 |
| The box. |
 |
 |
|
Rigged with grab. |
 |
| Excellent
details on the body. |
 |
| Excellent
detail underneath. |
 |
| Detailed
controls in the cab. |
 |
| More opening
doors. |
 |
| Realistic boom
head. |
 |
| Realistic. |
 |
| Rigged with an
old fashioned demolition ball (not included with the
model). |
 |
| Great transport
load. |
|
 Comment on this model.
The Bucyrus company has a long history
of making construction machines of various sizes and these
were made in the US under the Bucyrus Erie name, in the
UK as Ruston Bucyrus and in Japan as Komatsu Bucyrus.
This model is the latest in a range by EMD which is planned to cover
a large number of historic machines from small to large.
The 22 RB was the European version made by
Ruston Bucyrus, and is this model of it is configurable as a crane, dragline
and clamshell grab.
Packaging
The model was delivered in an outer shipping carton.
The box has some old photos of the 22 RB dragline on the cover
and it encloses expanded polystyrene trays which hold the
model. The model is protected by plastic sheeting
and the tracks have a tight wrapping all of which protected
it well.
There were no defects or missing parts on the review
model.
Two leaflets are supplied. One is a small twelve page
reprint of an original Ruston Bucyrus brochure and it includes
interesting details and photos of the machine. A second
single page leaflet describes the operation and
configuration of the model.
Detail
The 22 RB is very detailed
and as a consequence it should be handled with some care.
The metal crawler tracks are very thin and nicely made,
and the track frames are detailed with excellent spoked drive sprockets. On the inside of
the track frames a set of drive chains are modelled and
these look good although they are inevitably a little large
for the scale. Underneath the turntable platform the
fuel tank is replicated, and the detail is very good around
the turntable with the rollers reproduced.
The body is very high quality modelling with thin but delicate
grab rails at the cab and at the rear. Plastic walkway
boards with a timber texture clip to each side of the body.
The casting of the body has some fine rivet details and
effective grilles, with an exhaust on the roof. At
the back, the Ruston Bucyrus name is superbly rendered in
the counterweight.
Internal details are excellent. The cab has operating
levers and a none too comfy looking pedestal seat.
Through the various opening doors a detailed diesel engine
can be seen.
The boom is metal but made with a rather different
technique. The sections are made of pressed plate
which is very thin, although from all normal
perspectives it produces an accurate looking boom.
It is also very light enabling the model to remain
stable which is presumably what has driven the
compromise. The sections are joined by tiny black
nuts and bolts which are discrete in appearance.
Three different intermediate boom lengths are included
although there are not enough screws to use them all.
Also the boom pendants have some rivets when screwed
connections would have allowed more flexibility in
display possibilities. The pair of pendants on the
review model had a
slight mismatch of lengths, but a skilled collector
could correct this if required. The pulleys in the boom
head are metal.
The crane hook is small and consequently light, so it
does not put a tension on the thread.
The dragline bucket is a metal part and
is well made and
detailed.
The grab is also metal and high quality.
Features
The crawler tracks rotate well, including the drive chains,
and are spring loaded on the frames to keep tension and facilitate removal.
The cab door slides open
which provides access to one winch. A rear door
also slides open. On the opposite side two hinged
doors open to provide access to two more winches.
All the main functions of the machine are replicated.
It rotates well, and, using a supplied key, the boom can
be raised and lowered , and two winches can be operated.
The
dragline bucket poses realistically in various
positions.
The clamshell bucket opens and closes, and a tagline can
be controlled with a winch on the boom.
Quality
This
is a very high quality model with a sparing use of
plastic.
The paintwork and graphics are realistic and very good.
Price
It is good value given the high quality and flexibility.
Overall
This latest model in the Bucyrus series has been a long
time coming but
EMD have produced a model worth the wait. The quality
and detail is excellent, and the functionality is very
good too. It is a convincing looking replica.
Footnotes
After extended development the model finally
appeared at ConExpo in 2014 and became available in
August 2014.
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|
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|
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| The parts. |
 |
| Classic lines. |
 |
| Fairlead
nestled in the boom foot. |
 |
| Nice track pads
and drive chains. |
 |
| Engine visible.
|
|
|
 |
| Rigged as a
crane. |
 |
| Clamshell grab is a nice part. |
 |
| Dragline
discharging. |
 |
| Convincing. |
 |
| Dragline bucket
is very good. |
 |
| On an old
Atkinson Venturer. |
|
