New diecast and resin models of vans, fire engines and tractors

Mike Neale takes his monthly look at a selection of recently-released diecast and resin models of vans, fire engines, tractors and plant.

Corgi
Corgi has released a set of three 1/43 scale Wallace and Gromit vans from the Aardman Animations films, the Austin A35 Van Collection of Cheese Please!, Top Bun (from A Matter of Loaf and Death), and Spick & Spanmobile van (from The Big Fix Up), selling for £67.99. The Cheese Please! van can also be bought on its own for £31.99. The van body is modified from the standard flat roof to a high-roof shape for added storage capacity. Whether anyone ever modified a real A35 van to this form I rather doubt, but it is the sort of thing that Wallace might have done.

Autocult and Tractorism
New from Autocult in 1/43 scale is a resin model of a 1926 Renault Type LO Camion Pompier (fire truck) in red, selling for £151.99. Unusually, Renault offered a fire brigade version of its LO lorry as standard in its range, at a time when most were built by outside body builders. As was typical in the 1920s, the vehicle was open and without doors to allow for a speedy exit by the firefighters. Wooden bench seats in the back held four firemen, plus a driver and passenger in the front. A hose drum was mounted on the rear and, to save space, other hoses were mounted on the front wings. I wonder how clean white tyres would have remained?

Autocult have also launched a new range of 1/32 scale resin models of agricultural vehicles, branded as Tractorism. The first release is a 1936 Kramer K18 Allesschaffer, in both green and grey; the pair in the picture suggesting Kramer vs Kramer. I’ll get my coat… The retail price of each is £183.99. The K18 was launched in September 1936, fitted with a 16hp Güldner type GL 16 diesel engine. From 1938 an 18hp Güldner type GW 20 diesel engine was fitted, powering it to a top speed of 16km/h. Being of simple construction, they were cheap to buy and became nicknamed ‘Allesschaffer’ (All-rounder), being suitable for almost any application. A version designated K18M was developed for mowing work, this being the only type re-introduced after the war in 1948, which was built until 1950.

ERTL
In 1/32 scale from ERTL in diecast and plastic comes a John Deere three-piece Haying set, consisting of a John Deere 4020 Diesel wide-front tractor, 348 square baler and a hay wagon, along with 12 square bales, with an RRP of £71.99. It does look a bit toy-like for the price, but some stockists seem to have them cheaper, so it’s worth shopping around. The 4020 New Generation tractor was built from 1963-72 in John Deere’s factory in Waterloo, Iowa, as well as in Mexico, with the total production reaching almost 185,000, the majority fitted with 6.6-litre, six-cylinder diesel engines. 

Artitec
Dutch artisanal model producer Artitec has introduced a 1/87 scale resin Austin 7 panel van in dark green Singer livery, with a salesman figure and a model sewing machine on a stand. The RRP is £51.99. The models are hand-painted and nicely detailed at this small size. Established in Amsterdam during the 1980s, Artitec began building models for architects and museums but, since the 1990s, the company has branched out into hand-built resin models and kits for model collectors as well as accessories for model railways, particularly HO gauge, but also N, Z and TT gauges. 

Another recent release is a 1/87 scale Hanomag K5 track loader with an open cab, ready-made and painted, with an RRP of £44.99, although you may find it cheaper. It looks very realistically dirty from a day’s work. This version is without a driver, but you can have it with a driver figure, or with a closed cab. It also comes as an unpainted resin kit. The Hanomag K5 was produced from 1962-70, replaced by the K5B from 1970-75. It had a 2,799cc diesel engine. Hanomag’s construction division was sold to Massey Ferguson in 1974, being renamed Massey Ferguson Hanomag, and is now part of Komatsu.

The models illustrated can be found online and at various model shops, such as Sheffield Transport Models (pufferwillies-stm.co.uk), Flâneur Automobilia (flaneur.co.uk), Roads and Rails (roads-and-rails.co.uk), Jacksons Models (jacksonsmodels.co.uk), Scale Farm (scalefarm.com), Farm Models (farm-models.co.uk), Brushwood Toys (brushwoodtoys.co.uk) or Diecast Legends (diecastlegends.com).

This feature comes from the latest issue of Old Glory, and you can get a money-saving subscription to this magazine simply by clicking HERE