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Cranes Etc reviews products of interest to collectors and industry professionals in the area of construction, haulage, mining and related sectors.  Use this page to visit index pages which group products into various classifications.

Products are rated in accordance with the rating system described below.

Other Categories

Accessories
Books, DVDs and Software
Remote Control Models
Top Ten Models


Machine Types

Access Equipment
Concrete Equipment
Cranes - Crawler
Cranes - Mobile
Cranes - Other
Cranes - Ring
Cranes - Tower
Demolition Equipment
Earthmoving Equipment
Forestry Equipment
Foundation Equipment
Haulage - Ballast Trailers
Haulage - Commercial Vehicles
Haulage - Construction Trucks
Haulage - Extendible Trailers
Haulage - Historic
Haulage - Low Loaders
Haulage - Special Transport
Historic Equipment
Materials Handling Equipment
Mining Equipment
Municipal Equipment
Pipelaying Equipment
Rail Mounted Equipment
Roadworks Equipment

Model Makers

AT Collections
BSR Beams
BYMO / Brami
CGMmodels
Classic Construction Models
Conrad
Corgi

Diecast Masters
Drake Collectibles
EMD
Fire Replicas
First Gear
Model Makers (continued)

Heavy Haul Replicas
Heavy Transport Models
HK-Funktionsmodellbau
IMC Models
Industrial Scale Models
Joal
Kaster
Lion Toys
MarGe
Motorart
MSM
Norscot
NZG
Plonker
Preiser
Replicars
Ros
ShangJia
Spec Cast
Sunraise Classic Models
Sword Models
Tekno
Tema Toys
Tonkin Replicas
Towsleys
TMC
TWH Collectibles
Universal Hobbies
Unknown Maker
USK Scale Models
Weiss Brothers
WSI Models
Yagao
YCC

Model Building Systems

Lego Technic
Model Building

Companies


Belaz
Caterpillar
Liebherr
Mammoet
Nooteboom
Sennebogen
VINCI

Volvo
Wirtgen

 
Cranes Etc Rating System

The Cranes Etc Rating has been devised to produce an objective standard against which diecast models can be assessed.  The rating system gives a percentage score for a model review by considering a number of characteristics of interest to collectors as a whole.  Individual collectors will have their own preferences but the Rating is intended to broadly reflect the interests of all collectors.  Other relevant products such as books, DVDs and accessories are also rated and classified using the badges below, but without scores.  Also non-diecast models are given a rating badge, but not individual score.

The scoring system does not seek to differentiate between different scales as it is a matter for individual collectors to determine what scales they collect / find acceptable.  Cranes Etc mainly reviews diecast models in 1:50 scale, but also 1:87 and other scales.

A model would not be expected to score less than 50%.  However over time the expectations of models may increase as model makers improve their offerings and for this reason the year in which the review was made is relevant.  An older model newly reviewed today would likely score lower than in its year of introduction as overall standards have improved.  At the same time reviews are also rated on a contemporary basis compared to peers rather than as an absolute benchmark across the years.

Models are also awarded badges as below, although there is some flexibility depending on circumstances.  These badges were changed in 2017 from 'Recommended' to 'Good', Highly Recommended' to 'Very Good', and from 'Outstanding' to 'Excellent'.  The old badges will still appear in videos made before 2017, and older reviews may not have the report amended for the badge change.  Unbadged products have no particular classification, which does not necessarily mean the product is bad, just that it is not distinguished compared to its peers.
Models usually with a rating in the range 62% - 74%Models usually with a rating of 75% or moreModels usually with a rating above 80%, depending on model type


Early model reviews may have Excellent ratings with lower percentages than 80% as they were the top models reviewed at the time. 

The Rating guidelines for models is described in the following table:

Packaging   (max 10) The main function of packaging is to protect the model during storage and transportation.  Marks may be lost under this heading if any review model is received damaged in transit.  Higher marks are also earned for:
- Attractive boxes
- Detailed, clear instructions
- Tools for use during assembly / operation
- Fact sheets / information about the full size machine
Detail   (max 30)Higher marks are earned for model detail.  Examples:
- Details within the casting; bolts, grilles, textured surfaces
- Hoses to hydraulic cylinders
- Windscreen wipers, mirrors, aerials
- Lights and cab controls
- Ladders and steps
- Graphics
Detail also implies that the model is a faithful representation of the full size machine.  Significant deviations from the original machine loses marks.
Features   (max 20)Higher marks are earned for additional features of value to collectors, for example:
- Moving parts
- Functionality
- Opening doors
- Accessories
Quality   (max 25)Marks for quality are judged on the overall finish:
- Quality of casting
- Quality of paintwork and graphics
- Appropriate use of plastic
- Parts which fit together well, where separate pieces are involved
- Damage or manufacturing defects in the model will be noted where applicable but will not usually affect the score as it is assumed models will usually be delivered without defects.
Price   (max 15) The mark for price is an assessment of the value for money having regard for the packaging, detail, features and quality as described above.  A high mark means the model is good value, a low mark means lesser value.  The pricing level considered is generally based on the Manufacturers Retail Price where available, or if not available the average price for the model on German dealer websites at the time of the review.
Overall   (max 100)The overall rating out of 100%.