 | | The Soilmec box. |  |  | | Tracking the rig to the next pile location. |  | | Getting ready to start piling. |  | | This is not really a real application for the standard SM-21 rig as modelled, but it looks like a passable ground anchor machine. |  | | The SM-21 with its big brother, the SR-70. |  | | Side view. |
| The Italian ground engineering equipment company Soilmec have followed up their first independent model, the SR-70, with a model of a smaller machine, the SM-21 Hydraulic Drilling Rig. This machine weighs around 20 tonnes and can be fitted for a variety of applications including micro piling, jet grouting and ground anchors. The model is in the standard piling configuration.
Packaging
The model comes in a sleeved box with a Soilmec design. The sleeve holds together two polystyrene trays which contain the model. The review model was well wrapped and had no defects or missing parts.
There is no information on the real machine nor is the model provided with any instructions.
Detail
The track pads are small and delicate and appear to be metal. They are mounted on fairly simple track frames which have bottom rollers represented within the casting. The body is small and well detailed with the Soilmec logo and various grilles and a control panel. There is an orange beacon light and exhaust pipe on the roof. Two rear fixed outriggers sit below the body. Moving towards the leader support the detail increases with various equipment and lengths of cable trunking modelled. A control console is provided at the end of a small boom and this has some very fine casting to produce some of the thinnest grab handles you are likely to find in this scale. At the front of the machine there are a pair of stabilisers.
The main boom mechanism is moved by nine hydraulic cylinders. These have plastic cylinder casings but the blue colour match was pretty well spot on in the review model so it looks fine. Trunking and cabling runs up the leader to the drive motor assembly and this is an area of high detail. The leader is metal, as is the cassette of drill rods mounted on the side. The mounted drill rod is plastic and has detail at the end to represent a drill bit.
Features
The metal tracks roll reasonably smoothly and one of the sprockets on each drive is spring loaded with a small movement to enable the tracks to be removed if required. The outrigger pads at the front can be raised and lowered.
The control console is mounted on a double hinged boom which allows a significant range of movement so it can be positioned packed for transport or posed for drilling operations.
This type of machine has some complex articulation to allow the drilling head to be positioned precisely and all the various cylinders on the model combine well to allow almost any pose of the leader to be taken up, from being in transport mode to being positioned at various angles. On the back of the leader is a small winch drum which can be operated by rolling with a finger. This controls a line with a tiny hook although there is nothing obvious on the rest of the equipment on the model to actually hook on to.
The drill motor can be moved up and down the leader although it is a little stiff. The drill string carousel rotates and can be moved in and out of the plane of the drill string.
Quality
Soilmec have commissioned another high quality model to represent their equipment line. The casting and details are very good, and the paintwork and graphics are fine.
Price
The model appears not to have the backing of any major distributor so it may be a harder to find. In turn this may be partly the reason why it is a little expensive for its size, and may be available in limited numbers.
Overall
It is very welcome to see another machine representing the ground engineering sector, which has been under-represented in the past. Soilmec have produced a very good model which can be posed in a number of ways to provide interesting displays.
Overall the model is certainly recommended and a required addition for any collector interested in this equipment and just misses out on being highly recommended because of its price.
Footnotes
The model first appeared at the Samoter Exhibition in March 2008.
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|  | | Inside the box. |  | | Detailed remote console. |  | | Intricate hoses at the drive head. |  | | Close up body detail. |  | | The drill head pushes down. |  | | Loading it onto a Nelson Ramp Trailer. |  | | All chained down and ready to roll. |
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