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Wolff 4517 City Tower Crane

Maker:  Ros
Model No:  80108
Scale:  1:87
Review Date:  November 2009


Ros Index
Tower Crane Index


Cranes Etc Model Rating
Packaging   (max 10)8
Detail   (max 30)20
Features   (max 20)13
Quality   (max 25)18
Price   (max 15)11
Overall   (max 100)70%

Footnotes


The Wolff 4517 City is a smaller sized tower crane.
Large box.
The access platform is a little too obtrusive with its over large plastic handrails.
The mast is very narrow.
Warning light at the end of the jib.
The Wolffkran medal.
The jib is reasonably straight.
The Wolff 4517 is the smallest trolley-jib tower crane in the current Wolff range and is designed for use on smaller city sites.  It has a jib length of up to 50m at which radius it can lift 1 tonne.  The maximum capacity is 6 tonne at 17m.  A feature of the crane is the narrow mast which is only 1.2m wide.

Packaging

As with other Ros tower crane models it comes in a large box because it has been designed to be assembled easily with both the mast and the entire crane above the slewing ring are fully made up.  They just need to be joined together, which takes only a few minutes.  Also all the reeving is complete, so a fiddly job is saved. 

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 a pity.

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 vertically up through the mast, and there are access platforms within each mast section.  The mast appears to be made up of long separate sections.  These are glued together so it is not easy to build the crane to any height other than the prefabricated one.  Six interlocking 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.

The jib is quite 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.  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 has a mesh walkway and the counterweight block is made to look like concrete slabs.  The handrails are metal, but a little on the large size.  The cab is plastic, but the detail is reasonable with a windscreen wiper and operator's seat.  Just below the cab is an access platform attached to the mast. It is plastic, and white, and because of the size of the moulding it does not look quite right and a thinner gauge of plastic would have been much better, if a little delicate.

The trolley is metal with brass pulleys, and it has a plastic man-riding basket attached.  The hook is also metal.  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 not enough string on the model to allow the hook to reach to ground level, but this would be easy to rectify.  Also there is not much friction in the winch so it can only just 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.  The travel gets stiff in certain places, but overall is alright.

Quality

The casting and paint work are good quality. 

Price

The model is fair value overall.

Overall

This Ros model is a good representation of the real crane, and only misses out a little by being in flexible in regard to the display options.  It is a good looking model and is recommended.

Footnotes

The model appeared in September 2009.  The Wolffkran order form can be down loaded here
.
 
Inside the box the mast and jib sections are preassembled.
Trolley has a man riding basket.
Cruciform base.
It looks real enough.
Counter jib has metal handrails.