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| Conrad box.
|
 |
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| Stabilisers at
the front. |
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| Underneath the
truck. |
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| Load box.
Drop down sides are represented in silver but are
non-functional. |
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| Wheel chocks
but no number plate. |
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| Tilting cab. |
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| Rear lights are
painted. |
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| Load
box detached. |
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| Unloading a
beam. |
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| No need for a
dedicated crane. |
|
This MAN truck has a Palfinger
PK100002 loading crane which is a machine in the 100
tonne-metre class.
Kibag is a Swiss
group founded in 1926 and it owns a number of quarries
and concrete plants as well as carrying out civil
engineering works. It employs around 1400 people.
The model has been commissioned by Heavy Transport
Models and is made by Conrad.
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
main structure is metal including the fuel tank and rear
bumper. The wheel hubs look particularly crisp and
the tyres have a good tread pattern. 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 colour-coded
door mirrors, and sharp looking graphics of the Kibag
livery. 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 eight telescopic sections are
plastic.
All but the topmost telescopic section has its own cylinder and piston
although there are no hydraulic hoses modelled. 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 just
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 boom 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 not support much load without the telescopic
sections slipping. With the boom fully extended an
impressive model results and it can reach to a height of
over 50cm.
A fixed hook can be positioned at two points on the boom
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 very good.
Price
The model is reasonable value.
Overall
This is a model with a high degree of functionality that
works well. It looks very good in the Kibag livery
and is a good addition for anyone assembling a fleet of
Kibag models. It is a highly recommended limited
edition.
Footnotes
The model first appeared in
Wiesbauer livery
in 2011.
This version in Kibag livery appeared in
April 2012.
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|
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| In the
packaging. |
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| Decoration is
good. |
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| Detailed
wheels. |
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| Almost ready
for the road. |
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| The Palfinger is a
heavy piece of kit.
|
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| Heavy looking
truck. |
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Getting ready to work. |
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|
Base of the
Palfinger.
|
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Alternative hook points. |
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Up and away. |
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Impressive
height can be obtained. |
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