Britains Spring 2009

[Richard de Florennes]

thanks for the info - but incredible that this bxllshxt line-up follows all FTF efforts for improved Britains modell-choice. 

I think that neither the "Meeting with Britains" nor the "Dear Britains" sections in this forum have had any results but a psychological relievement of us members. 

One again not one single (yet detailed and/or playable) implement/machine, nothing related to row-crop ...  :'(

I am very disspointed ... and it is a shame that our favourite childhood brand seems to end as a non-innovative, boring, low-quality copy-brand of ERTL 

[nashmach]

Like Nigel I must admit I am disappointed by the lack of Classic releases

[IH885XLMAN]

but as andy said in this post there are more to add on that list lets hope

i just hate regurgatated ERTL prairie monsters why not fetch the DB 1690 and 784 back if they want to go down that

road why a bloody big prairie monster that only sold half a dozen  \ \ otherwize they are out of toutch with

uk and europes agricultual history

[Tractorman810]

indeed more to come, look at uh, how many appear over the year that wernt mentioned at the start in the press stuff?? they like to keep things secret in a way sometimes, have no doubt they will let some classic out this year i recon

[FB]

but as andy said in this post there are more to add on that list lets hope

i just hate regurgatated ERTL prairie monsters why not fetch the DB 1690 and 784 back if they want to go down that

road why a bloody big prairie monster that only sold half a dozen  \ \ otherwize they are out of toutch with

uk and europes agricultual history

thats the problem!!!, we are force fed them all the time .....but we dont have to buy them, and i'm one that hasnt, dont interest me, and anyway most are pretty useless unless you spend time and money converting them to work with a hitch......why should we!

[FB]

i'm calm!!!, like i said if you dont like them, no one is forced to buy them! ;)

[bluegreen]

I was pleased when I read T6080 NH was coming but then I read Maxxum 125 and now im concerned.

T6080 is a TM replacement and therefore longer & bigger than old TSA135. Maxxum 125 is straight swap for MXU125 & not an MXM.  Now we all know that these two tractor models from britains will be the same which as ive explained above they are not! I suspect all theyve done is stuck T7060 cab & mudguards on old TSA model which means "oh dear"

Lets hope Ive got my knickers in a twist all too soon and the T6080 is all new and totally spot on with a great hitch and no need for extra conversion work

[FB]

I was pleased when I read T6080 NH was coming but then I read Maxxum 125 and now im concerned.

T6080 is a TM replacement and therefore longer & bigger than old TSA135. Maxxum 125 is straight swap for MXU125 & not an MXM.  Now we all know that these two tractor models from britains will be the same which as ive explained above they are not! I suspect all theyve done is stuck T7060 cab & mudguards on old TSA model which means "oh dear"

Lets hope Ive got my knickers in a twist all too soon and the T6080 is all new and totally spot on with a great hitch and no need for extra conversion work

mmmmmmm good luck!!! :D

[ALLEN XL]

I would prefer a Puma 155 rather than Maxxum 125.

[bluegreen]

I would prefer a Puma 155 rather than Maxxum 125.

If Britains have done the right job on T6080 NH then PUMA 155 is exactly what they should be making from CASE. 

Maxxum 125 suggests Cock up on the way too me :'(

[Simon]

If Britains have done the right job on T6080 NH then PUMA 155 is exactly what they should be making from CASE. 

Maxxum 125 suggests Willy up on the way too me :'(

It's looking that way unfortunately....

[ryan lawes]

i do like Britains but over the years they have gone down hill for example the back hitches they used to be brillient but now they are cheep and horrible they hardly hold up if an implemant is added what do you all think ???

[Pete]

i do like Britains but over the years they have gone down hill for example the back hitches they used to be brillient but now they are cheep and horrible they hardly hold up if an implemant is added what do you all think ???

only way to improve is to add siku linkage. shame really on what are fairly good tractors

[sparrow legs]

yet another boring list to add to britains new models hitch wise if they have the siku front hitch on the jd 8330 could we see the rear siku hitch on new models?? britains need a wake up call big time! cant they see there profits are going to u/h etc and most models are converted to look like they should before they sell them!

[ploughmaster]

It is pointless comparing Britains/Ertl to Universal Hobbies. They are primarily aimed at totally different markets. As for profits disappearing, I would suspect that Britains/Ertl are rather more profitable than UH

As we have seen for the last few years, there are likely to be other toys which will be released to dealers of which we know nothing yet. Indeed, this list tells us more than we knew at this stage last year - basically all we knew of until the toyfairs were the ones that had come new in late 2007.

[MB Trac]

I feel the same as other members on here, what has happened to the quality of Britain's models, are the now marketing for people between the ages of 2 and 5. Surely some of their staff must surely realise that if their quality came up to a standard of UH their profits would probably go through the roof as the majority of people that buy them are us collectors. Its so frustrating  > > .

I have always liked the functionality of Britains models, but UH has almost cracked that now so I can only feel if Britains don't cop on!!!! shortly their market will disappear as with any company who fails to change. Typical of an American company to ruin a once excellent brand. Hopefully UH get a New Holland licence shortly!!!!!

[nathan]

still no plough then  :D

[Fendt Fahrer]

has any one heard of the JD 5430i self propelled sprayer that Britains/Ertl are supposed to release  product code:42462  Price:47.90 Euros

[RANDY GITT]

Nothing special here then for 2009, but what did we expect  As far as a NH T6080 goes I predict a redecalled TS135 nothing more- nothing less ( why go to the expense of producing a new model when you can redecal an existing one ). They redecalled a 135A as the T6070. not long ago. It's the britains way of getting more life out of existing moulds and castings. The 5000 to a 6600 and 7000 to a 7600 or further back the TW20 / 7710 / 5610, same base different decals are classic exaples of britains thinking so don't expect a new tractor. I won't be buying any britains again for a long time because of their lack of quality and POOR finish, then there is the dreadful lift on them    The writing is on the wall for britains, it's a pity they can't or don't want to read it

[ploughmaster]

Honestly, some of you seriously need to get real here! 

What we have seen here is a preliminary list - and a lot more than we are usually allowed to know at this stage.  In most years, even the models shown at the Toy Fairs in January are only a small proportion of what is released over the course of the year.  There will undoubtedly be more as next year progresses,  hopefully including certain models which were originally due this year, but have not appeared  

There is an ongoing problem with the (non)functionality of the hitch and quality of assembly (but UH too have a problem with their models being unbelievably flimsy).  How anyone can say the standard modelling is deteriorating is beyond me - have any of you really looked at them?  Recent new releases have been excellent in my opinion. 

And as for this total nonsense of expecting Ertl/Britains to have the same detail as UH; frankly it is risible.

UH and Britains are produced for different markets.  Britains are first and foremost made to be toys.  UH are highly detailed models and as a result are flimsy by comparison (UH higher quality? Don't make me laugh!!!).  It is difficult to extract many of the UH models from the box in one piece, and I would expect better for the money (on top of which UHs bigger scale 'models' are so inaccurate that they are a joke)

They are also vastly more expensive to produce and to me, UH appear to be artificially holding down their price to sell them.  If Ertl/Britains were to build to the detail level of UH, they would immediately lose most of their market because of safety related age restrictions (particularly in the US), and the prices would increase significantly.    If anyone thinks Britains are doing badly and UH are doing better financially, wake up.  I strongly suspect that Ertl/Britains have a much higher level of sales and are performing much better than UH. 

I think in the current financial climate, it is UH who will struggle to continue producing the level of detail at the price (big increase due in Jan I believe)! We will see.

Britains as a brand is now American owned and operates as a subsidiary to Ertl.  Basically most of the new releases are Ertl orientated,  and most of the new items are dictated by the OEMs as a condition of the licence.  Ertls US market will be first and foremost. 

I think some of you are expecting far too much.  Wait and see before criticising something which hasn't been released yet. 

Anfield - I think the sprayer is now due early in the New Year.

[Deere-est]

That's just it, I expect very little nowadays. RC2 have killed the Britains brand along with the OEM's.

I've no problem with differentiating toy/model manufacturers. Which is why I'd only ever use Siku by comparison. I agree with you there, people comparing RC2 and UH arn't being fair to either brand.

The crux of it is Britains have fallen to a bigger name. I still hold hope for the future though. Because of Britains' back catalogue I still have a fondness for the brand even though I buy very little of their products.

[Fendt Fahrer]

Honestly, some of you seriously need to get real here! 

What we have seen here is a preliminary list - and a lot more than we are usually allowed to know at this stage.  In most years, even the models shown at the Toy Fairs in January are only a small proportion of what is released over the course of the year.  There will undoubtedly be more as next year progresses,  hopefully including certain models which were originally due this year, but have not appeared  

There is an ongoing problem with the (non)functionality of the hitch and quality of assembly (but UH too have a problem with their models being unbelievably flimsy).   How anyone can say the standard modelling is deteriorating is beyond me - have any of you really looked at them?   Recent new releases have been excellent in my opinion. 

And as for this total nonsense of expecting Ertl/Britains to have the same detail as UH; frankly it is risible.

UH and Britains are produced for different markets.  Britains are first and foremost made to be toys.  UH are highly detailed models and as a result are flimsy by comparison (UH higher quality? Don't make me laugh!!!).  It is difficult to extract many of the UH models from the box in one piece, and I would expect better for the money (on top of which UHs bigger scale 'models' are so inaccurate that they are a joke)

They are also vastly more expensive to produce and to me, UH appear to be artificially holding down their price to sell them.  If Ertl/Britains were to build to the detail level of UH, they would immediately lose most of their market because of safety related age restrictions (particularly in the US), and the prices would increase significantly.    If anyone thinks Britains are doing badly and UH are doing better financially, wake up.  I strongly suspect that Ertl/Britains have a much higher level of sales and are performing much better than UH. 

I think in the current financial climate, it is UH who will struggle to continue producing the level of detail at the price (big increase due in Jan I believe)! We will see.

Britains as a brand is now American owned and operates as a subsidiary to Ertl.  Basically most of the new releases are Ertl orientated,  and most of the new items are dictated by the OEMs as a condition of the licence.  Ertls US market will be first and foremost. 

I think some of you are expecting far too much.  Wait and see before criticising something which hasn't been released yet. 

Anfield - I think the sprayer is now due early in the New Year.

Could not have put it better myself. I prefer UH because I am a collector of adult toys but at the same time I buy britains for the models that they hold licence to. I for one believe Britains are not behind Siku. Sikus front axles are very generic and their front linkages are as ugly as the britains rear linkages are useless to play with. (I do not carpet farm so it does not affect me as much) But I think the rest of their tractors look pretty good, most of them have better detail than Siku have.

In conclusion I would like to say that we have a better choice than we ever have had and that we are probably expecting a perfect model which is just not going to happen due to the fragility of detail. Comprimises have to be made to suite different markets.

That said I do hope Britains resolve the rear hitch issue and also build models with more metal instead of plastic (bonnets).

[FB]

That's just it, I expect very little nowadays. RC2 have killed the Britains brand along with the OEM's.

I've no problem with differentiating toy/model manufacturers. Which is why I'd only ever use Siku by comparison. I agree with you there, people comparing RC2 and UH arn't being fair to either brand.

The crux of it is Britains have fallen to a bigger name. I still hold hope for the future though. Because of Britains' back catalogue I still have a fondness for the brand even though I buy very little of their products.

agree there Trissy!!.....i to live in hope but it think once again for me it will be Siku buys......although i'm on a shorter budget than normal now > :'( :'(, anyway i want the little one to be brought on Britains (RC poo) like i was but have a feeling it may not go that way....atleast they have 3 years to pull there fingers out......adopt Siku's combine header method, rear hitch again and both of them sort the front out!

[Tractorman810]

some valid ponts by all sides here, to be honest i cant see any others appearing this year,it only tends to be uh/siku that usally spring the surprise models on us, the one thing that really anoyes me is the way they bow to the main oems, like jd and case , cnh ect, they used to bow to britains to get stuff made, now all we get are the big US re-hash models,the jd artics being one such item, and the oem big kit,nh 8040's ,case maggys,jd tracked beasts, they seem to have totaly missed the point that they are and always will be, a britsh farming / euro farming toy company,even if owned by a US parent company, and we dont all use that big stuff,if they keep ignoring the main stream mid age collectors, then they will fold, at the end of the day kids dont collect toy tractors like that now, the markets shrinking for them, and if they cant sort them selfs out, we ain't hanging arround

please just listen to what main collectors want, its possible to have toy and collectors model in one, look at sikus range,dont try and match uh, you won't do it ,stick to what you used to do best,improve your current quallity and range issues,and it will come right

[Paul Palmer]

just to add britains have for the last 4 years launched models at the beginning of the year and then a 2nd release in the autumn also from a very reliable source the mf 7580 is the allis chalmers model britains have a very limited mf licence and personally for me im glad as the uh models are far superior in detail fine for me as i like to display with dioramas but bad for carpet farmers as uh models will not take any abuse,paul