Bauma 2010 Show Report

With only days to go to the opening of this year's Bauma show, all travel plans were thrown into chaos with the volcanic ash preventing air travel. As the time for my flight came and went, I was left frustrated and dissapointed that I would not be able to travel to Bauma.

Early on Saturday morning, I received a phone call from a fellow collector in Scotland who was also looking at a cancelled flight and missing the show. "Do you fancy a road trip?" he said. Several hours later and we had a plan to travel to Dover, catching the ferry to Dunkirk before travelling down to Munich, a round trip of only 2250 miles.

The drive down to Dover was great, travelling through the night to catch the 10:00 am ferry crossing. Once aboard the ferry, the adventure began.

Most of Sunday was taken up with travelling down through Belgium and across towards Munich, arriving tired and exhausted at 2:00am Monday morning. After catching some sleep, it was off to the show....

Approaching the main entrance of the show, A Bucyrus RH40E tracked excavator stood tall and the new corporate colours are certainly growing on me. Once inside, my first port of call was the Liebherr stand to see first hand the amazing stand design and to seek out what new models have been produced. A number of new Liebherr models were announced back at the toy fair and these have been added to with two releases from Conrad.

The TA230 articulated dump truck is a great model with plenty of detail and the MK88 tower crane features flashing amber beacons which is a first (Both models will be reviewed soon). Another surprise is a limited edition gold version of the L300 historic excavator.

Liebherr TA230 articulated dump truck (Above), Liebherr MK88 mobile tower crane (Below)

On display inside is a larger scale replica of the Liebherr R9800 which really looks good. A 1:50th scale version would be a great addition to the Liebherr model range.

The next port of call was the Sandvik stand where rumours suggested there would be a sample of their next model on display. The diorama from Conrad shows off the Sandvik model range very well and the new TH550 articulated underground hauler hand sample from Conrad is looking great. The model is scheduled for release later this year. The first 100 sales of the UJ440i tracked crusher were supplied with a metal plate with a serial number and bauma details tampo printed onto the surface.

Sandvik TH550 articulated underground hauler "Hand Sample".

After catching up with Helena on the Sandvik stand, I was off to track down another new Conrad model. The rumours were that Conrad were producing the new Vogele Super 3000-2 tracked paver and I have to say the model looks amazing. Unlike with the NZG paver models, the new release from Conrad has the ability to change the screed, allowing the model to be set up in different configurations which is a great touch. The model has great detailing throughout and an in-depth review will follow soon....

One new model that was not available at Bauma is the Wirtgen SP150 slipform paver and this is expected to be available soon. The Wirtgen group are also looking to introduce a new roller model late this year with their first Kleeman crusher model to follow next year. Who will make these models remains to be seen but I suspect Conrad and NZG will be in the running.

There have been a number of rumours surrounding Volvo models so the Volvo stand was my next destination. NZG have produced four new Volvo models which look very detailed although the price for them was extremely high and a little of a surprise. Considering that the first Motorart Volvo model was less than £20, it is a surprise that the average price of the new Volvo models is around £100 each.

Volvo L50F Wheeled Loader

Volvo EC460CL Tracked Excavator

Volvo EW160C Wheeled Excavator

While the cost of models has been rising over the last couple of years, I was still shocked when I noticed the cost of the new EC20C mini tracked excavator. At 86 Euro, I thought it was a mistake at first and I still fail to see how this price can be justified for such a small model.

There have been rumours that Volvo were looking to produce their concept vehicles in model form and I was happy to see that three new concept models will be available in 1:50th scale later this year (Expected August / September). While the manufacturer of the model is still unclear, the prototypes on display look great and if popular, the concept Volvo paver is likely to follow.

Volvo Centaur - concept hauler

Volvo Gryphin - concept loader

Volvo SfinX - concept excavator

All three samples are highly detailed and functional and, while unusual, show one vision of the future of construction equipment. Interestingly, Doosan also had a model of their concept CX excavator on display. While there are no details as to if the model will be available to purchase, the replica is 1:40th scale to match the other Doosan models and has fully functional undercarriage, boom, stick and bucket movement along with extending counterweight and cab. The box holds a disk which gives full details of the concepts. Also available from the Doosan shop is the 1:50th scale Doosan Moxy MT31 ADT with the Bobcat TR50210 rotating telescopic handler model in 1:50th scale due in June.

One slight dissapointment on the Case stand was the lack of new Poclain models. Months before the show, rumours suggested thaere would be several for Bauma and yet, the only new model was the Case CX240B long reach excavator.

It was surprising that there was no new Komatsu models available at Bauma and even the HM250 ADT model unveiled at the Toy fair was missing. There was a hand sample of the Komatsu PC8000 mining shovel from Bymo which looks very good and is highly detailed. The model is due to be released later this year.

Another sample from Bymo is the Bauer BG40 with BC40 cutter. The model is expected later in the year and is priced at 185 Euro.

The 1:87th scale Hitachi EH5000 mining truck was available from the Hitachi shop along with the Hitachi Zaxis 225 reduced tail swing excavator. There was no sign of the Hitachi models from NZG and WSI at Bauma.

There were no further new models on display in the New Holland store but there are rumours that Universal Hobbies are working on four new models for New Holland, with the three versions of the EC215 tracked excavator expected later this year from Motorart.

JCB had a new, decorated version of the JS220 long reach excavator available along with the JS220 tracked excavator with hammer. The announced 724 ADT is still on hold and is unlikely to appear until next year.

No new models were available from the Wacker Neuson / Kramer Allrad shop with Bomag and Ammann only having old models available to purchase. The Loxam stand had their models available to purchase and there were some good prices, including the entire set of models for only 125 Euro.

Nagel usually have limited edition models available at Bauma and for 2010, they had the Liebherr L586 wheel loader in Nagel decoration available to purchase. There were rumours floating about that there was a second model but nothing materialised and, after asking the staff, the L586 is the only special model they have commissioned.

Bauma is usually a good time to look for strange and unusual models and yet, this year, there were no real surprises from the Chinese manufacturers. I did manage to pick up a 1:43rd scale model of the Shantui SD42-3 bulldozer which is based on Komatsu technology. Sany had models on display but I did not notice any new models while XCMG only had several bigger scale models on display with none available to purchase.

The 1:43rd scale Shantui SD42-3 bulldozer (Above) and updated version of the Hyundai 290LC-7A tracked excavator in 1:50th scale (Below)

After spending five days at the show, it was time to say goodbye and set off on the long journey home. I would like to thank Nigel Rattray and Ron Coens for their company throughout the trip. They made the whole travelling experience much more fun and it will be a trip that I will not forget. I would also like to thank Günther and Christine Conrad for taking time out of their busy schedule to discuss their new models with me and Helena Westermark for her hospitality on the Sandvik stand.