 | | Sarens box. |  |  | | Layer 2. |  | | Excellent literature. |  | | Boom sections on the road. |  | | Metal tracks look good. |  | | Simple counterweight. |  | | 'Hot' on the exhaust. |  | | Luffing gear is pre-reeved. |  | | Small winch details. |  | | Boom head. |  | | Jib folded and clipped. |  | | Intricat tower cap includes an anemometer. |
|  Comment on this model.
The Kobelco 7250S is a 250 tonne hydraulic crawler crane, and it sits at the top of their range of medium-sized crawler cranes. In tower configuration it has a maximum system height of almost 116m.
Packaging
The model comes in an outer shipping carton which protects a Kobelco branded box. Inside there are three layers of trays containing the many parts of the model.
The review model had no defects or missing parts.
The Kobelco Manual sets a very high standard with mostly accurate detailed step-by-step photographs and written instructions in English and Japanese. A nice touch is that the smaller parts are supplied in their own labelled bags for easy identification.
Also included are two brochures about the real crane. One is a general marketing brochure about the Kobelco range, and the other has load charts for the 7250S. These are nice additions.
Assembly is straightforward and a number of hours are needed for large configurations. The only issue encountered was that some of the connections were difficult because of paint thicknesses.
Detail
The metal crawler tracks are good and are mounted on simple frames without working rollers. The translifters are nicely detailed and the pads are metal, with visible screw threads. The crawler steps are metal with some of the detail obscured with thick paint. The carbody ballast boxes are simple.
The cab is very detailed and includes mirrors and a protection guard. There are tiny graphics which really add to an authentic look. The body casting is detailed with many small parts. The metal handrails are good although not all were straight out of the box, and some required effort to fit them in the holes, and maintain position.
The gantry is modelled well as it folds flat locked in place with transport clamps, and it can be bolted into the erected position.
The counterweight assembly is simple with large blocks which loosely interlock so they can be dislodged if touched or tilted.
The boom and jib sections are metal and they have mesh walkways, with tiny graphics on some parts. They are straight and the sections are secured together with black nuts and bolts. There is internal bracing, and the pulleys are metal.
The rope guys have plastic connectors which are bolted together so they look good. An equaliser resolves any mismatches in length on the main boom. Slight differences in length are apparent but spares are included so a good looking result with equally tensioned guys should be achievable. The connections are not particularly robust and should not be subject to high loads.
Many of the back stops are bolted so they can be folded flat for transport, but this is not the case on the main boom foot for some reason.
Three hooks are supplied; a single line hook, a 35 tonne block with one pulley, and a 70 tonne block with three pulleys.
An I-beam load is provided and this helps tension the bigger hooks.
Features
The crawler tracks roll reasonably well, and are tensioned by spring-loaded idlers. The separate crawler assemblies can be used as transport loads.
The translifters can be folded out and pinned in a working or transport position. The pads can be screwed down and will support the model.
The crane rotates but with some stickiness on the review model.
The main boom luffing winch is accessed through a removable panel. It relies on friction as a brake so it would not hold a big boom at a steep angle although there is limited thread on the drum preventing it lowering much anyway.
The luffing jib assembly works well and it can be fully lowered into a position where it can be clipped to the boom.
The winch for the hook relies on friction and will hold a moderate load.
All combinations of boom and jib can be configured so the model is very flexible in this regard. A very big model can be assembled (182 cm / 6ft tall) but it is not stable if the boom is set at any significant angle.
Quality
This is generally a good quality model which is highly detailed. However it does need some careful handling.
The paint finish is very good, and the graphics are sharp.
Price
It is a large model at a reasonable price.
Overall
This model maintains the high standard of detail Tonkin has put in to Kobelco crawler crane models. It makes a great display model, but a few aspects of the functionality are limited. However it is flexible in configuration and overall it is a very good model.
Footnotes
This model appeared at the Nuremberg Toy Fair in 2015. |
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|  | | Layer 1. |  | | Layer 3. |  | | Crawler tracks as a load on a Nooteboom trailer. |  | | Standing on the translifters. | |
|  | | Short boom configuration. |  | | Detailed cab. |  | | High detail. |  | | 70t hook block lifting the supplied beam. |  | | Maximum configuration. |  | | Fly jib with 35 tonne hook block. |
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