The six section telescopic boom can be extended to
full length and each section has the usual locking mechanism
to prevent the boom retracting.
The winch is operated by turning the winch drum directly
and it has enough friction to hold a reasonable load.
The configuration of the hook block limits the reeving
options to four falls of rope.
Quality
The model is robust and strong, with a high metal
content.
The paintwork
and graphics are very good, with the Demag colour scheme
producing an attractive model.
Price
It is fully priced for a three axle crane model.
Overall
It is nice to see the Demag name make a comeback and
this is a typically robust model from Conrad, with nice
functionality in the counterweight attachment. In
terms of detailing the model is reasonably good.
Footnotes
The model was first announced in Terex colours as
the Challenger 3160 at the Bauma Exhibition in 2016 and was available
at the end of that year. This version in Demag
colours appeared in February 2017.
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| Smart Demag
colour scheme. |
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| Profile view |
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| Simple
underneath, with no transmission detailing. |
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| Nice diamond
plating behind the cab.
|
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| At work. |
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| Good boom
profile. |
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