 | | A very long box. |  |  | | Counter jib has mesh walkways. |  | | Heavy climbing frame. |  | | Looking up, the mast is not perfectly straight. |  | | Counterweight blocks look like separate concrete slabs. |  | | Wolffkran 'medal'. |  | | Close up of the cab. |
| The German company Wolff was taken into private ownership in 2005 and since then has expanded and improved its range of tower cranes.
The 6031.12 is a large crane of the topless variety (named as 'clear' by Wolff) and has a jib up to 65m long, which is the configuration of this scale model.
Packaging
The model comes in a very large box and this is because it has been designed to be assembled with the minimum amount of work. Both the mast and the entire crane above the slewing ring are fully made up and just need to be joined together, which takes only a few minutes. Also all the reeving is complete, so there is no fiddly work to do which is an advantage in this scale.
A CD is included and this has simple assembly instructions although surprisingly information and specification sheets about the real machine have not been included which is an opportunity missed.
There were no defects or missing parts on the review model.
Detail
At the bottom, the cruciform arrangement screws onto a black plastic base which provides additional stability. Plastic access ladders run up through the mast, and there are access platforms within each mast section. The mast appears to be made up of separate sections, but these are glued together so it is not easy to build the crane to any height other than the prefabricated one. Large solid blocks provide ballast at the bottom of the mast and these are cast and painted to resemble concrete slabs. A capacity board is fitted just above the base. Four floodlights are provided and these can be fitted as desired.
A climbing frame is included and this is a large piece with the main structure in metal. The access platforms are plastic and they appear a little too narrow on the model. More surprisingly, the climbing frame has complete lattice work where the mast section should be able to be installed through the frame which seems an odd aspect of the model. The hydraulic jack is not modelled and there is no connection point on the mast for the top of the climbing frame.
The jib is well made and straight. It is made up of six separate sections but unfortunately these are riveted together so it is a pity that alternative jib configurations cannot be easily built although an experienced collector could drill out the rivets and replace them with pins to provide a more flexible model. Small brass pulleys are used to run the trolley and hoist ropes. A warning light is modelled at the end of the jib and there is a mesh walkway that runs to the trolley motor. A Wolff signboard clips into the jib.
The counter jib is a nice piece with more mesh walkway and the counterweights are made to look like concrete slabs and they succeed. As is often the case in this scale the handrails are a little on the large size.
The cab and equipment box is plastic, but the detail is reasonable with a windscreen wiper and operator's seat.
The trolley is metal with brass pulleys, as is the hook, and both are well made. A Wolff 'medal' is provided which can be used as a load for the crane.
Features
The hook can be raised and lowered using the winch although there is only enough string on the model to allow the hook to reach half way to ground level. Also there is not much friction in the winch so it can only hold a light load such as the Wolff medal.
The crane can rotate fully and smoothly, and is stable throughout. It has a working trolley which moves by turning the winch on the trolley motor. It works reasonably well although the tension in the trolley wires is uneven across the full range of travel so it can get stiff.
Quality
The casting and paint work on the model are good, and the colour match of plastic parts is very good.
Price
The model is reasonably priced overall given its relatively large size.
Overall
Ros have produced a model which looks good overall and only some of the smaller details let it down, and perhaps it would be better displayed without the climbing frame. It would have been good if the mast and jib were designed to be split into pieces so alternative configurations could be built, or perhaps even used as transport loads. With that said it is impressive and is certainly recommended.
Footnotes
The model appeared in September 2009. The Wolffkran order form can be down loaded here
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|  | | Inside the box, the model is largely built up. It comes with a CD. |  | | Floodlights can be attached to the mast. |  | | The cruciform base, complete with capacity board. |  | | Trolley and hook. |  | | Warning light at the end of the jib. |  | | Looking down on the counter jib. |  | | The jib is reasonably straight. |
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