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| Conrad box.
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| Heavy haulage. |
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| Detailed
chassis. |
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| Fifth wheel. |
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| Extended box
with a tower crane section. |
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| Tilting cab. |
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| Load box is
removable. |
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| Palfinger is
big. |
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| Fly jib with a
fixed hook and winch line hook. |
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| No sagging of
the jib if its at a steep angle. |
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 Comment on this model.
This MAN TGS truck has an
extendible box and it carries 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
Prangl,
the Austrian crane hire company which was founded in
1965.
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 8x4 truck chassis is good with most of the
transmission and suspension modelled in plastic whilst the steering
axles are modelled for functionality only. The wheels
are smart and
the tyres are wider on the front
axles than on the 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 and the colour
match is slightly off. As with the
other stabilisers on the model the pistons are screw
threads rather than smooth.
The MAN cab has very good detailing although there is no
number plate. The light bar on top is convincing
and the standard of graphics is very good. Under the
cab the engine is modelled.
At the rear of the model there is a beacon light, towing
hitch and wheel chocks, with the lights being painted.
There are rear stabiliser beams and pads which are part
plastic and part metal. The removable metal box has a
plastic silver floor fixed to a metal frame. The
graphics are good.
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 moderate amount of movement.
The cab tilts forward and can
maintain a tilted pose.
The load box
has drop sides and end posts, and the tailgate can be
lowered. The rear end is also extendible and it
has a hinged light bar.
The 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 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
and fly jib 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 flex a bit under load.
The quality of the paintwork and graphics is very good.
Price
The model is reasonable value
given the company livery.
Overall
This is a highly functional model reflecting Conrad's
model engineering strengths. It will also be
valued in the colours of Prangl and is an attractive
model. It is easy to highly recommend.
Footnotes
The model first appeared in October 2013.
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| In the
packaging. |
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| Detail on the
box is good. |
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| Steering at the
maximum angle. |
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| Profile view. |
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| Box floor is
plastic.
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| Model can be
posed 'wheels free' but the outriggers flex a bit. |
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Drop sides on the box. |
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Cabinets at the base.
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Metal guide pulleys for the winch line. |
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Unloading. |
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Very impressive
height can be obtained. |
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