 |
 |
| Very large
outer box.
|
 |
 |
| Big rear end. |
 |
| Electric cable
connection has a realistic looking plug. |
 |
| Drop down
ladder access. |
 |
| Mesh walkway
gratings on the roof. |
 |
| Steel coloured
boom support cables are equally tensioned. |
 |
| Pull down
stairs don't quite pull down. |
 |
| Profile view. |
 |
| Distinctive Air
Scrub Pro shape. |
 |
| Chunky boom
connection.
|
 |
| Dipper is very
heavy.
|
 |
| Handrails are
excellent. |
 |
| Loading a
Caterpillar 797F Mining Truck. |
 |
| Night shift
working at Cranes Etc. The LED lighting is great. |
|
P&H Mining Equipment is a global leader in the
manufacture and service of large excavating and drilling
machines. The company was founded in Milwaukee,
Wisconsin, in 1884 by Alonzo Pawling and Henry
Harnischfeger. Its headquarters remain there.
The P&H 4100XPC is an electric mining shovel that
provides a nominal payload of up to 120 ton loading
capacity. The dipper SAE struck capacity is up to
100ydł. It is designed for use in mines operating large
mining trucks in the 240-400 ton range and it is one of
the largest shovels in the world.
The model is very large being around 40cm high to the
boom tip, 65cm long end to end, and 30cm wide.
Packaging
It is delivered in a very large box (approximately 45 x
75 x 60cm) and that is just the start of the packaging
as inside is a big black TWH branded box. Inside that
is a P&H box sleeve wrapped in tissue, and when that is
removed there are two large expanded polystyrene trays.
Lifting the top off reveals the model. There are quite
a number of small pieces of packaging surrounding the
model and most of these are designed to protect the
metal handrails from damage. It is a good idea to mark
all of these with their location prior to removal so
that repacking the model is straightforward. The model
just rests in the bottom tray so it can be lifted out
although as the model is so heavy you need to lift in
the right places to avoid inadvertent damage and the
instruction sheet helpfully gives some advice in this
regard.
There were no defects or missing parts on the review
model although unsurprisingly some of the metal
handrails were bent a little. However with care it is
easy to gently bend them back to an upright position.
Included with the model is a small instruction brochure
which describes the main functions of the model,
although not all features are mentioned. Two reprints
of P&H brochures are included. One is about the P&H
line of shovels, and the second is more general one
about mining products. It is good to see these
included, even though they do not have extensive
technical specifications about the 4100XPC.
Other parts included are a winding key for operating the
model, a pair of batteries for the LED lighting and a
small bag containing a couple of handrail sections.
In terms of assembly there are only the two handrails to
fit in position. Although it seems odd that this has to
be done by the collector when all the rest have already
been fixed, the reason is that when lifting the model in
the recommended way the boom can move a little and these
two sections would be vulnerable to crushing. The
handrails are a loose fit in their holes so they need
some plastic putty or something similar to keep in
place. You could glue them, but then they may get
damaged for the reasons already described.
Fitting the batteries for the lighting is a
straightforward job with the holder being underneath the
model at the rear. This is the right place so the look
of the model is not impaired, but of course it does mean
it is a little awkward to access.
Detail
As befits a machine of this size the crawler tracks are
huge with heavy metal pads which are cast well and
individually pinned. The track frames match for heavy
construction and are large castings with good detail and
working rollers. The drive sprockets have massive
motors attached and these are linked to the electric
stinger assembly which has a chained boom and a coiled
length of cable for connection to the external power
source.
The turntable has a heavy toothed slewing ring although
there are no driving gears visible. The underside of
the body is fairly streamlined but the main structural
elements are produced well. There are some spotlights
modelled even though they are not visible unless you
look right underneath the model.
The body of the machine is huge making this a dominating
model in 1:50 scale. At the rear the counterweight has
the feel of being made of solid chunks of metal with the
casting detail and P&H letters really standing out.
Around the body are various walkways and stairs all with
fine mesh floors and realistic scale metal handrails
which all give a high quality look. Doors are modelled
with hinges and glazing, and there are a couple of fire
extinguishers on the walkways.
There are many high quality graphics such as warning
notices and they are very sharp and well defined, as are
the larger graphics. Moving to the roof, it is covered
with fine gauge metal mesh walkway panels and these look
great against the yellow paintwork. There also three
glazed roof lights and these have protective rails over
them. Around the model are a number of floodlights and
these are complete with wiring but more on that later.
At the rear the Air Scrub Pro canopy is modelled well
with its distinctive shape, and underneath there is
lattice work, hoses and a painted fan array. The boom
support structure has more excellent walkways and stairs
and the main connectors to the silver boom support
cables look great. A good job has been done to
give all the boom cables an equal tension, although
perhaps on the review model the boom was hanging
slightly low. There are some large silver rivets
at the tower top and these would have looked better
painted black.
The cab is impressive with two seats and a control
console for the operator. Outside there are two finely
detailed air conditioning units and there is an aerial
and other equipment on the roof. The cab roof overhangs
have tiny bolt heads detailed on the underside and this
is a pleasing detail even though they will hardly ever
be seen.
The boom is of heavy box beam construction which is
secured to the pivot point with a couple of large silver
headed screws and again these would probably have looked
better painted. There are stairways to the top where
the two metal spoked rope wheels are located. It is good
to see lifting eyes have been reproduced along the boom
sides.
The twin dipper handles are metal with a heavy toothed
underside for the crowding action, and they are fixed to
the bucket with necessarily large silver friction
rivets.
The Optima dipper is a very chunky piece of metal. It
has very thick walls and a heavy handle with the pulleys
for the ropes. The structure is modelled really well
and the details do not disappoint either with excellent
teeth with the fixing bolts detailed.
Features
The tracks are stiff but will roll if the surface is
suitably rough. The idler wheel on each track frame is
spring loaded so it is easy to remove the tracks.
There are two means of access. The main access
staircase lowers but unfortunately due to a modelling
problem it only reaches down about half way and does not
look right. There is no obvious fix for this issue so
it is better to pose the model with the stairs up. On
the opposite side a vertical ladder can be lowered and
raised although it requires some fiddling to get the
ladder to stay in the up position.
The main door to the operator's cab can be opened, as
can the door to the empty cupboard behind.
The main innovation on the model is the working LED
floodlighting and it has to be said that this works
really well. The lights are bright and have some
adjustment for angle, and they certainly add to the look
of the model when on display, particularly in a darkened
room. The operating switch is hidden under the rear of
the model so it is easy to operate and is unobtrusive.
For a very heavy model the rotation is very smooth and
easy and a good job has been done on the engineering of
this aspect. The dipper is raised and lowered by
inserting the supplied key in a false window of a door
on the side. Pressure is applied to release the brake
and the key wound or unwound to move the dipper. You
need to keep a tight grip on the key though as the
bucket is very heavy and wants to drop. Moving the
dipper handle in and out also uses the key and it works
well although the brake action is less certain so some
care is needed so that the heavy dipper does not move
uncontrolled.
The dipper flap can be opened by turning the small winch
at the base of the boom which lifts a latch. This
works, but on the review model the flap did not swing
freely so it did not fly open when the latch was lifted.
Quality
The quality of the manufacture is very good with the
paintwork and graphics being especially good. There is
hardly any plastic used and so a robust and very heavy
model results.
Price
The 4100XPC is a lot of model in 1:50 scale and
justifies its high price because of the detail and
quality.
Overall
It has been a long time coming but any collector of
mining models will be pleased with the result and for
many it will be a must-have model. It is also the type
of model which will impress anyone who sees it so it is
great as a display piece, particularly if posed with a
suitable mining truck. The addition of the working
lighting enhances the model and has been executed very
well. Although it is not faultless in the operation of
a couple of the features, these do not detract from how
it looks and it is certainly an outstanding model.
Footnotes
This model first appeared in 2011 and was made in a run
of 2000 models. A 1:87
scale model version was made by TWH in 2008.
This model was awarded Innovation of the Year for 2011
in the
Cranes Etc Review of the Year. |
|
|
|
 |
| P&H branded sleeve for the
trays. |
 |
| Graphics on top
of the Air Scrub Pro canopy. |
 |
| Strong boom and
dipper construction. |
 |
| The model is
very heavy. |
 |
| Size comparison
- the 4100XPC could stamp the life out of a skid steer
loader. |
 |
| Excellent
graphics and a small fire extinguisher. |
 |
| Cab has
detailed console and cabinets. |
 |
| Air
conditioners are really good. |
 |
| Opening cab
door and opening door to the 'smallest room' at the rear
(which is empty). |
 |
| Colossal
dimensions. |
 |
| Staring into
the mouth of a giant. |
 |
| Opening flap.
|
 |
| Members of the
Cranes Etc team trying to order a low loader. |
 |
| The driver of
the
Liebherr T262 Mining Truck has been fired for
running in the dark without lights. |
|
