54m Luffing Jib & 36m Extension for Liebherr LTM11200-9.1
Presented here are the 54m luffing jib and 36m extension sets for the Liebherr LTM11200-9.1 mobile crane from NZG. Attention to detail is very high throughout with some very nice touches usually associated with aftermarket suppliers.
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The 36m extension set contains all the parts needed to increase the length of the jib appropriately, with a single mast section in two different sizes and two small sections to extend the tip of the jib. Also supplied are printed assembly instructions, tools to aid in assemply, the hardware to fix the jib sections and two wire ropes.
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The components are supplied in a two section polystyrene carton with printed outer box. |
The 54m luffing jib set contains a number of parts, all of which need to be assembled. The pennant lines are pre-assembled out of the box although the bolts are loose and need tightening up a little.
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The lower section contains the large sections for the 54m luffing jib (Pictured right). |
The upper section (left) contains the small parts, jib tip and metal pennant lines along with a bag of nuts, bolts and screws. |
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In order to construct the jib as detailed, it is neccesary to take apart the short lattice jib section supplied with the crane. This is then utilised between the base mounting and main jib frame.
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It is recommended to remove the inner three telescopic sections from the boom although this is not essential as the adapter frame is shaped and can be fitted with the full boom in place.
A nice addition in the set is a plastic cover which fits over the end of the boom when the sections are removed. The base adapter section has alternative connection posts for the superlift connection allowing different combinations to be realised although these are not detailed in the assembly instructions so reference to the specification documents from the Liebherr website can be used for reference. |
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A winch housing is supplied which screws into place on the rear of the super structure. Once in place, the pulley block swings up and has some nice casting detail along with access platforms and safety railings running along both sides of the housing. Rope is pre-wound onto the main winch drum with excess rope wound onto a second drum. This is needed to allow the crane to be rigged and completely functional at full extension of the boom.
Detailed rigging details are supplied showing the path of the rope through the pulleys and while this stage looks fairly simple to achieve, there are a number of small bars fitted to the frame holding the pulleys and guiding the rope around these is very time consuming. Once finished, the rope winds smoothly and there is a braking system on the housing, requiring pressure on the winding key before the winch will rotate.
While no additional counterweights are supplied, once fully rigged, the model is surprisingly stable although it is best to take the weight of the jib with one hand while winding the rope to make it easier to turn. One issue I see with the rigging is that there is more rope supplied than would actually wind onto the winch drum. This is to ensure the model can be functional at full extension of the telescopic boom.
The detail on the main frame is very impressive with photo-etched walyways and metal pulleys all used to increase the level of realism. The holes cast into the ends of the frame are a good fit for the supplied bolts and once tightened, there is no movement between each section.
Holes are drilled in the mast section where the safety railings need to be fitted. The fit is very tight on the sample reviewed here so each part stays in place with friction. There is a small tube of superglue supplied in the box for those who want to keep the safety railings secured permanently.
The adapter sections are solid with the tapered angle converting the dimensions of the lattice mast sections. The base section has a ladder installed and hook shaped ends where the frame connects with the top of the telescopic boom. The two different sizes of main mast section will fit into each other, allowing them to be authentically used in a transport configuration.
The model can be configured with a choice of end sections. The intermediate tip (pictured above) is pre-assembled with the reduction frame to extend the jib further where the smaller jib tip can be utilised. Safety railings are glued in place. The small jib tip (pictured below) has a shaped end which intersects with a set of bogie wheels to ease in erecting the jib.
The safety railings have a detailed base which extends out slightly from the A-frame. This detail is a good addition to the model and is something usually seen in add-on aftermarket kits, particularly the walkways with their intricate mesh pattern.
The jib has the full range of movement observed on the real crane and the additional weight is quite impressive, and yet the crane is fully stable with the ourgiggers fully extended. The paint finish is very good throughout and, while a number of the sections are bolted together, some of the parts are connected with friction fit pins so it should be relatively easy to fully dismantle the jib components in order to repaint it in a company colour.
The main jib frame makes a good load for a trailer, as pictured below loaded onto the deck of the 5-axle Nooteboom trailer in Van Der Toll colours from Conrad.
