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Rank: Advanced Member
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Rank: Advanced Member
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Looks very good with all the extra pulleys, nice job! Be careful with the crawler tracks though - if I see right, it's the first version where the individual track pads are only click-linked, if you understand what I mean. These tracks are prone to fall apart. Conrad made a new version soon after these, where the pads are properly linked with pins all through. Newer version: 
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Rank: Advanced Member
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Location: Milwaukee
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Fairly easy fix, just snip some of the spring tension off
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Rank: Advanced Member
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Joined: 1/11/2007
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Location: Lincolnshire
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Wow! That’s pretty damn cool! The CC8800 seems to have made a resurgence amongst collectors. I’ve one that I repainted into Sarens many years ago and haven’t rigged it for a long time.
Paul R
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Fantastic !!!
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Rank: Advanced Member
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Thanks guys. Victor - yep you're right that these are the push-fit tracks and they can come apart, but IMO they are still better than the tracks on the LR1600 which fall apart when you so much as breathe on them. I'm sure Conrad have a surplus of these tracks as they also used them on the LR1750 and 3800 so I'll be getting in touch with Carmen to see if I can get a set... but I am quite happy with them as they are so I don't mind if I can't get them.
Paul, you're right about the CC8800. It's still one of the best crane models out there because of the usual Conrad build quality and just the sheer size of the model is impressive too, and as you know it is a great model for repainting. The reason I like Conrad models so much is because I love tweaking and making custom parts, and the CC8800 has a lot of potential for this. I'll probably make a floating tray again, and I might even try making some pendant lines too.
I contacted YCC about brass pulleys and it's a bit too expensive for me at the moment but I'll maybe consider it at some point in the future. I have very little free time these days and have only managed this because of the Christmas holidays and it's been great fun to test some things out on the model.
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Here are some more pics of the project as it continues. Once I got a decent shot of the big hook, I took it down and have set the crane up with just one side of the block, for a total of 27 falls of rope. On the real machine this hook is good for 800t. I also made a smaller modular hook for the rooster tip... it's a bit rough and not totally finished yet but it does the job nicely. The hook block has three pulleys and the cheek weights were cut from a thick plate of steel so they're pretty heavy. They're held in place by a couple of button magnets just under the pulleys so they sit really snug when in place and add a good amount of tension to the line. The rooster itself is my own design and clips to the top of the boom, so it's really just for show and not functional (until I can find a better way of attaching it to the boom head). I also bought some 0.5mm braided nylon cord on ebay (last pic) and it's amazing, easily as good as the NZG stuff and the perfect size for a big crane like this. Unfortunately my holiday is coming to an end soon so I won't have as much time to make things for the crane, but I do plan to chip away at it as and when I can.   
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Looking good so far! I do like the big hook modifications you have made. Davie82 wrote:
I also bought some 0.5mm braided nylon cord on ebay (last pic) and it's amazing, easily as good as the NZG stuff and the perfect size for a big crane like this.
Can you tell me what make this was and if there are thinner options for smaller cranes? I am looking for replacements of the good 'ol Musky Master. Paul R
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Rank: Advanced Member
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Thanks Paul! As for the nylon cord, it's all in Chinese so I have no idea what brand it is. On ebay it's usually listed as "Chinese knotting" and "Shamballa Cord", and the listing I bought had two widths available, 0.5mm and 0.8mm. I bought two reels of the 0.5mm stuff at £4 each, and 135m per reel. The actual width is nearer 0.7mm but it fits perfectly in the Conrad pulleys so I'm very happy with it. It's a little bit "glittery" in bright light but very black in diffuse light. As you can see from the pictures the braid is very fine, much more so than either Conrad or NZG stuff, so it looks very smooth when on the crane. I've been buying random threads for years now and this is the best stuff I've come across yet. As you say, it'll be too thick for smaller cranes, which is a shame.   
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Cheers for the info. Braiding indeed looks finer so I’m going to give this a go for my next large crane, whatever that may be! I’ve no plans as yet.
Paul R
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Joined: 5/11/2009
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It'd be nice if Conrad made a big crawler again, maybe the CC6800 or LR11350. Here's my progress for the time being - unfortunately that's my holiday over so things will slow down for a while now. I've made a floating tray, still very much in progress, and I also put together a boom section from some cheap styrene tube I bought on ebay. The tube was much harder than the Evergreen stuff I usually work with, so it didn't play nicely with the plastic solvent I use (acetone, butyl acetate etc). So I ended up using CA, which is a new experience for me - it can't be worked once it's set, so I had to be a lot more accurate with my positioning of the parts. I'm pleased that the boom section is straight enough for this application, it's very strong, and it brings the height of the model to roughly 6 feet (180cm or so). Long term plan for this model: repaint, probably in SWTRANS livery, but I have plenty time to think about it!  
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