Packaging/decaling mistakes

[the other green]

I've just finished reading a thread on TTS dealing with mis-labeling of a particular model and it got me thinking, Ford TW 35s in Ford 8730 boxes or Deutz DX 92s with the decal on upside down don't do anything for me. I consider these to be human error at a factory in who-knows-where. Some folks seem to go nuts over them and figure they've got what'll put the kids through Uni. if they ever sell them.

What do you think?

[Guest Fendt pwr]

I'm with you TOG I would not go and buy what at the end of the day is just a big stuff up. :(not good at all.

[civilpek]

same ere, i once got a box with a mistake on it that was covered over with another sticker instead that said the correct version i forget what tractor it was now but im pretty sure it was one of the fords.... box is long gone any how

[FB]

a little like the post by FP i think with the new JCB loader and fastrac reference on the box!!...human error or crappy QA procedure!

[JC]

I think the problem with the britains box is down to the fact that the people printing the box's, making the models and packing them can't speak a word of english! Saying that, I proof copy all my printing I have done at work before the print is run, someone at RC2 is to blame for the error on the Farmmaster box.....

[case 1056xl mad]

i have a ertil ford tw 15 but the sticker on the side of the bonnet says TW5 and its mint condition

[ploughmaster]

I've just finished reading a thread on TTS dealing with mis-labeling of a particular model and it got me thinking, Ford TW 35s in Ford 8730 boxes or Deutz DX 92s with the decal on upside down don't do anything for me. I consider these to be human error at a factory in who-knows-where. Some folks seem to go nuts over them and figure they've got what'll put the kids through Uni. if they ever sell them.

What do you think?

I quite agree - I don't regard a factory mistake which can easily be recreated (ie. faked) by a simple swap of models between boxes or swapping easily removed parts as being special at all - some are interesting, but no more than that.  They certainly cannot be regarded as having any more value than the standard item. 

same ere, i once got a box with a mistake on it that was covered over with another sticker instead that said the correct version i forget what tractor it was now but im pretty sure it was one of the fords.... box is long gone any how

That sounds like the early Ford Force 5000 for which Britains used up the previous boxes for the Super Major 5000 and merely fixed a sticky label with the words "New Ford Force Tractor Inside" on it.  I would suggest that variations such as that do have a slightly higher value as they are a rare but genuine variation rather than an error. 

[FNHIR]

i have a ertil ford tw 15 but the sticker on the side of the bonnet says TW5 and its mint condition

Does the box say TW-15 Gregor? Just wondering as Ertl did make a TW-5, which was a real tractor sold by Ford (but not in Europe)

[david_scrivener]

Britains has a long history (i.e. back when it really was 'Britains' - owned by the Britain family) of 'mistakes', including plain old using up old stuff so as not to waste it. I've noticed two periods when this sort of thing was especially common, 1945-50, when they were sending out any castings they had left from before the war in some very, ahem, 'unconventional' boxed sets, and same again in the early 1960s, when they were trying to clear out the last of their lead castings as they knew lead production was coming to an end. Non standard arms can be found on movable arm figures when they had run out of the proper arm, and some interesting improvisations in paint jobs. I've just bought some of these, the steel helmeted WW1 standing on guard figure overpainted as an ACW Confederate, with the steel helmet no doubt pretending to be an old shapeless floppy hat. The original olive green/khaki paint can be seen under the base, and the overpainted Confederate colour scheme looks like Britains colours and painting style to me, so I don't think it was a repaint by a collector later, & the other Britains figures sold by the ebay vendor all seemed original, and the vendor was clearly not a collector or regular toy dealer.   

[Lady Ferguson]

I couple of years back I bought a load of Siku Masseys that were incorrectly boxed (I can't remember the model number, sorry ), but they sold like hotcakes... really popular

[Tractorman810]

that was the south african ones wasnt it mandy, i have one of those from you,

also weise have just done their 822 fendt, but the box is still a 824 as per the origonal one

[roberthenning]

Thats were your all wrong, going by all the topics on the recent case ih 956xl and 1056xl i seem to have the only two tractors with the correct stickers that arent peeling off so therefore i'll be the one whos minted in years to come ha ha!. I really dont see the fascination of haveing a tractor thats the wrong shade just because its different

[Lord Ferguson]

A lot of these factory mistakes are not quite as rare as some people may assume... imagine the scene as a factory.... (say) 20 people sat in a row at tables performing assembly jobs on models... let us say sticking on bonnet decals... if just one or them has not listened to the instructions properly then 1 in 20 models may have a left hand bonnet decal on the right or vica-versca. In any case.... even if one in 20 models have come out like this due to one persons incompetence, does this really add value to the model

[convo]

i have two siku fendts 930 and they are a dark green compared to the ones you can buy to day in the shops ,they came from a old shop that was selling up and they were just part of a job lot i bought that day ,it was not until i removed five 930s from the boxes to mess around with, two were a total different green but original and sealed boxes .i think at siku they must have had a doggy mix of paint that day or something,i still have them and have never see any since  ???