Richard Farrant Posted October 19, 2008 Share Posted October 19, 2008 Just seen on Antiques Roadshow, four factory models of wartime Austin trucks, a NFS K2 auxillary towing vehicle, a K5 portee, a K6 Breakdown Gantry and a K6 Signals truck. They must have been between 2 and 3 feet long. The owner had them for 15 years, bought the lot for £400 and a valuer on the programme thought the Portee would make over a £1,000. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Johns Posted October 19, 2008 Share Posted October 19, 2008 (edited) Some incredibly detailed wartime large 1/6th scale? model military Austin trucks have just been on the BBC Antiques roadshow, rescued years ago after a fire at the Longbridge factory, the models were of a K2 fire engine, 2 K6's and a gun portee, watch it on again on BBC I Player Edited October 19, 2008 by Nick Johns Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woa2 Posted October 19, 2008 Share Posted October 19, 2008 Did anyone else see 'Antiques Roadshow' on BBC TV tonight (19 Oct 2008)? There were 4 wartime model trucks, salvaged from Longbridge shown. 2 of them were Austin K6, a GS truck and what looked like a Radio body, an Austin NFS Fire tender but what looked the best was an Austin K5 Portee - all models built to profressional high standards. Try BBCi player and the programme should be on there for a week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marmite!! Posted October 19, 2008 Share Posted October 19, 2008 3 threads merged :coffee: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
private mw Posted October 19, 2008 Share Posted October 19, 2008 yes i saw it too , great models . glad someone else seen them ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted October 19, 2008 Share Posted October 19, 2008 Chosse the day when the telly ain't working! Still the power odf computers. When the Woolwich Arsenal closed there were a lot of apprentice models about. I know some ended up at various museums. Could these have been the same sort of thing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Degsy Posted October 19, 2008 Share Posted October 19, 2008 Yes, I saw it but what were the so called expert and the owner thinking, according to both of them the portee never existed and the expert thought if it had it would have been used like a Q ship in the Navy, to lure in tanks and then drop the canvas and open fire! This is how so much misinformation starts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrisg Posted October 19, 2008 Share Posted October 19, 2008 Yes I saw it great models Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bodge Deep Posted October 19, 2008 Share Posted October 19, 2008 I seem to recall an all excellent wooden model of a Churchill tank on there a few years back as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean101ryan Posted October 19, 2008 Share Posted October 19, 2008 I saw it as well, talk about the valuer being clueless!! Sort of thing apprentices used to be tasked with. Common practice still I think to produce high quality models. Last time I was in the stores of a major military contractor I was eyeing up some very nice tracked models, gone for scrap now I suspect along with everything else in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Farrant Posted October 19, 2008 Author Share Posted October 19, 2008 There used to be a wonderful model, of about the same scale, of a Morris Commercial CS8, in a cabinet in The Tank Museum, far more detailed than the Austin models seen tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runflat Posted October 19, 2008 Share Posted October 19, 2008 The Rootes group also made a fine series of large scale models of their wartime products, including rarities like the Karrier KT4 field artillery tractor (see Wheels & Tracks No 75, or Autocar April 13, 1945 (reproduced in "Allied Military Vehicles" collection No 2 by Brooklands Books)). I hope they are still around - I vaguely recall seeing a model Commer in one of the show cases at the London Imperial War Museum, which may have been one of them, but could be mistaken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snapper Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 I saw the programme and winced at the tosh the expert came out with. What saddened me was that the chap implied other models would have been scrapped. What a shame. It strikes me that I am never lucky enough to find stuff like this. I hope the bloke keeps them and good luck to him. To anyone on this forum they would be pure gold. Maybe one day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
les freathy Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 Missed the programme on Sunday but managed to pick it up on the BBC website, yes nice models but not as well detailed as the Rootes group models, i used to visit the IWM as a kid in the 1950s and they had the whole range out on display i spent hours just looking at them and wishing i could take them home. To my knowledge they still have them in storage which is a great shame as models of that calibre should indeed be on display for all to see plenty of room at Duxford. Now back to the austins yes they could have been presentation models for the war department but could also have been part of a range of regognition models, you will note the windows are blanked they were most likely a challenge for the apprentices to build at Austins still nice models wish i had em, I agree when this type of item comes up for evaluation the experts fall back on bull**** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil P Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 Yep saw that piece on the Antiques Roadshow. The 'expert' valued them as models or possibly toys only and not their historical value and gave some clueless reason for the actual reason being built, and it was obvious the guy who owned them had bought them for future profit and had never bothered or even been interested to do any research. I agree Degsy misimformation at it's best. Metro Cammell in Birmingham used to have 1/6th scale models built of railway carraiges and wagons (When it was a large contract or significant product) and had them in the reception and board room. They were made by Basset-Lowke. Where they went to I don't know. How many more MV models are there still about. Phil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snapper Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 Which brings us neatly on to Authenticast models made in the USA. Fantastic things made in several scales of aeroplanes, ships and MVs. Originally designed for US military recognition purposes and then sold commercially. Put Authenticast in to Google and see what comes up. I have three models I bought two years ago which may or may not be remoulds, I don't care. I have the close on 1/76 -1/87 Panther, M41 and Centurion. There are larger scale MVs as well - something like 1/32. I emailed one of the specialist sites to try and get a price range for them all now...no reply. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gritineye Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 I seem to remember a largish model Scammell Pioneer at the Tank Museum years ago, I think it was made of brass, very desirable too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
les freathy Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 REME museum has a number of good quality models built by the appentice school. i some photos and will dig them out and post for interest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Johns Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 They were made by Basset-Lowke. Where they went to I don't know. How many more MV models are there still about. Phil. Are they the ones on display in the Science Museum London Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil P Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 Might be. I think I spotted one at the Midland Railway Museum Ripley. Some may have been given to the Birmingham Science Museum now called Millenium something. So they will probably gathering dust in the Reserve Collection a posh name for a storage facility. The best model built was of the the Royal Coach built for South African Railways. Absolutely stunning. The original coach built by the 'Met' had 24 carat gold plated door handles and fittings. The actual coach is in a museum in Jo'burgh. Or was. All the drawings from Metro Cammell were donated to the Midland Railway Museum. I believe it was 5 truck loads!! Some of them are mine. Poor devils. Phil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.