Bucyrus 495HR Rope Shovel

Presented here is the 1:50th scale Bucyrus 495HR (Hard Rock) rope shovel. When the model arrived, I was amazed at the shear size of the box, which only just jit through the door. The way the model was packaged needs mentioning as the inner box containing the model was secured inside a larger outer box with an inch of space all round inside. This ensured that the model arrived in excellent condition. There are two versions of the model produced, the HR or "Hard Rock" version has narrow tracks and large bucket with small teeth while the HF or "High Flotation" version has a fast fill bucket and wide tracks for use in the oil sands region.

The upper deck is highly detailed with mesh walkways, handrails and mesh steps throughout. The large cab contains all the details found on the real machine with computer display screen, operator seat and levers all modelled. The two cab doors both open giving access to the walkway and main body housing. Rear view mirrors, windscreen wipers and walkway lighting is all reproduced on the model.

The air conditioning units fitted behind the cab are finished in silver and have photo etch grill detailing, complete with warning labels and flexible hoses.

The rear frame is where the main boom tip is connected and features mesh walkways, handrails and access ladders with safety cage detailing. The Bucyrus logos are located on the frame sides and the four large cables are riveted to the structure. Large floodlights are mounted to the sides and a generator is located below the frame.

The lower level has plenty of detail with mesh walkways, hand rails, lights, floodlights and access ladder to the bucket door release winch platform. The side of the model has the machine's type printed along with the red stripe which goes round the entire body.

The other side of the model features more walkways and access to the main winch drums. The rear winch operates the lifting mechanism and the supplied winding key is inserted into the round hole in the body side. The drum is sprung loaded and requires pressure to release the braking mechanism before the drum can be turned. The front drum is accessed through the open window and operates the movement of the dipper. This is achieved using friction so there is no braking mechanism on this drum.

The handrails go round the entire model and are a striking contrast to the black boom and white body. The gangway on the boom goes all the way to the top and each step has a mesh panel. Two thirds up the boom is another small platform and the gangway then continues up the centre of the boom to the large wheels at the tip.

The underside of the main body has even more detail with electrical cables, slewing motor casing and radiator grill all present.

The opposite side of the model also features electrical cables and slewing motor, complete with warning markings underneath the main walkways. The working fold down access gangway uses a hydraulic cylinder which is stiff enough to keep the ladder in the raised position.

The undercarriage is highly detailed with main electricity cable entry boom which swivels and detailed track drive motors. Flexible hoses and electrical cables are also visible and the individaully linked metal tracks are kept taut with the spring tensioned idler wheels. On the HR version, additional tracks are supplied in the box so the owner has a choice of either primed red tracks (As shown in the pictures) or the black painted tracks that are also in the box. The HF (High Flotation) version of the model has much wider track pads for operating in soft ground, typically used in the oil sands operations..

The dipper is fully functional by operating the two winches while the bucket has a working door releas mechanism which can be operated from the small winch fitted to the boom side. The bucket itself has a good level of detail including fully reproduced teeth with wear protection. On the HF version of the model, the bucket is a fast fill version with large teeth and shaped top edge which would be used for softer materials..

This is the first mass produced large rope shovel to my knowledge and the results are amazing. OHS made a 1:50th scale P&H 4100 model and it does not compare to the 495 in terms of detail or price. The model is supplied with a booklet containing information and specifications of the real machine.