Conrad 2735 -
Terex Demag CC8800 Crawler Crane
Model Review October 2004
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| The CC 8800 without one boom section and the ballast carrier. Huge nonetheless. |
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| The distinctive boxy structure. |
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| Massive proportions in 1:50 scale. |
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| Opening door to the spacious cab. |
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| Detail at the boom head. |
This crane is one of the largest in the world and has been modelled by Conrad in 1:50 scale. It was exhibited at the 2004 Nuremberg Toy Fair where it was voted a winner in the Innovation category.
Packaging
The box this model comes in is very large and this is reinforced by the weight which approaches the 20kg mark. Within the picture sleeve cover are three polystyrene trays of parts. The review model was undamaged during transport. However the ballast weights are tightly packed within their own polystyrene boxes which are then packed inside some of the larger jib sections. On opening these it was found that the pieces had stuck together probably as a result of packing too soon after painting. Separating the parts damaged the paint but this was subsequently rectified by Conrad.
A comprehensive 24 page instruction book is supplied with the model. This is a black and white manual printed in German and English with many pictures. The English is not perfect and some of the graphics are less clear than they should be. In particular the reeving graphics suffer from some poor definition. With that said the instructions should enable most people to build the model without a problem.
Detail
The model is a faithful representation of the real crane with most parts being supplied in the real configuration. One of the exceptions to this is the track frames which split in two in real life, but on the model are a single piece. Each track frame is huge and is not far short of the size of a five axle crane model. The frames are well detailed with cast flanges and lugs and there is some fine detail in the drive sprockets. Each track is made up of a large number of individual metal links. These are clipped together and are very good. Any looseness in the clipping between an individual pair links will tend to lead to tracks springing apart. This is easily cured by gently compressing the track clips in question with a pair of pliers. Only one pair of links were affected like this on the review model and the above action solved the problem.
The crane sits on a very large chassis mid section which is pinned to two cross pieces and there is a screw jack at both ends of each cross piece which replicates the hydraulic jack outriggers of the original. With these three parts assembled a very heavy H-section (in plan) is created which stands on the outriggers awaiting the attachment of the track frames. The track frames are attached with large plastic pins. Although they work well they are unfortunately white rather than the grey of the track frames so they are more obtrusive than they needed to be.
The chassis is completed with the addition of walkway plates and ladders, all of which are metal. Two ballast trays are also attached and these carry five pieces each. In fact the model uses 90 ballast weights in all. Each one is metal and cast with lifting lugs. These weights alone account for a significant part of the weight of the overall model.