Valley Axe Man

No problem Joe, I'd heard of TWH but like you i didn't know about this until Andy at Classic told me about a U.S dealer www.outbacktoys and after about an hour of serching through the site, this forager popped up...... It's a limited edition job for a farm show, mine is number 575....based on an actual machine that was found in original 1974 condition in Winsconsin, Powered by a Detroit 240 hp V8 and could chop 130 ton an hour and was nicknamed "the king kong of the era" Fox sold these foragers into 50 countries so there is a chance one or two made it into the UK. I'm not sure of any other TWH agri models but there could be Joe...... just have to have a good look Now you know why the rams you built were interesting...... to get some bigger trailers to go with this beast

It be well packed for transport Bill, there no fear of that........ or it would be the wrath of mum if owt happened to it

Aye Bill they really are great models, Mum's one is making the trip to gretna on hire to me so you'll be able to see it in the flesh soon

Now to something very different........ A FOX 1974 6644 Max II self propelled forage harvester, by TWH collectibles. I thought that the Valley fleet needed a bigger forager and enter stage right ( via abit of help from a couple of good friends, and a parcel from the U S of A,) this beast Probably not too common this side of the atlantic.... although Fox trailed harvesters were imported into Suffolk many moons ago, as stated in one of Stephen and Jonothans Monsters of the Grassland DVD. Not too common in standard form with the Grass head as the model supplied with 3 row maize, but now suitable equipped it ready for a season or three down here in the Valley, being chased by a pair or three Ford 7000's....... all we need now are some bigger trailers

............ and a couple of close ups, must try and take some better pics....... ...... The engine in all its glory........ ...... and a view through the back window

Now on to the other JCB in the collection.... although i'm not the owner, this belongs in my mum's collection but shares storage with my models Built by Classic Combines, it's a JCB 3D mk11 with parallel loader, 4 in 1 bucket (minus the fold over forks), 2 position dipper and is shown with a ditching bucket, although there are a couple more buckets besides.......

A couple more pic of the UH Major Loader.....

Now to another industrial Major, and the first of the JCB's, a standard UH release.......

After a couple of hours searching it appears there are now 3 mis-placed tractors...... i've a Major missing as well as the 2 dexta's..........There's nearly a collection missing

...... And it's another creation by Andy at Classic, another version of a Week's Labrador, this time finished in the MF colour scheme, as Week's built for and supplied to Massey, Weeks trailers but carrying the MF logo....... Although this is just the same as my already posted Week's blue Labarador....... there are a couple of differences and it isn't just the colour or the wheels...... lets have a pic or two from underneath.... This version has working leaf sprung suspension, all individual leaves out of brass and held on by minature U bolts..... added by Andy to make an added feature

.... A bit more of that Ertl baler........ althought there isn't a bale sled down in the Valley collection yet...... there is another trailer.....

The last tractor for now..... a UH Power major in standard format, and a pic of it ready to do a spot of baling, hitched up to an Ertl precision John Deere 214t baler...... but more of the baler to follow

Now fast forward to the 60's and Fords 6x and 6y tractor ranges, both in the collection by UH in standard release form as a pair of Ford 5000's, a 64 pre force and a 68 force......

Now to another rusting classic.... Another UH E27N but this time with a coating of rust by Dan Higgins at Oranda Design, ready for a restoration was Dans target..... plus it fits well with the other weathered tractors that call the Valley "Home"

Now i've a pair of "big red brothers" in the collection, i guess i need a bit more machinery to put those horses to good use There's still a stack of unfinished models on the bench..... but i can't help now feeling the urge to have a go at building something to hang on the back of these............. ...... though there's still more to come........A couple more tractors to post up shortly and then on to a couple of implements

and a couple of the 2 big reds together.....

Now moving on to a very recent addition to a 2nd red in the collection.... UH's 1455xl Case

The next step after the 4/65 was to turn the Nuffields a corporate Leyland blue and call them Leylands..... here a big booted 384 by RJN........ And a pic of it together with it's loader equipped twin

No probs there Justin, the 46 will make progress one of these nights.........

It was the re-styled models when problems started David......., when the 4/65 was first released in 67 it's chassis is 8 inch longer allowing the fuel tank to be moved up front of the radiator, causing overheating problems due to the fan not being efficent enough to drag air through the rad, plus the engine seemed to have a vibration about it. these early tractors had a black Nuffield badge on the sides of the bonnet, In 68 they tried to alter the cooling by fitting a different fan i'm led to belive..... and they tried to assess the vibration problems but without much success, and the black badge gave way to the silver bonnet stripe as on my RJN posted earlier I seem to have a knack of jogging peoples memories with my collection mmmmm i suppose a mk1 would be an easy conversion and help finish the set....,.....

...... to a later and restyled Nuffield 4/65 mk 2, RJN missed the mk1 and went to this version, a good point is that this model doesn't suffer from the overheating problems of the real deal

Now back to a couple more of my RJN collection in the form of a Nuffield 4/60 (One of the first RJN's to be in the collection) and a well shod Nuffield 10/60......The Nuffield, Leyland and Marshall line of tractors are one of my passions...... if only there were a 1/16th Marshall 804xl..... and a 4wd Marshall 100....... my life would be truly complete a little bit more RJN Poppy orange to follow...........

Aye the combines that martin has built are fantastic, Bill. Martin had them to penrith as well. Another talented man

Its each to their own David......... life would be sodding boring if we were all the same and collected all the same stuff Still it's one hell of a collection, a credit to you bud

Aye Bill, thats way back when Russel Brown was the owner of RJN before selling to current owner Brian Huck....... funnily enough RJN never released a Universal, or a 4/65 mk1 but they did a 4/60, 10/60, 4/65 mk2 and the Nuffield/Leyland badged 384.........plus UH's attempt at a Universal didn't have the sliding hubs either...... though i am in the process of beefing one up on to some bigger boots. UH's 10/60 should be out soon too..... at least i hope it is Another 1/16th memory from Kittochside was Martin Littlefair and his scratchbuilt NH combines...... they were serious bits of kit and although i'm no combine spotter i'd welcome those into my collection any day