 |
| Big Liebherr branded
box. |
 |
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| Heavy metal
model. |
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| Heavy parts
will hold a pose. |
|
|
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| Louvres on the
cab window. |
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| Plenty of
detail on top. |
 |
| Fire
suppression equipment behind the cab. |
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| Complex
hydraulics. |
 |
| Access stairs
lowered. |
 |
| Depth of dig is
very good. |
 |
| Big machine =
big model. |
|
The Liebherr R 9600 is a large mining excavator and this
is the backhoe configuration.
It has an operating weight of around 633 tonnes and it
has a bucket capacity of 37.5m³.
Packaging
The model comes in a Liebherr branded box, with a photo
of the real machine on it. Inside the box are two large
expanded polystyrene trays, and the model is secured to
the lower tray by a twist tie.
There
were no missing parts or defects on the review model.
There is no information about the model or the real
machine, and some technical data about the R 9600 would
have added to the model.
Detail
The metal track
pads are pinned and detailed with a faintly legible 'Liebherr'
cast-in at the ends of the track pads.
They are mounted on track frames which have working rollers.
The lifting points are modelled and highlighted, but
they do not have holes.
Windscreen wipers and lights add detail to the
cab, with screens
on the side windows. The interior detail is
reasonable.
The stairs to the cab are metal with fine gauge
handrails, and the access platform has a very fine
see-through mesh flooring. Below the cab there is an
emergency ladder.
At the rear the Liebherr name is embossed within the
casting. The rear lights also have beacons on top. The
sides have large grilles and detail includes tiny hinges for the panels.
On top the equipment is detailed and includes grilles
and fire suppression equipment. The
exhaust pipes have indentations as holes. At the
front the see-through grilles allow fans to be seen
underneath.
The hydraulic hoses running from the body to the boom,
and to the stick and bucket rams, are complex.
The rams have plastic jackets with a
very good colour match, and pipes run to the ram
jacket collars. Both the boom and the stick are of heavy
construction, with
authentic looking connection pins.
The very large bucket is a metal casting with wear
plates detailed and very good teeth.
Features
The tracks
roll well on a rough surface, and are tensioned on the
frame with spring-loaded idlers.
The stair at the rear can be lowered into position and
makes good contact with the ground.
The emergency ladder can be unfolded.
The model rotates very smoothly.
The movement of the boom and stick is generally very
good although the hydraulics are very stiff. The
height of the boom is not as much as the real machine
and the stick and bucket rams could not be fully closed
on the review model.
The main boom rams can be tightened with an allen key
into grub screws. As the ram jackets are plastic
this does not work quite as well as with metal ram
jackets.
The bucket moves well.
Quality
It is a well-made very heavy model with a high metal content.
The paint and graphics are very good.
Price
As expected, it is a relatively pricey model which
reflects the size and metal content.
Overall
This is another very impressive large mining excavator
model from NZG. It is very well made and looks
great on its own and when posed with other models.
Footnotes
The model first appeared at the Bauma Exhibition in
October 2022.
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|
Profile view. |
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| Impressive. |
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| Underneath. |
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| Metal tracks
have 'Liebherr' cast in at the edges. |
|
|
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| Slewing motors
are visible.
|
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| Fans visible
through the grilles. |
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| Huge bucket. |
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| Emergency
ladder. |
 |
| Sitting on a
bench. |
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| Loading a
mining truck. |
|
