powerrabbit

Who collects them or has examples from days gone by? I'm sure that a lot of us have some wheather they are from our childhood, school or college days or even ones that our parents or even our grandparents had. I have quite a library of these type of old books dating from 1864 and are a very interesting insight into past farming practices, methods and animal husbandry. I have just been looking through one that I bought from eBay that is titled 'Farm Tractors' and was published in the summer of 1946 for the Vigzol 'Vitafilm' oil refining Company. A very interesting 61 page book, cloth covered board covers with gold tooling. This book, apart from the advertising element, covers the history and development of tractors with notes on their proper maintenance with a lot of line drawings and black and white photos.

Could'nt agree more, it just seems to me that seeing Accurate Diecast's adverts in the magazines and their rather 'loaded' prices just smells a little of 'nose in the air' type attitude. I may be a little synical but that's just what stikes me. They are numbered underneath, the one I have is 836.

Picked up a copy from my local newsagents today. Yet another cracking issue that is packed with very interesting articles and features, the model section again is top class. Particularly enjoyed the fleet profile article on the Essex David Brown and related equipment. The news section is once again full of information and the letters page, as always, very topical. Rory's editorial gives us all a reminder of the times we live in with (in a lot of areas if not all) the incidences of rural and agricultural equipment theft and the often calculated and brazen way in which these theives go about their 'buisness' and if anyone sees anything even slightly suspicious, you should report it even if it turns out to be all 'above board'. Well done Rory for yet another 'can't put it down till I've read it' issue and heres looking forward to 2008.

If your Black Diamond Valtra has teeth JamesT then it must be one beast of a tractor! My model came yesterday, very nice in silver-grey and metallic black and the box is very nicely printed as well in its 'blue ice diamond' colouring but in my opinion spoilt by the importers, Accurate Diecast having their insignia enblazened on it.

What about a comp for the member who's had the heaviest cold? Seems to be a lot about just now. Not a great deal happening farming wise at this time of year other than the normal routine work and finishing off the headgetrimming. Idea! I know, what about a comp for the neatest trimmed hedge!

I thought that this toyfair was Sunday, 30th.

They are about over here Rick, have seen them and others at the toy fairs. One of the regular stallholders that does mainly farm stuff goes to the States for his holidays and brings them back but I don't think he sells many as his stock items seem to be older releases.

Seen this guy with his trailer/stall at local shows and rallies, he's usually expensive to buy from.

The Claas Scorpion and its Kramer derivitive version came today throug my freindly dealer.

Yup. Am going to contact him again tomorrow, don't want to spoil his Christmas, and tell him he's had plenty of time to put it right so he's going into the 'dispute' bin.

I bought something from him on 11th November and it still has'nt turned up yet. Emailed to ask why and he said he posted it in a white jiffy bag on 14th November, emailed him again and told him to either send me another f.o.c seeing he had 4 more listed or reimburse the total to my PP account. Have'nt heard from him since but he has left me + feedback. I'll have him!

Has anyone else discovered that Claas green is actually called 'seed green'?

I seem to remember this being aired before as well and I think that I mentioned this before that some of the power farm tractors had the motor fitted the wrong way round as some of them would not work even from new and on others the copper battery contact strips did not contact the armeture pins. Anyone that has one of these tractors with a non-working motor, they can be replaced. The motor that will replace the original is not cheap, the Hornby electric model trains have the same motor.

No Marky, the biggest bird I can get in the oven is 38lb, sister-in-law wo'nt fit!

Drew the turkey and stuffed at the front end (crop) ready for the oven tomorow morning. Only got a small one this year as there is only me, brother, his wife and 5 year old daughter tomorrow plus a cousin on Boxing Day so the bird is only 26lb.

Here are pictures of the Shepheard Set. The figures are very heavy as they are diecast. The size of the box that contains the set is an inch and a quarter deep by four and three quarters square.

The set came today in the post. I will take some pics later and post up for all to see.

I have just managed to find the 8710 Shepheard Set in this series. They were expensive as on the outer box there is a price sticker, ?40.

The model I have is the same on the reel as well and I believe that the tines and the central reel 'wheel' is in the correct position. Looking in the book, 'An Illustrated History Of Combine Harvesters' by Jim Wilkie. (Published 2001)., it shows a black and white picture of two Matador's working and the tines and central reel wheel are in the same position as on the model. A shame that the crop divider extentions were not included with the model as a little 'extra'.

As most of you already probably know, I live on Dartmoor and contracting has always had a big part to play here as the farms are predominantly small farms of an average of plus or minus 100 acres and it has always been the case that the farmers could never justify purchasing machinery that would only be used for a short period of time through the year. Years ago, the only equipment a moorland farmer would have of his own were a tractor, plough and the basic cultivation machinery and would use the local contractor for the seasonal work like hedgetrimming, silage making, baling hay and straw and combining. Some farmers would, if they had a bigger area of land have have more kit and the adjoining farmers would pool their machinery together and would help each other at certain times. There are quite a number of farmer/contractors in opration in the area so the competition is rather fierce and this goes back to the point about the justification of expensive machinery, with machinery prices as they are at present, any farmers that need a big tractor or baler, forager, combine etc, contract themselves out to earn some money to offset the expence, so it's a vicious circle in a manner of speaking. The most common 'contracting' around me is hedgetrimming, around one farm in six has a hedgetrimmer and that one farmer will contract himself out in the winter months to the other five and trim their hedges. Another popular thing to do is for a couple of farmers to hire (self-drive) a machine such as a tractor and trimmer for a week or ten days and share the cost and do their hedges between them.

This may have been mentioned before, but in my experience it all starts at a very young age, all small children just love the colour red on tractors for some reason and for some, no disrespect, it just stuck! Observe little kids at a rally or a show and they always go to the red ones first.

I beleive it is a built kit Marky, looks good, the seller described it as 'with worging features'. Time will tell! \

You could well be right there, like I say, have'nt got it yet, will know a bit more when it comes.

Here are a few pictures of the afore-mentioned steam engine. Produced by a Japanese company called Bandai around 1980 and is a model of a fairground/showman engine called Pendle Princess. The real engine weighs 8.5 tons and built in 1919, I'm uncertain at present wheather by Fowler or Burrell but will do more research when I have the model. Oh and the scale? It is in 1:16 so should be massive!

Looks a very good bit of intricately detailed piece of kit there and well presented and steam having played a significant role in agriculture would certainly not be out of place in any collection of farm kit. How many of the members on FTF have any steam related models on the shelf I am wondering? I guess that most of us have an example or two, most likeley a Mamod TE1A I suspect and maybe a couple of Corgi models as well. I bought a model steamer off eBay a few days ago, I'll see if I can find a good picture of it to post up. Have not received it as yet but looking forward to it's arrival.