 |
| Liebherr-style
box. |
 |
 |
| The middle tray
has the counterweights, boom head sections and hooks. |
 |
| The instruction
sheet. |
 |
| Posed in road-going
configuration. |
 |
| Interesting
Denzai Juki colour scheme. Crane cab is detailed |
 |
| Chassis front
end - very detailed. |
 |
| Distinctive
graphics. "Stand up Japan!!" is a reference to the
post-2011 tsunami recovery. |
 |
| Small graphics
on the outriggers. |
 |
| The boom lifted
off the trailer using the mounting legs. |
 |
| The crane can be
driven on site with the boom attached, but it is too heavy
for normal road travel. |
 |
| Heavy lift head
fitted and heavy hook reeved (but not accurately). |
 |
| Excellent outriggers
and spreader plates. |
 |
| Counterweight
loaded. |
 |
| Heavy duty
modelling. |
 |
| Impressive. |
 |
| Lattice mast
fitted. |
|
 Comment on this model.
The Liebherr LTM 11200-9.1 first appeared
at the BAUMA exhibition in 2007. It travels on a nine axle carrier and the weight
of the boom is such that it has to be transported on a separate
vehicle. The dimensions of the real crane are huge
with the carrier almost 20m long, and the boom weighs around
100t and is also nearly 20m long. As the name suggests
the crane is rated at 1200 tonnes lifting capacity, albeit
at 2.5m radius. Lifting height on the telescopic boom
is nearly 100m, and a variety of fly jib combinations can
increase the overall lifting height to 188m.
This version of the model is in the colours of the
Denzai-Juki Corporation, a Japanese crane hire
company.
Packaging
The model comes in a fairly large Liebherr-styled box which
is quite heavy, and the model is securely contained within
three expanded polystyrene trays. It is very protected
well in the box with many parts wrapped in soft paper.
There
were no defects or missing parts on the review model.
A large coloured instruction sheet is provided, and this
is in German and English. This describes how the various
configurations of the crane can be built, and is of good
quality. A parts list is missing which describes the
various bolt types, but NZG have subsequently produced one
and it can be downloaded
here.
Assembly of the model is not difficult, and the model engineering
is very good so it goes together well. Some of the
nuts and bolts are absolutely tiny however, and will be
easily lost if they fall on the floor. NZG have thoughtfully
provided some spares with the model.
No information is provided about the real machine which
is a pity, and a CD or brochure with the machine specifications
would have been appreciated by many collectors, or people
receiving the model.
Detail
The carrier is heavy, and turning it over carefully reveals
an excellent level of detail. The main drive train
is provided to the four driven axles, and the suspension
is modelled and there are various tanks and other features.
The wheels have excellent Michelin-branded tyres and these
are mounted on varying hub designs depending on the axle.
The outrigger beams are metal and very solid, with very
good details within the casting. The rear outriggers
have a storage box and bracket attached. The outrigger
pistons are smooth and look realistic, with metal pads which
are pin-connected on the bottom. Heavy metal spreader
plates provide a solid footing and it is nice to see these
included with a crane model.
At the front, the driving cab has all of the usual detailing
that would be expected, and interior details are fine too.
The cab windows are lightly tinted and have black edging
representing window seals. Behind the cab, there is
a very pleasant exhaust arrangement and other equipment.
A fine diamond textured surface covers most of the carrier,
and at the rear there is a good access ladder, and the beacon
lights and light arrays are very convincing. The
beacon lights on this crane are blue which is the
correct colour for a Japanese vehicle. Behind the
cab on the left hand side is an interesting graphic
which says "Stand Up Japan!!". This is a rallying
cry following the 2011 tsunami in Japan and is a nice
touch.
The crane body sits on a large toothed slewing ring and
a slewing motor is modelled on each side of the body.
The operator's cab is nicely formed with a mesh walkway
and handrails on the outside, and there are some very finely
made windscreen wipers.
The body has some detail within the casting and this includes
walking surfaces on the top deck. A pair of access
ladders, handrails and an exhaust pipe have to be fitted
as separate parts and some care is needed with the handrails
when lifting the boom to make sure that they are not inadvertently
crushed.
At the rear the heavy counterweight tray is screwed in,
and the counterweights interlock as they are placed. Each piece of counterweight is well formed
with good graphics and with care can be posed being lifted
by a support crane. The only variation with the real
crane is that the model has 16 10t weights and misses out
four 5t weights.
The main boom lift cylinders have plastic jackets complete
with pinning holes so a boom elevation can be maintained.
The colour match of the plastic parts is good but metal
parts would have been in keeping with the rest of the
model.
In terms of detail the absence of hydraulic lines to cylinders
and motors produces a clean if less detailed model.
The thread used on the two winch drums is good quality.
The boom is a hugely impressive piece and is very heavy
as it has eight telescope sections. The lowest section
has the boom mounting outriggers modelled and these are
all metal parts, and include metal pads and again the pistons
are smooth and look authentic. A few cable spools
are also mounted on the boom.
The telescope sections are engineered very well and they
have very realistic looking collars at the top of each section.
At the boom head there are excellent black metal pulleys
which are perfectly free rolling.
The Y-Guy arrangement is robustly modelled with good details
at the winches where bolt heads are modelled within the
casting. The connections from the Y-Guy to the bottom
of the boom are modelled in a pliable metal material which
is great because it can be set to hang realistically in
a catenary shape and is so much better than a plastic part.
Perhaps the only missing item in relation to the boom assembly
is a separate power pack cart used to drive the boom mounting
cylinders.
Two boom attachments are supplied. A short heavy lift
head is fixed
directly to the fourth telescope section and is modelled
very solidly and includes a ladder and also roller discs
for being rolled along the ground.
The lattice mast jib is a bigger assembly comprising heavy lattice
work which is well formed. Pleasingly, the whole assembly
is made of five different pieces which bolt together so
it is possible to split it down into separate parts.
Three hooks are supplied. One is a single line block
and the others have 3 and 11 pulleys respectively.
They are very nicely made and detailed pieces with the two
larger blocks having a swiveling hook.
Features
Each axle on the carrier can be independently steered to
a good angle and so any of the steering modes of the real
crane can be reproduced. They also have working suspension
which provides a good range of movement on each wheel.
The outriggers fold out and extend telescopically, and the
pistons screw down to engage the pads which are pinned on.
The arrangement is sufficiently strong to support the whole
model and it can be lifted off its tyres.
The boom mounting legs rotate out from their stored position
and can be extended to support the weight of the boom.
However the pistons are on the limit of their travel in
order to get the carrier to drive underneath the supported
boom without fouling.
It is possible to show the crane alternatively being transported
without the inner four telescope sections, and this is achieved
by pushing in the locking clip and continuing to pull out
the telescope The only care needed is not to lose
the spring and locking clip which tend to pop out when the
telescope finally emerges.
Raising the boom is straightforward and the main lift cylinders
are fairly stiff, but not stiff enough to hold such a heavy
boom at an angle. The cylinder jackets have holes
for pins which can be used to lock the boom at a steep angle.
The Y-Guy arrangement opens up fully for use, and each
of the spools for the ropes connected to the jib head
have spring-loaded brakes so a good tension can be set if desired.
The lattice mast jib can be adjusted for angle using the
hydraulic cylinders which are very stiff and will not
bleed down.
The model rotates well and the two winches are spring loaded
so they can hold a good load on the hook. The
winches are accessed through holes in the body on the
left side. The forward winch can be operated
without removing ballast and the rear one requires a
stack of ballast to be removed.
The operator's cab is on a flexible linkage like the
real crane so it can be folded for transport, or lowered
to the ground to provide access to the cab without a ladder.
The cab also tilts for operator comfort during lifts at
height.
A great feature of the model is that it can be set up in
five different configurations by mixing the jibs and
use of the Y-Guy arrangement. These, coupled with
the various transport possibilities give an excellent variety
of posing possibilities.
Quality
This crane model is of an excellent standard overall and
Liebherr can be very pleased with the quality NZG have achieved.
Small things matter, and as an example there are no unsightly
rivet heads, with friction rivets used throughout instead.
The paintwork and graphics are very good.
Price
This is a large and expensive model but there is no
doubt it is also excellent value.
Overall
This is another excellent version of the Liebherr LTM
11200-9.1 Mobile Crane and the livery of Denzai-Juki is
interesting and attractive. The model
engineering is of an excellent standard as is the
detailing.
Anyone looking for a large mobile crane model will be very
pleased with it as it is an outstanding model.
Footnotes
The model first appeared in December 2009 after being
shown as a prototype at the Nuremberg Toy Fair in
February 2009. It was previously reviewed in
Liebherr colours.
Many different coloured versions have been produced.
This version in Denzai-Juki colours was announced at the
2013 Nuremberg Toy Fair and it was released in
March 2013.
|
|
|
|
 |
| The top tray includes
the outrigger spreader plates and counterweight tray.
|
 |
| The bottom tray
has the carrier and the boom. |
 |
| All axles
steer. |
 |
| For main ram
pistons should probably retracted a little more for
transport. |
 |
| Chassis rear
end. |
 |
| Michelin
branded tyres. |
 |
| Boom travelling
on a
Goldhofer trailer. |
 |
| The carrier can
drive under the boom so it can be attached. Here the
boom is fixed and the mounting legs are being retracted. |
 |
| Heavy lift head
and counterweight tray arrives. |
 |
| Detailed
engine area. |
 |
| The model can
be supported on the outriggers with the wheels free. |
 |
| Rigged with
the heavy boom head and Y-Guy arrangement.
|
 |
| Heavy lift
head on the maximum boom extension. |
 |
| Open up the telescopic
boom and a massive model nearly 2.5m high results.
The tension can be adjusted on each wing of the Y-Guy to
keep the boom straight, or provide tension just like the
real machine. |
|
