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| Typical Liebherr
box styling. |
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| The bottom tray.
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| The model is faithful
to the original. |
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| Top of the jib
has good detail. |
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| The ladder to the
top of the A-frame has a safety cage. A walkway in
the jib is also modelled. |
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| The climbing mechanism
is very well modelled within the lift shaft. |
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| The machinery deck
is very detailed for 1:87 scale. |
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The 160 HC-L has a luffing jib which
makes it particularly suitable in cities where there may
be issues with oversailing adjacent properties, or because
there are neighbouring tall buildings. It is also
possible to place a number of these cranes close together
to get the maximum number of hooks working on a building.
The crane can lift a maximum of 16t, or 2t when the 55m
jib is reaching its furthest. To see photos of the
real crane click
here.
These cranes are often used on high rise buildings, and
one method for climbing the crane as the building rises
is to place it within the building and use special fixings
to enable the crane to raise itself. This model shows
this method.
Packaging
The model comes in a box bearing the usual Liebherr house
style. A high quality picture sleeve encloses two
expanded polystyrene trays. The top one contains the
parts for a building, and the second contains the crane.
There were no defects or missing parts on the review model.
A good instruction sheet is supplied which is in German,
English, French, Spanish and Italian. Building the
model is fairly straightforward, and an hour and a half
should see it done. The instructions recommend gluing
some of the pinned crane parts together (super glue is supplied)
and collectors will have to decide whether they want to
do this. The model can stand without gluing, but the
pin joints are not tight.
Detail
The supplied building is an unusual inclusion with a scale
model, but is needed to demonstrate the climbing system.
The floor plates are plastic, but surprisingly the columns
are metal, which is true to one of NZG's core philosophies
- use metal where possible. Once built, it is very
sturdy, particularly when the lift shaft is inserted which
neatly illustrates the way real buildings work with cores
providing stiffness.
The lower mast sections of the crane are special sections
designed for climbing and they include a working hydraulic
cylinder, and two attachment collars which fit to the lift
shaft. The rest of the tower is made up of short sections,
but they have been glued in the factory to make longer pieces.
They include plastic ladders and platforms which add to
the detail in this scale.
The crane machinery deck is very pleasing for the effort
made to provide detail. Handrails and equipment cabinets
are modelled and the two winch motors are nicely detailed.
The crane cab has an operator's seat and joysticks.
Also surprising in this scale is that there is a ladder
up to the top of the A-frame and it is complete with a safety
cage although understandably the elements that make it up
are overly thick in scale size.
The counterweight is a single concrete coloured piece but
it is very nicely cast with the Liebherr name appearing
within the casting. Another piece of good casting
work is the jib which is fully triangulated and has a replica
walkway contained within it. The end of the jib has
some access platforms.
The luffing gear is already reeved on the model and the
jib pendants are very good, being exactly the same length
so nothing is sagging. Also fitted are a pair of straps
to hold the jib during erection before the luffing gear
is fixed. A strangely shaped metal hook block is provided
which replicates the design of the real crane.
Features
The cylinder in the climbing mast section can be extended
and retracted although the model is provided having just
climbed so it is not possible to simulate the crane being
raised. The base of the mast contains tiny cams which
operate and support the crane on the lower guide collar.
The crane rotates, and using supplied tools, both the jib
luffing and the hook winch can be operated . Both
are stiff enough to hold any reasonable load.
Quality
This is a very nice 1:87 tower crane model which is surprisingly
well detailed for the scale. The quality of the castings,
paintwork and graphics are all very good.
Price
The Liebherr 160 HC-L is good value considering what is
included in the package.
Overall
This is one of the best 1:87 tower cranes reviewed as at
the review date. The inclusion of the building nicely
illustrates the principle of how the real crane's internal
climbing system works and it adds nice bulk to the overall
model. A downside of the design is the recommendation
to glue the pin joints, although as long as the crane is
in balance this is not essential, which is a relief to anyone
who might ultimately want to return the model to the box.
Overall this offering from NZG is a highly recommended tower
crane model.
Footnotes
The model first appeared at the Nuremberg Toy Fair in February
2007.
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| The top tray.
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| Instruction leaflet.
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| Counterweights
have the Liebherr name in the casting. |
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The unusual hook
design (not a cashew nut). |
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| Impressive on
the skyline. |
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| The building.
Perhaps a Bauhaus or Le Corbusier? |
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| Detailed cab interior
visible through the tinted glass. |
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