 | | Conrad box. |  |  | | Stabilisers at the front. |  | | Good steering can be posed. |  | | View underneath. |  | | Powerful looking Palfinger. |  | | Tilting cab. |  | | Load box is removable. |  | | Fleet number on the cab. |  | | Fly jib extended. |  | | No sagging of the jib. |  | | Giving a hand to a Terex AC100/4L. |  | | Lifting the Terex fly jib. |
| This MAN TGA truck has a Palfinger PK100002 loading crane which is a machine in the 100 tonne-metre class. It is fitted with a telescopic fly jib.
It is in the colours of Felbermayr, the Austrian construction company.
Packaging
The model comes in a standard Conrad box, and it is wrapped in foam rubber. The review model had no defects or missing parts.
There is no information provided about the real vehicle or instructions for the model. The only assembly required is to fit the door mirrors, roof aerial and a couple of parts on the Palfinger.
Detail
The truck chassis is pretty good with the transmission and suspension modelled in plastic although the steering axles are modelled for functionality only. The wheels are smart and the tyres have a different tread pattern on the front and rear axles. The chassis structure is metal including the fuel tank and rear bumper.
A special assembly is fixed in front of the cab and this has two stabilisers which are made of plastic. As with the other stabilisers on the model the pistons are screw threads rather than smooth.
The MAN cab has very good detailing with the Felbermayr livery looking really sharp. However there is no number plate which would have been a good detail. Under the cab the engine is present.
At the rear of the model there is a beacon light, towing hitch and wheel chocks, and the lights are painted but again no number plate. There are rear stabiliser beams and pads which are part plastic and part metal. A removable metal box can be used to carry loads and it is nicely decorated.
The knuckle-boom portion of the crane looks realistic and has some good graphics and there are simple equipment boxes around the base. The outrigger beams are plastic but the main cylinders are metal. On the crane the bottom boom sections are metal and the telescopic sections are plastic.
All but the topmost telescopic section of the main boom has its own cylinder and piston although there are no hydraulic hoses modelled. The fly jib has a metal bottom section and plastic telescoping sections. A small pulley at the fly jib connection provides a guide for the winch rope.
The crane can be rigged either with a fixed hook or a hook on a winch line.
Features
The two front axles have linked steering and they can achieve a limited amount of movement.
The cab tilts forward and can maintain a tilted pose.
The load box can be taken off and there is a fifth wheel to enable a trailer to be connected. However the fifth wheel sits well forward and low, so it might be hard to find a suitable trailer.
To facilitate the operation of the Palfinger there are a number of stabilisers. At the front of the cab the twin pads can be lowered, and at the rear there are two stage beams which have a long reach but could do with being more rigid. Stabilisers are also located on each side of the crane and these are two-stage and pull out from the transport position and rotate downwards.
The hydraulic lift cylinders are stiff enough to enable the crane to be posed in any position without slipping down. Similarly the telescopic sections have some friction between them to hold set poses. However although the extended boom can support its own weight it would likely slip under load.
The fly jib has a stiff riveted connection with the boom so it can pose at any angle, and the telescopic sections have reasonable friction.
With the boom fully extended an impressive model results and it can reach to a height of over 70cm.
A fixed hook can be used and there is also the option to use a working winch and this has enough friction to hold a load on the hook.
Quality
This is a robustly made model and only the plastic stabiliser beams are a bit lightweight for the model. The quality of the paintwork and graphics is excellent.
Price
The model is reasonable value.
Overall
This model looks great in Felbermayr colours and the fly jib provides more functionality to the Palfinger crane. It is certainly highly recommended.
Footnotes
The model first appeared at the Nuremberg Toy Fair 2012 and became available in May 2012.
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|  | | In the packaging. |  | | Decoration is very good. |  | | No number plates. |  | | Profile view. |  | | Outriggers out. |  | | Painted lights. |  | | Palfinger is complex. |  | | Handling some ballast blocks. |  | | Detail at the Palfinger base. |  | | Riveted connection of the fly jib. |  | | Very impressive height can be obtained. |
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