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Liebherr
branded
box. |
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Twenty sets of
wheels.
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Pads down. |
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Large
counterweight. |
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Upper cab
mounted on the tower. |
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Boom has
an excellent profile. |
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Metal hook. |
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Boom lowered
for service and resting on the dolly wheel. |
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Comment on this model.
The Liebherr
LHM 500 is a mobile harbour crane. It has a radius
of 51m and a maximum capacity of 140t and is optimised
for Panamax / Capesize ships. The crane weighs 455
tonnes.
The LHM 500 has been superceded by the LHM 550.
This model is in the colours
of
Wallmann & Co, which has operated at the port of
Hamburg since 1922.
Packaging
The model comes in a large Liebherr-branded box which
has a plastic carry handle at the top. The parts
are contained in two expanded
polystyrene trays.
There were no missing parts or defects on the review
model.
There is no information provided about the real crane, but
an instruction leaflet in German and English describes
the assembly and operation.
Detail
The
twenty sets of wheels are finely detailed for the scale
with nice rubber tyres mounted on detailed wheels and
assemblies. Large metal spreader plates are hung
off metal beams. The pistons are simple screw
threads. A metal stairway leads to the crane body.
The crane body and counterweight are metal and the
graphics and paint scheme are very nicely finished.
Metal handrails and lights add to the quality feel and
the grilles on the engine boxes look good. The
small lower cab has a seat but no console. A hole
in one side where a window would be allows the winch to
be accessed with a key.
The tower is a solid metal design with the upper cab and
platform modelled in metal. A seat is provided
inside the cab. At the tower top the pulleys are
metal.
The large lattice boom is cast in two parts and it is
really well made and painted. The two sections pin
together and are secured by clips and this system works
very well. At the boom tip there are more metal
pulleys and a dolly wheel for when the boom is lowered
to the ground.
The tension luffing cylinder has a plastic jacket with
pipe detail and a good colour match.
The hook is metal and heavy so it provides good tension
on the threads. Two-falls of the hoist ropes are
facilitated.
Features
The small wheels roll well and each wheel unit steers
independently so all the steering modes of the real
crane can be replicated including crab steering.
The outrigger beams fold out and the pads can be lowered
by unscrewing. The pads hold the weight of the
crane easily allowing the model to be posed wheels-free.
The crane rotates smoothly.
The
tension luffing cylinder works well to hold the boom and a
full range of boom movement is possible, including
lowering the boom fully onto the dolly wheel. Boom
positions can be held if necessary by tightening the
screws at the boom pivot.
The winch has two lengths of thread and the hook can be
raised and lowered using a key. Equal lengths of
thread for each half of the hook are maintained well.
Quality
This is
really a very good model considering it is 1:87 scale,
and it has a high metal content.
The paint quality and graphics are very
good.
Price
It is a limited edition model with 300 made but it is
expensive compared to the version in Liebherr colours.
Overall
This is a very good model, particularly given the scale
of 1:87. It is large and impressive on display and
is highly recommended.
Footnotes
The model first appeared at the Nuremberg Toy Fair 2014.
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The tray.
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Metal handrails
and stairs. |
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Each wheel unit
can be steered.
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Boxes with
grilles on top of the engines. |
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Metal pulleys
at the top of the tower. |
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Impressive
model. |
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Profile view. |
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