 | | The box. |  |  | | Dominating Mercedes Actros cab. |  | | Ladder folds down to provide access. |  | | Underneath there is some detail. As shown the steering is at maximum lock. |  | | A second mixer can feed the hopper. Here a Liebherr HTM 704 assists. |
| The Liebherr HTM 804 Truck Mixer is an 8m³ mixer and this version is fitted with a conveyor that can distribute concrete up to 16.2m radius from the discharge point of the truck. The conveyor is rated at 70m³/h and can take the output from other truck mixers discharging into the hopper.
Packaging
The model is packed in the normal Liebherr style picture box where it is securely held within a couple of expanded polystyrene trays. The review model was missing a windscreen wiper but a replacement was provided and easily fitted.
No instructions or information about the real machine is provided.
Detail
The initial impression on getting the model out of the box is favourable due to the very high quality of the paint work. Underneath, the chassis has some detail with prop shafts and differentials. The wheel hubs and tyres are excellent.
The cab is a Mercedes Actros and unusually it has door mirrors which are already fixed to the model rather than the more typical ones that have to be fixed by the collector. The headlights have excellent lenses and the doors have handles modelled although there is no 'glass' in the two cab doors. A pair of air horns complete the roof and perhaps it is surprising that there are no orange beacon lights. Interior cab detail is plain.
Behind the cab there is an exhaust stack and further back the mud guards are metal and very good. A fuel tank is included and at the rear the light clusters consist of red lenses. A pair of small outriggers complete the truck.
The mixer drum is metal and the water tank and drive motor are well modelled. At the rear there is an access ladder up to the entry chute and all parts in this area are metal and finely done. Spare chutes are carried on the truck although these are fixed in position and cannot be added to the main discharge chute. The conveyor arm is another piece of all metal construction with fine detail such as rivets visible. The conveyor belt itself is represented by the conveyor bed being painted black.
Features
The front axles are linked together and steer in tandem although the lock is a little limited.
The mixer drum is free rolling and spins very smoothly if flicked.
At the rear there is a fold down access ladder and two screw down outriggers. There is a rotating chute which takes the discharge from the drum. The conveyor gantry rotates and is articulated in three places so can be stretched out and posed in a number of ways without noticeable cylinder bleed. Unfortunately the scaling between the discharge chute and the conveyor hopper is tight so it is a little difficult to pose the model correctly with the chute in the hopper, but it can be done.
Quality
Based on pure visual appearance the model exudes a quality feel because of the paint job it has, which is beautifully finished on the review model. There is hardly any plastic and the level of detail is good.
Price
The price is very reasonable for the quality of the model offered.
Overall
Truck mixer models have tended to be something of a commodity but this model with its conveyor is very interesting and it can be posed in a number of different ways. It looks particularly good because of the high quality paint finish.
Footnotes
The model first appeared at the Nuremberg Toy Fair in February 2006. A revised version of the model with an updated cab appeared as model #797.
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|  | | The model is well packed. |  | | Side view. |  | | Rear view. Light clusters and number plate. |  | | The conveyor stretches out. |  | | The mixer can feed a Putzmeister pump as usual. |
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