Kobelco SK500LC-10 Tracked Excavator

The Kobelco SK500LC-10 tracked excavator weighs in between 50 and 53 ton depending on the configuration with a powerful Hino P11C-VN 6-cylinder diesel engine with intercooler turbo-charger which is Stage 4 emissions compliant. The machine is available with rigid or MVLC type undercarriage and double grouser shoes are available as an option over the standard triple grousers.

What is interesting about the new release from Conrad is that there are a number of engineering decisions which have not been made before, with increased levels of detail that have not been seen on a Conrad model before, like the detail level within the cabin that has a multi-coloured interior including the side and rear panel detailing, fully shaped joysticks and the hydraulic cut-off lever which even has the end painted red.

A contoured seat, foot pedals with integrated steering levers and printed glazing simulating the rubber window seals all come together to make a very realistic impression.

Interestingly, the first production run of the model which appeared at the 2018 Intermat trade show were missing the track steering levers from within the cabin although this has been corrected on the current production runs, so something to look out for to tell if the model was from the initial Intermat batch.

Exterior cab detailing includes metal grab rails, an aerial which needs to be rotated into position and a protective ROPS frame with top guard which offers protection for the roof window.

Printing has been used to good effect, like the tiny silver circles on the frame representing the bolt heads.

The body casting includes cut-outs in the side with a perforated grill inserted within the body which really does look effective while the upper surface of the engine bay is printed with black anti-slip mats. The seperation lines for the various side panels is hinted at with indents for the handles.

Metal safety railings have been fitted and there are two video camera housings, one at the rear and one on the side. Three self-fit mirrors are included in the box which fit onto the railings and the grab rail fixed to the cabin frame although no instructions are included as to exactly where the mirrors should fit.

The undercarriage is engineered on the MVLC system, with the ability to reduce the width of the undercarriage for transport while giving a wider stance during operation.

This works well on the model, with each track frame incorporating the lower roller detailing and with tensioned idler wheels installed to keep the metal track taut.

The tracks are to the usual standard from Conrad with each link assembled permanently, with a rivet used to join the chains together to ensure that the tracks do not fall apart during shipping.

The model is configured with a monoboom and stick which achieve a very realistic range of movement, as does the bucket linkage where a toothed bucket has been installed. Light housings are fitted to both sides of the boom however, there are no painted lenses to match those on the lights fitted to the body and cab frame.

The bucket includes underside wear plating with side cutter bars which have all the fixing bold indents, again adding to the realism with a re-enforced end on the underside of the stick and nicely formed teeth.

All the hydraulic hoses have been replicated using both hard and flexible plastic to achieve a very good effect, particularly for the lift cylinders.

Printing is used cleverly for the transition between blue and black hoses, complete with silver connections as shown on the right.

Even the auxiliary lines on the stick for powered attachments have been included which is a nice addition for anyone wanting to add any aftermarket attachments to the model.

Other firsts found on the model include the painting of the ends of each pistons used for the hydraulics, with each having a blue end to match that of the original.

Not only that, but for the first time, all the rivet heads have also been painted blue which is certainly a surprise for a Conrad model and it will be interesting to see if this is repeated on any future models from Conrad.

As expected from Conrad, the paint finish is of a high quality with the surface engraving showing through fine.

The Generation 10 graphics on the sides of the body have been fully replicated and the printing in general is excellent throughout, from the tiny warning labels to the Kobelco logos.

It is interesting to see Kobelco Europe begin their own model program of 1:50th scale replicas for the European market and it is ironic that Kobelco Japan have also begun commissioning 1:50th scale models rather than the larger 1:40/1:43rd scale models which came before. I have to say that choosing Conrad for their first European model is certainly a hit for me. With Kobelco now concentrating on 1:50th scale both in Europe and Japan, we can look forward to a number of interesting releases in the coming months from Conrad, Motorart and Ros.

The SK500LC-10 tracked excavator model is available from the Kobelco Fanshop in European blue and American yellow along with other models currently available including the SK140SRLC-5, SK210LC-10 and ED160BR-5 "Bladerunner"

Kobelco visited the Conrad factory during the summer of 2018 to see first hand how the model is produced, from initial concept to final result. a video of this visit can be seen on the Kobelco Blog. There is also a video featuring an interview with Christine Conrad which is very interesting. Check it out here