 | | The large box. |  |  | | Heavy middle tray. |  | | The model parts can be used as very good transport loads. |  | | Nice cab. |  | | Massive dimensions. |  | | Modular stripped-down hook fitted. |  | | Load testing. |  | | Long main boom. |  | | Suspended ballast tray. |  | | Impressive. |  | | Lifting a load on the luffing jib. |  | | Looks great in Bracht colours. |
|  Comment on this model.
The Terex Superlift 3800 Crawler Crane has a lifting capacity of 650 tonnes. It can erect wind turbines up to 170m hub height.
The version reviewed here is in the colours of Franz Bracht, the German heavy lifting and transport specialist. It is configured with a suspended ballast tray arrangement.
Packaging
The model packaging is large and heavy, and consists of a picture sleeve which wraps three expanded polystyrene trays together with a lid for the top tray.
There were no defects or missing parts on the review model.
A 24 page colour manual is included. It has photos of the box trays with parts annotated so they can be identified during the assembly.
The assembly is described with a series of staged photographs with the components at each stage identified. These are mostly accurate with some of the pendant configurations not identified and there are no reeving diagrams for the hook. Alternative configurations of the model are also not described.
The model parts fit together very well with just the occasional removal of excess paint from some connection holes required.
Full assembly of the complete crane takes several hours. One issue to be careful of is to not fully load the suspended ballast tray if there is no load on the hook as this can pull the back mast down causing the A-frame luffing ropes to jump off their pulleys.
Detail
Each track frame is separate and there pipes detailed in the casting on the inside face. The drive sprockets, idlers and rollers are plastic, and the metal track shoes are pinned and look very good.
The centre section has four outriggers with jacks for lifting the crane body off a transport vehicle. The outrigger pads are plastic and the pistons have visible screw threads. A ballast tray hangs easily on each side. On top of the plates, silver textured walkways rest to provide a platform for operator access and there are a couple of steps with handrails.
The crane cab includes a walkway and handrails, and some elements such as the cab underside are plastic. There are no windscreen wipers but the interior controls and screens are good. The crane body and cab are nicely decorated with Bracht graphics which are very sharp, and the metal walkways are nice quality. At the front, the plastic slewing motors look fine although the colour match is not perfect, and there are no hydraulic lines modelled. There is a small reeving winch at the front and this would look best with some thread wound on.
Moving to the rear, the engine enclosure includes a textured surface and a metal exhaust pipe. Ballast trays hang off each side at the rear and the 10 tonne counterweight slabs have useable lifting lugs. The A-frame includes the hydraulic hook which the crane uses to assemble its own tracks.
The metal boom and jib sections are heavy, very strong and robust. Geometrically perfect, they fit together extremely well. They are joined together by tough plastic pins which work fine. Mesh walkways can be fitted as can a safety line system which has a realistic fine steel cable. At the crane body, spring loaded back stops prevent the boom and derrick mast from over luffing and these parts are all metal.
All of the pulleys are high quality metal, and are free rolling. The pendant bars are plastic and pin together maintaining a true line when under load, and they certainly seem strong and robust. However the colour match with the metal parts is a little variable and they do not represent the detail of the real crane pendants.
The luffing bridles are plastic, presumably to keep the weight of these parts down so that the lines do not sag unduly. Plastic Bracht signboards are fixed to the boom and back mast.
The metal suspended ballast tray pins to the back of the crane and has metal ladders, although the main hanger is plastic. There are two large hydraulic rams to lift and set the frame.
The hook is modular and mainly metal.
Features
The jacks to lift the crane body off of a transport vehicle rotate out from the cross frame and can be screwed down to lift the crane.
The crawler tracks roll nicely and are mounted on a frame which is spring loaded at one end which keeps the tension.
The cab is a swinging type which tucks in at the front when in transport mode. It can also be tilted to allow the operator comfort when the crane is lifting at height although the review model struggled to hold a tilted pose.
A working hydraulic hook is provided which is connected to the A-frame so that the crane can assemble its own tracks. This has a suitably stiff cylinder so that the hook can be posed at a variety of lengths.
All three rope drums are operated using keys which push through holes in the crane body and they have a slotted end so they can be driven using a powered screwdriver. The three hoist drums mounted in the boom and derrick sections are operated similarly so that all the functions of the real crane can be replicated. The boom drums are pinned in position so are removable.
The suspended ballast frame is attached to the crane horizontally with two working winch lines. The height is controlled by two hydraulic rams and they are operated by rotating the jackets which unscrews the piston and works very well.
The large hook block is modular and can be broken down to form a separate smaller hook.
It is a fully flexible model with many configurations possible, including just using parts as transport loads.
Quality
This a very well made and strong model. Plastic is used in some places which is appropriate although the colour matching is not perfect, which is always a challenge with yellow parts.
The paintwork and graphics are very good.
Price
This is a limited edition and represents a significant amount of metal so it is not inexpensive.
Overall
It is good to see that Conrad has continued to improve the detailing of big models like this and the boom walkways and metal pulleys are plus points. The more accurate representation of the crawler tracks on this version is also a step forward.
The model has flexibility as a key feature with many different configurations possible.
Overall this is another impressive heavy crawler crane model from Conrad.
Footnotes
The model first appeared as a prototype at the BAUMA Exhibition in 2013 in Terex white. Early production models in Terex and Baumann colours had a different crawler track configuration . This Bracht version appeared in December 2015.
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|  | | The top tray. |  | | The bottom tray. |  | | Massive boom sections. |  | | Ready to rig the boom. |  | | Metal pulleys are very nice. | |
|  | | Rigged with a short main boom only. |  | | Fully modular hook. |  | | Parts used to make a long main boom. |  | | Winch lines connect the ballast tray. | |
|  | | Walkways and safety line. |  | | Complex structure. |
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