Boom Lifts, Cherry Pickers, and AWP's! Oh My!

[Captain Contractor]

 

Howdy, 
Before I begin, a bit of background to help y’all get into this review(?). Name’s Captain Contractor. I work as an abatement/demolition technician in America. Essentially, I have the licensing and training to remove asbestos, lead, and other hazardous building materials while also occasionally operating heavy equipment. 
A sect of machines that I use quite frequently is access equipment - boom lifts, cherry pickers, scissor lifts, etc. 
They are also one of my favorites, due to their ubiquitous nature and commonality across nearly all industries. 

Now, my interest in a LEGO version of them happened rather recently, when I came across a set of 3 designs on Rebrickable by user Brick Studs. https://rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-86422/Brick Studs/boom-lift-bundle/#details

This is a review + MOC extension on the first of their creations: a standard Genie S-40 boom lift (middle).

 Telescoping Boom Lifts Group by Captain Contractor, on Flickr

Simple, iconic (in terms of the American construction industry, I do not have any experience regarding the European side of things), and overall a decent design. The colors are not a perfect match, however that is a minor gripe with no real effect on my feelings about the design. It has excellent SNOT techniques in use and a secondary jib arm connected to the boom.

Genie S-40 Overview by Captain Contractor, on Flickr 

Pose-ability is rather limited, unfortunately, due to the weight of the basket design and the lack of counterweights in the superstructure. It is also rather fragile, with the SNOT panels and jib being held on by single stud connections. 

Genie S-40 SNOT by Captain Contractor, on Flickr

Overall, it’s decent enough for a static display or as a transport load. Here we see it being used by a workman to repair the sign of a department store.

Genie S-40 in use by Captain Contractor, on Flickr

Onto the second lift. Essentially, I just produced a recolor of the Genie with a slightly different jib design and some simple decals. This one is a JLG 660SJ in the colors of Sunbelt Rentals. 

JLG 660SJ Overview by Captain Contractor, on Flickr

As mentioned above, I made a more accurate version of the jib, giving it the functionality of also rotating the basket while still retaining the other movement functions. 

JLG 660SJ Side View by Captain Contractor, on Flickr

As with the Genie, my JLG’s basket design is rather heavy and thus will droop if it isn’t supported. Simple, yet effective in its presentation. Here we see it giving an A/C unit removal crew access to the roof of a warehouse prior to demolition.

JLG A/C Removal by Captain Contractor, on Flickr

The final lift I have to show is a “Clapped-Out” Snorkel TB42. My inspiration for this one is the commonplace 80’s era access platform with a rusted exterior and 10k+ hours on the odometer (a lot for an occasionally driven machine); used by factory maintenance workers and kept alive through sheer will and constant repairs. 

Snorkel TB42 Overview by Captain Contractor, on Flickr

Like the Sunbelt JLG, this one features simple decals and a pivoting basket. However, it lacks the additional jib arm seen on the other lifts. This is my personal favorite of the 3 self-propelled designs, due to the angular superstructure design and beefed-up chassis.

Snorkel TB42 Side View by Captain Contractor, on Flickr

For the last picture, I decided to just have it parked in the background, while the prior mentioned A/C removal crews maneuver the shells of the industrial cooling units for recycling (using a proper crew of operator, loadmaster, and machine spotter.)

Snorkel TB42 Background by Captain Contractor, on Flickr

Oh yeah, before I forget, here’s the safe working height for all three machines. They have the same amount of reach (unlike their IRL counterparts), at about 40 studs. That’s 12.5 inches or 31.75 centimeters.

Boom Lifts Height Comparison by Captain Contractor, on Flickr

Thanks for looking! Part 2 of this post will be on the spider lift and my custom NiftyLift re-design; with a 3rd part being relegated for the trailer-mounted cherry picker. 
C&C appreciated as always! 

Capt. Contractor 
Abatement Technician by Captain Contractor, on Flickr

[SD100]

Awesome. I love to see real world inspiration brought back to Lego.

SD

[Feuer Zug]

Great collection of lifts. Nice to be able to take pride in your work and have it mix with your hobby.