Traveling Crane Kit (4-1/2'' x 3-5/8'')

written instructions are hard to understand, and the drawings are very bad and incomplete. But after all it looks pretty good. Not good for a beginner.

This is primarily a wood kit, with a few metal and plastic parts. The wood bits are squarely cut with almost no strings. The pieces are all the correct size with the exception of 3 of them, which are too long and, unfortunately, are absolutely critical to the successful completion of the kit. They control how far apart the two main beams are. If these are not exactly right, the travelling crane part will not fit correctly. Okay, now on to the instructions. The only way they could have been worse is if they said take a block of wood and cut away everything that doesn't look like a travelling crane. Obviously the wooden parts can't be numbered, but they refer to all the parts by their scale measurements, e.g., take the 9x9x23 foot beams... and yes, what they meant was 9 x 9 x 23' but they didn't even provide that information. Then the measurements didn't even match the scale ruler I made, but that could have been my fault. Working slowly and carefully, I was able to distinguish all the parts eventually. They use the abbreviation n/b/w a number of times and it took me forever to figure out this meant nut/bolt/washer. Finally they didn't even provide instructions for making the travelling crane part, just a picture. Ultimately I worked my way through it and came out with a good looking model. I modified it a bit by adding strengthening cross beams at the bottom (which it really needs) and omitting the lateral diagonal supports because of space restrictions. If you build this kit, I recommend making the travelling crane part first, then build the rest of it with an eye towards ensuring the rails upon which the crane rides are the correct distance apart. I had to build a jig to hold the parts at the exact distance while the glue dried. I also recommend the cross beams, unless you plan on gluing the model down. Also, paint all the wood bits first, then glue them together. I just washed then in a medium brown then dry-brushed them in a light brown when complete. Ultimately, though, I don't really recommend this model unless it is the only thing that fits the bill for you. There are other overhead cranes out there, but this is the only wooden one.