david_scrivener Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Is ANYTHING still made in the UK? I guess that if I want to keep my Britains loyalty - which after 50+ years, I'd like to! - then I might have to lower my standards... An awkward compromise. Remember it hasn't really been 'Britains' since 1984, when the Britain family sold the company. I've been a Britains collector since I was a kid in the 1950s, but my loyalty ends for sure in 1984, and they didn't make much worth collecting in my opinion since the early 1970s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8feetmower Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 As someone who was a kid in the 70's & 80's I can still remember the excitement of the new Britains releases.They were after all toys & my tractors clocked up many hours.They started my collecting bug & I still collect them above anything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justy 46 Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 To be quiet honset, Britains are still the core producer of model tractors. They have been around the longest & when you think of the model tractors past & present ,its BRITAINS that will spring to mind for us all. So much so that i recently started collecting all the Britains tractors i had in my childhood & stopped collecting the modern stuff from UH & the like for a while till i had most of Britains 70's & 80's era tractors collected ,cause thats were it all started for me & us all im sure . The sometimes sloppy quilty from them these days comes down to Chinese workers probably being hard pushed to meet deadlines in production. The days are gone when when Britains made their models in the UK unfortunetly , so we have to make do with Chinese workmanship & cheap labour out there. But i still have a soft spot for Britains which are probably the best value for money in the model tractor scene & they have also given us some propper classic tractor models from Ford ,IH,Case & JD. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ploughmaster Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 (edited) In all honesty, the quality is a lot less sloppy these days than it was towards the end of the Dobson Park years (when they were made in Nottingham). It was not unusual for models to be missing parts or be broken before you took them out of the box, and it was obvious where corners had been cut at the design stage - bodging bonnets and cabs for new tractors onto unsuitable existing castings (Same170, Lamborghini 1706, Fendt 615 and Deutz DX6.50 for instance), and later on the omission of any engine detail from the first batch of Fiat/New Holland Gemini tractors, plus front wheels that were stiff and wouldn't revolve properly and decals seemingly stuck on at any angle (and sometimes the wrong way round!) Edited February 20, 2012 by ploughmaster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leakeyvale Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Like David I was a child in the 50s and everyone had a Britains farm even though it had Timpo. John Hill and other makes in it - at least mine had - but Britains became the term for farm toys much in the same way that Hoover became the generic term for a vacuum cleaner. Everyone "hoovered" the carpets. I only collect the old lead toys and models of old tractors but agree with David in that after 1984 they did not produce much worth having with the exception of the Vintage Home Farm series which reworked the old farm toys as collectors models. We can only hope that Tomy are going to do better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ploughmaster Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 The vintage 'Home Farm' series of the 90's were just repackaged H&M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianmoyle41 Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Hi thank you for your help , the nearest toymaster to me is about 35 miles away .So i will try amazon .So once again thanks for you help Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Palmer Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Hi thank you for your help , the nearest toymaster to me is about 35 miles away .So i will try amazon .So once again thanks for you help Ian ian,dont forget farmmodels.co.uk and g and m mate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reece7795 Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 If a model is worth 35 youll buy it for 40 on amazon. What makes online model buying expensive is postage,thats why id rather save my money for shows where discounts are given or i can haggle! You might find things cheaper in toymaster because theyd be buying in bulk so likely get models a wee bit cheaper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Palmer Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 If a model is worth 35 youll buy it for 40 on amazon. What makes online model buying expensive is postage,thats why id rather save my money for shows where discounts are given or i can haggle! You might find things cheaper in toymaster because theyd be buying in bulk so likely get models a wee bit cheaper. wouldnt agree with that,amazon postage costs are no different from g and m and farmmodels etc,antics is free postage if your purchase is £50.00 or more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reece7795 Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 wouldnt agree with that,amazon postage costs are no different from g and m and farmmodels etc,antics is free postage if your purchase is £50.00 or more I wasnt criticising postage at all mate,sorry if i offended,id rather pay that bit extra for postage to stop damage but when you look at the postage it usually adds a wee bit on which makes it less viable to buy online. Sorry for any offence again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Palmer Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 I wasnt criticising postage at all mate,sorry if i offended,id rather pay that bit extra for postage to stop damage but when you look at the postage it usually adds a wee bit on which makes it less viable to buy online. Sorry for any offence again. reece no offence what so ever,posts dont sound as good when written down,as talking face to face Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbear Posted February 21, 2012 Author Share Posted February 21, 2012 That's the truth Paul! It's been interesting to read all your views and I can see everybody's points to various degrees - especially that the REAL Britains ended when the family sold up! - but in the end, I will probably still buy Britains, but only after I find a model I want in good, new condition! I think I might be looking for a while for some items! I wonder why the farm implements are usualy in better shape than the tractors? Apart from a trailed sprayer I bought recently that was damaged by an over-tightened tie wrap, I don't think I've ever had a bad one... (Tempting fate...). Perhaps they don't rush these out to the market as fast? A lot of ebay sellers are offering free postage these days, so I've bought a few things from the bay. Despite the current quality problems, I still find it hard to buy anything but Britains... Although I have quite a few in smaller scales by various other manufacturers and a couple of the vintage Siku tractors that Britains haven't made yet. Fingers crossed that Tomy will make them a classic again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ploughmaster Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 There's no such thing as free postage It is merely included in the selling price. Some eBay sellers don't charge extra for post and packing because they think they will help keep their detailed seller ratings up (its an automatic score of 5 for no extra postage cost), but they often don't seem to appreciate that because of the way eBays fees are structured, eBay take 10% of the postage cost if it is accounted for in the item price, whereas a seperate post charge is not subjected to eBay fees (only the 3.5% for the transfer through PayPal). I would think you will have difficulty finding a better deal overall than some of the specialist farm model suppliers to be honest. I don't know what Farmmodels charge for postage, but I do know that G&M charge postage at cost up to a maximum charge of £7, so even if you order a shedload of models from them it won't cost more than £7 in postage Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris.watson Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 There's no such thing as free postage It is merely included in the selling price. Some eBay sellers don't charge extra for post and packing because they think they will help keep their detailed seller ratings up (its an automatic score of 5 for no extra postage cost), but they often don't seem to appreciate that because of the way eBays fees are structured, eBay take 10% of the postage cost if it is accounted for in the item price, whereas a seperate post charge is not subjected to eBay fees (only the 3.5% for the transfer through PayPal). I would think you will have difficulty finding a better deal overall than some of the specialist farm model suppliers to be honest. I don't know what Farmmodels charge for postage, but I do know that G&M charge postage at cost up to a maximum charge of £7, so even if you order a shedload of models from them it won't cost more than £7 in postage good points clive. i once had a large order from g&m when i first started collecting, about 7 models inc a combine. massive box arrived, all for £7, and very well packed. i thought postage cost was excellent. i am lucky enough to only be about 35 min drive from grahams so i now tend to pop over and collect what i need. postage can seem a bit steep sometimes, but would anyone take a model anywhere in u.k for £7, i coud'nt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justy 46 Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 (edited) You gota love the oldes tough. Edited February 21, 2012 by justy 46 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbear Posted February 21, 2012 Author Share Posted February 21, 2012 Good point about the postage being included in the price, but as long as it's below list, I'm happy and the ebay charges don't affect me as a buyer! I have to say that I've almost stopped selling on ebay for that very reason - i.e. sometimes you can lose up to 30% in charges, if you include the Paypal ones into the equation! WELL! Those pics have got my juices going justy! I've a couple of older tractors, but you seem to have cornered the market in them! The only other vintage one I would love to have is the original Fordson, but I have little hope of affording a mint one... Still, it's nice to dream! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Ferguson Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 My Britains disappointment is I just received my stock of New Holland T8390 tractors. Thought it was a really nice model and then noticed every single one has damage on the roof. Had to send them all back and my supplier had a look through his boxes and they're all the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ploughmaster Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Having only just got the T8, I found the same thing - a patch of bad paintwork halfway along the side of the roof. Both the Britains and Ertl Prestige versions are the same, and all the ones I have looked at have the same Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Ferguson Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Having only just got the T8, I found the same thing - a patch of bad paintwork halfway along the side of the roof. Both the Britains and Ertl Prestige versions are the same, and all the ones I have looked at have the same I've said I'd wait for the next batch to come in and hopefully, they've spotted the problem at the factory Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MuirHillyBilly Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 How can the3y miss a whole host of models with the same fault? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianmoyle41 Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 hi paulali cheers for that going to have a look and going to look at hollyfarmtoys as well . thanks for the help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tractorman810 Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 just about every issue raised in this topic is down to quallity control from what i can see, i would have said it was impossable for a entire batch of models to get through all with the same fault like the roofs on the t8's. but clearly not .i guess being so far away from the buyer the guys i nchina just do not care a dam about it, they wont get sent back to them, and i bet they wont claim the cost of them back from them either, so theres no incentive for them to buck their ideas up, its amazing how big companys just roll over and dont chase up stuff like this, i can tell you now bt is one of the worst for this, and clearly rc2 / ertl and now tomy are not much better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howard_S Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Just got my Britains IH 3588 today, was rather disappointing as there is glue all over the top of the bonnet and red paint on the black axles, I had high hopes for this model. Is there any complaints department I can write to at Britains??? H Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MB Trac Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 (edited) Chinese QA - There is none! Hence the issues with the model quality. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37510167/ns/business-us_business/t/why-apple-nervous-about-foxconn/#.T0VYR1FhuSo Seems this is the norm. Edited February 22, 2012 by MB Trac Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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