powerrabbit

Apart from the 1:16 County Super 4, blue and grey, I notice that in the December issue of the Tractor and Machinery mag (in post today) that Diecast Legends are advertising a County Super 4, all blue with orange Major type wheels, so there are going to be 2 versions.

Whenever I go to these sort of events I always pack up and take some sandwiches. These caterers are rip-off merchants, plus if you get food poisoning, with sandwiches you only have yourself to blame.

I didn't think there were so many punters there this year. I arrived there around 10 past 10 and there were only about 20 vehicles in the field park and when I left just after 2 there were about 6 lines of vehicles. there were people still coming in then but there were also people leaving so difficult to judge attendance unless a tally was kept at the door.

Particularly like the broom. Reminds me of the one we had in the milking parlour, lasted well, had it for 30 years, 15 new heads and 4 new handles and still had wear in it when I sold the cows.

Need good lighting to do it justice in a pic. Will have a go tomorrow.

This model does'nt seem to have been discussed up to now. I don't know how many of you have purchased this item for your collection but I picked up an example at Toytrac and thought that I would do a little report on it. This trailer in 1:16 is a model of the very first JCB product and was made in 1945 mainly from war surplus materials and the first one made of wood rather than steel side boards. The real restored trailer is in the reception area of JCB's headquarters in Staffs. The model is mostly plastic in construction and is very detailed with a red chassis and wheels, black smooth 3 section floor with inner protruding mudguards/wheel arches and the sideboards, which are a buff colour are wood textured. These boards, one each side infront the wheels, longer ones behind the wheels, fold down and have side latches/hooks to keep them in place and the tailboard has chains and pins. The front board and over the wheels are green with the front board being almost double the hight of the other sides. The body of the trailer does tip up but only manually. The double 'screw' tipping mechanism is realistic in being 'threaded' but being plastic is very delicate, especially the second stage screw. The screw bar mechanism is represented but does not actually turn, just the screw 'box' in the centre pivots. There is a seperate tipping handle but this does nothing other than slot on the end of the tipping bar for authenticity. The screw jack on the front of the drawbar frame is well represented and does actually operate. The drawbar 'eye' is mounted to the drawbar in a wide clevis and swings from side to side. A very niceley constructed and detailed model but very delicate. A must have model for the period farm collector. Price from different sources vary from £25 to £44.99.

I think Mr. Udimore is right. We're all still a little 'high' after Sunday and it is a little like a 'drug' but I think that we have to just stop and think for a moment as too many of this type of event would create a little 'overkill' and the enthusiasm would wear off a little, this is why so many events have failed over the past few years and there are enough at present to cater for most collectors needs. To keep it successful I would say keep things as they are, two main events, Spalding and Wincanton, this caters for both the North and South. Not everyone can, or is prepared to travel to all these and for the buying public and trade alike the economics and logistics have to be considered. A like event for Scotland and one for Ireland would be a good idea and we must also remember that there are a lot of toy fairs and shows through the year all over that supply our 'needs' to a certain extent and there are also the Internet sources. Nevertheless, Toytrac for one is a wonderful event and I enjoy meeting up with all you guys and gals and re-aquainting myself with the dealers and everyone, the model 'hunt' is secondary.

There have been a lot of these tractors offered on eBay from China. Previously sold through the French company 'Hachette' packaged in a plastic 'bubble' type cover on a black plastic plynth with the make and year of the tractor in silver on the plynth and a green card packaging under and around the base. The scale is 1:43 and all the models came with a magazine, all in French of course, with the first couple of pages all about the model and the real tractor. There were around 48 different models in the 'set'. Manufactured by Universal Hobbies and now being reproduced or reintroduced for the European market from UH themselves in a perspex display case. You may have come across them, Fordson Major, MF35X, TE20 and the 65 are some that have been released over the last 12 months and more will come later. They are very good and highly detailed models for their scale and very reasonably priced in their current form for around a tenner each.

Delivered a tractor over to Bicton College (a very large agricultural college here in Devon for those who are unfamilliar) this afternoon, A David Brown white 880 that the Tractor & Machinery Magazine people have bought from me for the 2009 BOAT (Bicton Overseas Agricultural Trust) project that they do every year, those of you that take the magazine will know all about this annual project that they restore a tractor for every year for this charity. Sorry no pictures, it was bucketing down with rain.

Brilliant day. Nice to catch up again with some of the members and have a quick chat. Everyone seemed very buisy and quite a large crowd too. To my observation, not a lot of people spending large amounts, looked like those that were spending were being very choosy, I know I was as there was so much there, spoiled for choice. All the people I saw were happy as everyone seemed to be smiling. Well done the boys on the layouts, not wishing to be prejudice but all those Masseys, terrific. Certainly look forward to next year. And for those of you that were'nt there, you missed a real treat. I left around 2.00pm and stopped off back in Honiton at my Sisters for a cup of tea.

A case of 'the early bird that did'nt catch the worm' Everyone will attempt to make you as sick as a pg tomorrow evening when posting up all there purchases! As for myself, seems like I'll be going on my own. Just want to say though guys, don't scoop it all up, leave some for me please.

Going steady it takes about 1 & 3/4 hours from Exeter, A303, it's about 94 miles

Aide. Just right click your mouse on the image and then click the words 'save as' in the drop box and save it to file, you can then play about with it and print off. Whala!

Will this do?

I've been cleaning up my vehicle today, have'nt done it for 2 years so thought I'd better in order to be able to look out the windows! May have to cut the budget for Sunday though, just had the MOT and it cost me £456 but at least with new discs and brake pads, amongst a few other bits and bobs, it will now stop when I put my foot on the pedal. That's the trouble when a vehicle gets to a certain age, you have to start replacing things. Still, can't grumble too much, I've had it 9 years now and has'nt cost me a lot up to now.

Which sort, barbed, plain or the square mesh type?

The Hurlimann Prestige H468 was produced for the Swiss market in 1992. It was identical to the Lamborghini 1706 apart from minor bonnet changes and the colour of course. Only ever seen one example at a toy fair. Its catalogue number was 5855.

Sean. They have changed their tractors and the drivers. The youngsters were costing them too much in down time and repairs. Their drivers are a bit better trained and educated now and a lot older.

Yes, Vallances are just off the dual carriageway at Liverton, just off Drumbridges roundabout, Bovey Tracey-Newton Abbot left-hand side coming from Plymouth toward Exeter. They had a sale there a few years ago when they had big Ford tractors. They had the sale because the tractors and machinery was so rough that the dealers would not take anything in PX. The tractors and the machinery was literally 'hanging', tractors that were only a couple of years old were beat to death, tin work and cabs were bent all shapes, no glass in cabs, doors missing. Well, that's what you get when you employ 14 year old kids to drive them! Most of what was sold went to Ireland, the rest, the scrapman had.

Mr. Ford. That's the hitch for the plough. The little right-angle spurs on the silver 'links' is where the spring steel clips locate and as I said previously, keeps a trailer on when the lift lever is down.

As you say, different bonnet. Quite straight forward to construct one I would have thought as it's fairly square and you can do wonders with Plastruct or Platicard. I bought one when they were first released and left it in the box, glad I did as you don't see any about even at toy fairs.

Speaking of the MF165 with the cicular saw or 'shape-saw', this actually worked. It was 'driven' by a long spring that was connected to a small brass cog that meshed with 'teeth' that were part of the moulding of the rear tyre and on the other end, the saw was connected by a shaft that inserted into the spring. A very neat model for the time. Going back to the 5000 with mid-mounted side digger, I found the tractor at a car boot sale on a stall for £2 and at the other end of the table, same stall, there was the ditcher, for 50p so I bought both and reunited them. When you see the 5000 just on its own, look underneath and if it has a long 'rivet' in the middle, this is where the digger was attatched. The blue 4 furrow plough with chrome plastic furrows is quite sought after as well, especially if boxed. This plough had 2 small spring steel clips each side in the front that eliminated the use for an active 'top-link.The other Corgi plough, red with yellow plastic furrows, was produced for the Fordson Power Major, the early pale salmon colour metal rear wheeled type that had a 'top-link' that resembled a zip fastener toggle.

Now, if you were clever you could build a Same Galaxy 170. Casting is 1988 version TW-35, cab is a red Lamborghini 1706 fully glazed one, floorpan/mudguards, exhaust and air cleaner also Lambo, front wheels Fiat 90-90, rear wheels County 1884. That only leaves the bonnet to sort out.

Several versions of this model were made by Corgi. Tractor on its own, gift set with an elevator/conveyor, tractor and side mounted ditcher (R.J. Flemming). There were 2 types of rear linkages, the long type arms for fitment of the 4 furrow plough (blue one) and short little side arms that aided the hitch to hold trailers in situ. This tractor was based on the Ford 5000 'Selectospeed' but catalogued as 'the Fordson Major 5000'.

MF 3680 first released in this form, white wheels, white grille surround and white fully glazed cab in a banded box in 1991 to 1995. There was another version of this white one with twin rear wheels produced in the same years but the lift lever was in the centre, the single wheeled one had the lever on the left-hand side.