 |
| Colourful picture
box. |
 |
 |
|
Profile view. |
 |
| As it comes out
of the box. |
|
|
 |
| All wheel steering
means the model poses well. Here the outrigger boxes
are not attached. |
 |
| Excellent outrigger
pads. The small black clip locks the outrigger box
in place. |
 |
| Excellent details
- grab handles. |
 |
| 'I've pinned
the fly, now go and get the hook'. |
 |
| Two piece fly jib
looks great. |
|
This is a 3-axle 100-ton (US) capacity
rough terrain crane and a particular feature is the removable
outrigger boxes which reduce the weight and width of the
crane for transport purposes.
Packaging
The model is packed inside a pair of expanded polystyrene
trays contained within a picture box. Inside, the
smaller pieces are individually wrapped and the model is
protected well with no damage having occurred to the review
model.
There are no instructions included which is a pity as these
would be a help to the novice collector. With that
said the model is not difficult to assemble and the winch
drums are pre wound so there is a minimum of fiddly work
required to display the model. The box lists the model
specifications although these are not accurate. It
states the fly jib is off settable (which it is not) and
mentions two hooks (only one is provided). It also
refers to front steerable wheels when in fact all axles
steer.
Detail
The carrier has little detail underneath the deck however
the tyres, with their deep tread, and metal wheel hubs look
very good. There are some very fine details on the
carrier deck. Access steps and grab rails are excellent
and there are small mirrors at each corner. At the
front and back there are painted light clusters to allow
the crane to travel on the road. These are located
so that they are visible when the outrigger boxes are attached.
The outriggers are contained within a pair of separate boxes
which can be attached to the carrier deck. The boxes
are finely cast and contain sliding metal outrigger beams.
The outrigger beams are the usual screw variety with excellent
metal pads. A pair of step ladders is provided to
clip onto each outrigger box although they are easily dislodged.
Moving to the crane itself, the cab is a first class piece
of modelling with very finely detailed grab rails, a mirror,
lights, windscreen wipers and a catwalk outside. The
glass is slightly tinted and inside the cab the usual seat
and operator controls are modelled. Behind the cab
the high standard of detailing continues with the casting
of both side panels including many small details such as
hinges and latches. There is a very good fuel tank,
together with an exhaust pipe and air intake, and an excellent
radiator grille.
The boom is a five section telescope and the first section
includes a control spool, and other detail within the casting.
At the boom head the pulleys are metal and roll free very
nicely. The fly jib is a very nice casting, again
with metal pulleys throughout. A single hook is provided
and it is a heavy headache ball type which keeps a good
tension in the supplied rope.
Features
All axles steer with the rear pair being linked together.
Both normal and crab steering are possible with the model.
The outrigger boxes are separate pieces which slide into
place onto lugs on the carrier deck and are locked by small
clips underneath so the model could be posed to be clear
of the ground sitting on the outriggers if desired. However
the screws are a little on the thin side to give confidence
about taking the load.
The counterweight comes as two separate slabs which are
pinned together and get pinned in turn to the crane body.
It is possible to display the crane with either no slabs
attached, or one or two.
The cab features an excellent sliding door and this makes
for more interesting posing opportunities.
All the usual crane functions can be replicated. Two
winches are provided, both with rope, and it is a pity that
the model only comes with the one hook and not a multi line
hook block as well.
The fly jib consists of two pieces, a main lattice section
and a folding section. The two pieces are easily disconnected
so the model does not have to be displayed with the smaller
section. The real fly jib can be offset at different
angles and the model would have been better if it could
have replicated this functionality.
Quality
This model is another very high quality release from NZG.
Some of the finer details are delicate so this is not a
model to be handled roughly and similar care is needed to
ensure that some of the smaller parts do not slip off the
model and get lost. The use of plastic is kept to
a minimum. Even the pulleys are metal which give a
quality feel although perversely on the real machine they
are nylon. The paintwork and graphics are very fine
too.
Price
The model is relatively expensive for a three axle mobile
crane but this is compensated for by the quality and detail
within the model.
Overall
This is one of the best small crane models available at
the time of the review. The standard of detailing
is excellent and the model is very faithful to the real
machine. The very high standard of modelling makes
the model good to look at both at a distance and close up.
It also provides a variety of posing options. The
few minor gripes are minor indeed and do not detract from
what is a high class effort from NZG.
Footnotes
The model first appeared at the Nuremberg Toy Fair in February
2006. It appeared at retailers in August 2006.
A revised version of the model appeared in 2010 as model
number NZG 660.
|
|
|
|
 |
| Securely packed
in expanded polystyrene. |
 |
| In the bag there
are a variety of small pieces including two winding handles.
|
 |
| Excellent details
on the cab, and the door slides open. |
 |
| Two counterweight
slabs pin together. |
 |
| It makes a great
low loader combination. |
|
|
 |
| Model poses very
well. |
|
