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| Liebherr
branded box.
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 |
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| Big
counterweight assembly. |
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| Fan visible
through the front grille. |
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| Tiny detailed
graphics. |
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| Goes well
paired with the supplied pipe. |
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| Poses well. |
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| Nice mini
diorama with two RL 66s. The nylon slings are not
included with the model. |
|
|
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| Boom up. |
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| Looks good
paired up. |
|
The
Liebherr RL 66 Pipelayer has a maximum capacity of 98
tonnes, so it is a heavy performance machine.
Packaging
The model comes in a
Liebherr-branded box which is in the updated design
introduced in 2018. The model is held within
expanded polystyrene trays.
The review model had no missing parts or defects.
However, the winch line appeared to be wound on the drum
in the wrong direction, but this was easily corrected by
unwinding and rewinding.
There are no instructions for the model other than some
advice regarding how it should be lifted out of the
packaging. There is no information about the real
machine.
Detail
Viewing the underside, the model is fairly simple. But
the metal tracks are nicely made and include bolt head
details. They are of the push and clip design.
The track frames look good although there are no working
rollers.
At the front the grille is impressive and a large fan is
visible through the metal work. The front access
steps are plastic with metal handrails, but all of the
plastic used on the model has an excellent colour match.
Mirror assemblies are modelled with soft plastic.
The engine cover is well detailed and there is a large
exhaust but it does not have a proper hole. There
is a very nice mesh access platform on one side.
The cab is detailed and includes a beacon light.
The windscreen wipers appear to be on the large side.
Interior detail is very good.
Tiny graphics are used around the model and these,
together with
nice textured grilles, create an authentic look. At the
rear the connection points for a drawbar attachment are modelled.
The winch looks good and the variable position
counterweight is modelled well, with high quality
chevron graphics.
The boom ram has detailed hydraulics with soft hydraulic
hoses. The boom is simple like the real machine,
with the hook blocks finely modelled in metal.
A section of metal pipe is included with the model and
it has a fixed wire sling. It provides an
additional display pose, but a nylon strap would have
been better than the wire sling.
Features
The tracks roll easily by hand, and tension is
maintained by spring-loaded idlers.
The counterweight moves smoothly, holding any position
which is set.
The winch is operated by finger with friction used to
provide the brake. The hook block has a
rotating hook which makes setting a lifting pose easier.
The boom is operated by the stiff but smooth hydraulic
ram, which will hold any pose.
Quality
IMC has produced a high quality model which is
reasonably robust also. The metal content is high.
The paint finish is very good, and the graphics are
sharp.
Price
It is reasonable value.
Overall
It has been a number of years since a
new pipelayer model has appeared, and IMC Models has
made a very good job with this one. As always it
would have been nice if it could strip down as a
transport load, but when a number of pipelayers are
combined an interesting display can be formed.
Footnotes
The model first appeared for sale in April 2018. |
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|
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| Impressive. |
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| Detailed
tracks. |
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| Mesh platform. |
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| Detailed cab. |
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|
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| Profile view. |
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| Lifting a pipe
string. |
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| Good looking
model. |
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