Recently released diecast, plastic and resin models

Mike Neale looks at some recently released diecast, plastic and resin models of vans, ice cream vans, lorries and tractors.

Autocult
Autocult have made a 1/43 scale resin model of the Škoda 979-II minibus in ivory and light green, selling for £139.99. The Czechoslovakian Ministry of Automotive Industry gave the go-ahead in 1955 for a new commercial vehicle to be developed, designed to appeal also to Western countries to bring in much needed foreign currency through exports. It was to be of steel monocoque construction, have a load capacity of 950kg, a top speed of 100km/h and fuel consumption of no more than 10km/litre. Škoda had a prototype ready for testing by September 1956, designated the S 979. A second, improved version was developed and tested shortly afterwards, the 979-II prototype, of which this is a model.  The wheels of bureaucracy in the eastern bloc must have turned very slowly, however, as the production vehicle, the restyled Škoda 1203, did not appear until 1968 but then continued until 1999.

Tiny Toys
A new 1/50 scale Mini in Tiny Toys’ extensive range is a Morris Mini Ice Cream Van in Truffelli’s ice cream livery of burgundy and cream, based upon a real preserved vehicle dating from 1961. The RRP is £18.99. As with the other Mini models in the series, the front doors open, which makes it a little toy-like, but they have captured the shape of the real thing very well, and it has the correct, plain painted grille as fitted to Mini vans and pickups throughout their long run from 1960-’83.

Brekina
The latest version of Brekina’s 1/87 scale plastic 1971 Bedford TK box van is in white, blue and red Birds Eye livery, a potential accessory for anyone with a British-themed HO gauge railway layout, although the lorry is unfortunately left-hand drive. The recommended price is £26.99. The TK had an even longer production run than the Mini van, from 1960 to 1986, also remaining visually largely unchanged throughout.

Greenlight
New in 1/64 scale from Greenlight is a Ford 8N tractor in red with a black canopy, described as a 1946 model, although the 8N was built from 1947-52. They were two-wheel-drive tractors fitted with a two-litre four-cylinder engine, a four-speed gearbox (instead of three speeds in the earlier 9N and 2N models) and were equipped with a Ferguson System three-point hitch. The 8N was reportedly the best-selling individual tractor of all time in the US. The model sells for £9.99. A basic model of a basic tractor.

Marge Farm Models
In 1/32 scale is a Steyr 8130 Super Elite in diecast and plastic which has a steerable front axle and height-adjustable rear hydraulics. A Limited edition of 500 pieces, the retail price is £127.99. Austrian manufacturer Steyr, based in St. Valentin, began producing tractors in 1928 with an 80hp machine. Only a handful were made before WW2. After the war, the Model 180 two-cylinder diesel was launched in 1948, plus the smaller Model 80 in 1949. Throughout the 1980s and 90s they produced a range of rowcrop and utility tractors, including the 8130 introduced in 1984 with two or four-wheel drive until 1987, and all four-wheel drive after that until production ended in 1995. They had a Steyr 5.2-litre six-cylinder 120hp turbodiesel engine. Case Corporation bought 75% of shares of Steyr Landmaschinentechnik GmbH in 1996 from Steyr-Daimler-Puch AG.

Britains
Also in 1/32 scale is a John Deere 4240 tractor made by Britains, retailing at £27.99.  The 4240 was in production from 1978-82 as a two-wheel-drive rowcrop tractor, with a Hi-crop version also offered with increased ground clearance. The engine was a 7.6-litre six-cylinder diesel, with a variety of transmissions available; a 16-speed partial power shift, eight-speed full power shift, eight-speed partially synchronized or 13-speed creeper.

The models illustrated can be found online and at various model shops, such as RM Toys (rmtoys.co.uk), Model Car World (model-car-world.co.uk), Flâneur Automobilia (flaneur.co.uk), Sheffield Transport Models (pufferwillies-stm.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