Wedico Website: http://www.wedico.de/eng/
And then after searching the market and internet, it found out to be basically three types of remote control scale excavators available:
1. Hobby Grade Scale RC Excavators – like the Wedico 345DLME, they are made of aluminum metal with scale from 1:12 to 1:15 and weight at around 10 kg or over. Due to its weight and required digging force, the cylinders are powered by hydraulic system, whereas the travel and slewing are electric. Price range from US$3,000 – US$6,800. Other suppliers are including EC280MG from Minetwice, Italy, Liebherr 922 from Stahl Modellbau, Germany, 4000XL from RC4WD, etc.
Minetwice: http://www.minetwice.com/
Stahl Modellbau: http://www.stahl-modellbau.de/
2. Toy Grade Scale RC Excavators - there are a number of these toys available in the market, with scale from 1:50 to 1:16. It typically costs from US$100 to $400. They are made of plastic materials with boom, stick and bucket lifting mainly operated by gears. For example, Hobby Engine model 803 and 703, Kyosho’s Komatsu PC1250, Artic Land Rider 507, etc. There are number smaller toys available which are suitable for only kids.
Hobby Engine: http://www.hobbyengine.com.hk/
3. Self-fabrication or Conversion – you can make it starting from scratch by cutting the shapes from aluminum sheet metal and weld them together. However, you would require certain level of skills to do that and it may take months or not years to complete. In recent years, there are more people using scale models to convert them into remote control. The typical excavator model used by most of the people is the Bruder CAT Excavator. Basically for the conversion, the travel system is mainly electric-driven as well as the slewing turntable connecting the undercarriage and upper structure. The boom, stick and bucket cylinders are driven by hydraulic, electric or pneumatic. Due to its weight, the metal models are mainly driven by hydraulic and the plastic models by electric.
There are a number of hobby kit suppliers in the market producing components or kits for you. If you do not have time, some suppliers will do the conversion for you, e.g. Manolo Gomez at around US$900 + shipping and they also supply the hydraulic kit for CAT excavator model at around US$350 + shipping. CTI-Modellbau, Germany produces all the necessary kits for CAT excavator model. For example, the travel system is at around US$130, turntable at US$140 and the electric-driven boom, stick and bucket cylinder at around US$80 per piece.
After considering several options, I decided to go for the conversion. The Bruder Cat Excavator Model is available in most of the on-line toy shops, eBay and Amazon. After comparing the price and shipping charge, I finally ordered model from Amazon at US$52 + shipping.
The Bruder CAT Excavator model is finely made out of high quality plastic materials with a lot of small details close to the real machine. It uses “clicks” rather than screws to assemble the models and not meant to be dismantled again. It took me almost an hour to figure out how and another one hour to dismantle the model into pieces with some forces.
To convert a static excavator model to remote control, you would require considering the following four areas:
1. Travel system
2. Slewing turntable
3. Boom, stick and bucket cylinders
4. Radio remote control system
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