After dissembling my 8053 Mobile Crane, I then tried out the B-model which is the harbor crane. Quite a large model with many functions, though not as many as the A-model.
FunctionsThe crane as a small gearbox inside where you can operate the winch and the boom. A small knob at the rear of the crane is used to control the gearbox.
On both sides of the crane is a gear knob for the user to operate the the crane depending on how the gearbox is selected.
The combo pictures belows shows the reach of the crane when the linear actuator is extended and retracted.
At the turntable area is a little gearknob to allow the crane to move sideways.
The combo picture below shows how far the crane can move from one end to the other.
Operator's cabThe operator's cab is a single seater cab with controls. It is almost minifigure scale as it appears the seat fits out minifigure quite well.
There is sufficient lights to to allow our operator to work throughout the night. He appears happy to operate this crane!
Container SpreaderA spreader is a device used to lock and lift containers at port. It is called a spreader since it can adjust its length to grab the container (containers come in 20 ft to 40 ft lengths). It has all the features of a spreader including guide rails to latch itself onto the top of the container and grabbers to grab the container. All have to manually operated by hand though.
Operation of the spreaderFirst, the operator places the spreader directly above the container.
He then lowers the spreader slowly onto the container. Two pairs of 'Black Bionicle 1 x 3 Tooth with Axle Hole' is used to help guide the spreader to properly place itself onto the container.
Once the spreader is on top of the container, the claws will rotate to lock and grab the container securely.
The operator can now lift up the container with ease and with no worry that the container will fall out.
The containersIn this set, the containers are mega-giant-super-huge tire carriers. Below is a picture of the containers without the tires on board.
ConclusionDesign: 8/10 Good design with many features.
Build: 7/10 Quite repetitive due to the nature of the design. You have to build the legs of the crane twice, containers twice.
Playability: 9/10 There isn't many container/harbor cranes produced by Lego, and the fact it is minifigure scaled makes it worth while to be placed in a Lego City harbor. Lego trucks (including the yellow Lego Truck) can move under the massive crane (with only milimeters to spare though).
Conclusion: 8/10 Is it on par with the A-model? Yes!
