fodenway

Mention of the Kraz/Belaz dumptrucks rang a bell for me - back in the seventies a couple were being used to clear an old pit site in preparation for building a new industrial estate near me. I'd never seen one before, and at first sight (from a distance) I thought it was a very noisy Diamond T, but soon realised this was something different. I spoke to the driver as he waited to get out on to the main road - he told me what it was, and wasn't very complementary about it either! I don't recall the operator, but I do know that W.E.Ambrose of Chesterfield had them. This is a model I made of one in the livery of Northern Strip Mining (Sheffield). It uses the cab and chassis from a ' Grell' World Brewery series model, and works out to 1/76 scale. The wheels have been changed, and the dump body is scratchbuilt in plasticard.

Try BLACK SQUARE DECALS, Ian does a big range of very high quality transfers for restoring old diecasts, including several 'code 3 custom' transfers, and will also do bespoke transfers to your design at a very good rate.

Fantastic work - but don't forget the locking handle on the fifth wheel coupling!

I've built their bulldozer version of the Drott, very clean castings, quite complex but went together very well. I believe it originated with Scalecast many years ago.

Have a word with your tyre fitter - the offside rear outer isn't seated on the rim !!!!

With a change of wheels (Classix Ford Zodiac Mk1), a colour change for the interior and a bit of detail painting, plus the addition of mirrors and a driver, the toy Cadillac becomes an acceptable scale model.

The trouble with this idea, noble as it is, is that those 'sub-committees' might tend to concentrate solely on doing their own thing, instead of actively liaising with their co-organisers for the benefit of the show as a whole. I had similar experiences, as one who initiated twice-yearly model shows at a certain heritage venue for several years - when I started, I dealt with one person, the Event Manager, and the shows were straightforward and successful for everyone. Then, a new team was brought in, and things started to go downhill - areas were double-booked (two people allocating the same space to different groups without checking with each other first). Having to chase tickets and passes, because someone thought "someone else was responsible for that", and so on. Things got so bad that I eventually gave up trying. Close co-operation has to be the watchword in such situations to avoid clashes and confusion.

Just had the email that the 2024 show won't be at the NEC - will there be another venue, or have we seen the last of "actual" Warley Shows, or will it become "Open Days" or "Virtual Exhibitions", as several other clubs are resorting to?

A couple of 4mm scale models you'd be hard pressed to find today - which is just what I did at the Newark Toy Fair last week. These two were made by someone in the early post-war days using "Modelcraft" plans and instructions. They are made from card and wood, with the little Morris 8 Series E being made from a series of thin card profiles, carefully cut to shape, glued together, shellac'd and sanded to shape. The Fordson 7V is simpler, construction-wise, but none the less detailed. To think in those days, kits as we know them today were non-existent, a kit in those days consisted of a set of drawings, instructions and the raw materials (pre-printed and possibly pre-cut wood and card), but you would probably have to mix and boil up your glue (Cascamite was my grandad's choice), and maybe even mix your own paint from linseed oil and pigments. It is incredible that these have survived so long, and show just what can be achieved using only very basic materials - and a whole lot of patience and skill.

Unfortunately, NONE of these Harbutts/Jet Petroleum model cars are 1/76, although the Ford T is the nearest, according to research done by Bernard TPM and posted on RM Web a while ago under "OO road vehicles from non-railway sources".

A fairly recent Matchbox introduction in the 'Retro Series' is this 1975 Cadillac Eldorado convertible, and it works out to exactly 1/76 scale. Full-size dimensions are:- Wheelbase 126.3 inches, width 80 inches, overall length 225 inches. The blue one seems to be quite common, I picked this up, still carded, at Newark Toy Fair a couple of days ago for £2, and the same dealer had four or five left. There is also a creamy-yellow version, and a metallic coppery-red (with red interior) that looks really good, but these last two seem to be fetching higher prices on ebay. With the addition of a driver figure, mirrors, some better wheels and some detail painting this will be a welcome addition to my collection.

Check out John Day Models, Scalelink, DG Models and KW Trams (ex-ABS Models kits) - they all have websites and all do a decent range of cars and commercials covering the period from pre-WW1 to well after WW2, you should find what you need in their ranges.

Glad you like it! Presumably it's a second edition, the first run was of 1500 copies, paid for in part by advance subscribers (myself included), of which there was a list at the back of the book.

If you can find a copy of the book "After the war was over" by Alan Earnshaw and David Hayward (ISBN 9781903016 28 2) published 2008 by Trans-Pennine Publishing, you will find a wealth of information on how US military materiel (Including half-tracks) arrived here in assembled or CKD form for final assembly and onward allocation during WW2. The book focuses on the activities of one company, Pearsons of Liverpool, but shows just how vehicles arrived crated and were dealt with. Unfortunately the book is out of print, and Trans-Pennine are no more. Only 1500 copies were printed, but try your library, specialist bookshop or ebay.

The Jowett CD project included a van, estate car and pickup. At least one of the vans survives in preservation in this country, and possibly a pickup. A small number also survive in New Zealand, where about a dozen were imported when new.