 | | The box. |  |  | | Details at the back. The grilles and lights are painted. |  | | The range of movement of the boom and stick is very good and it reaches to a nice height. |  | | Angled bucket. |  | | Crazy angles can be achieved. This arrangement would be good for digging on a slope. |  | | Opening engine cover. |
| Menzi Muck AG is a Swiss manufacturer of excavating equipment. It makes machines which are unique in their design.
This model is an update of a previous version. It is made by Ros and it is an exclusive model for FM Modellbau of Switzerland.
Packaging
The model comes in a windowed box, and it is packed within an expanded polystyrene tray and secured by ties. There were no defects or missing parts on the review model.
There are no details about the real machine, or instructions for the model. However there is no assembly required.
Detail
There is no particular detail on the underneath of the model. The rubber treaded tyres are good and the wheel hubs are nicely detailed. They are mounted on articulated outriggers which have rather large rivets at the hinge points and smaller friction rivets would have looked much better. Some of the cylinder pistons have hinged protection covers.
The cab is very detailed. The seat and controls are rendered very well and in addition to the door mirrors and wipers there is a tool box at the front and the exhaust is nicely formed. The windows are particularly good with realistic looking seals around the edges.
The boom and stick are metal and it is good to see the plastic cylinder jackets have a very good colour match. The hydraulic lines are all modelled to represent hoses or metal lines as applicable. The stick has a lifting eye painted red which is a nice detail.
The bucket is a metal part.
Features
The front outriggers have telescopic legs with pads on the end, and there is articulation so the whole outrigger can move sideways and up and down.
The rear outriggers with the main driving wheels are also articulated in two directions with an even bigger range of movement.
The engine cover behind the cab lifts up so the engine can be seen although the exhaust pipe prevents the cover lifting right up.
The cab rotates.
Both the boom and stick can be raised and lowered with a good range of movement and the stick is telescopic. The bucket angle can be posed in two directions.
Quality
The quality is very good with little plastic used and the paintwork and graphics are of a good standard.
Price
The model is reasonable value for the size and quality offered.
Overall
Ros have manufactured a good model of an unusual machine, and it has good functionality so the features of the real machine can be realistically posed. It is an interesting model of an interesting machine.
Footnotes
The model appeared in October 2010 and was an update of a previous version. A four wheel drive version of this model is reviewed here.
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