It's February 1964 and we're down on the farm with a new Fordson Power Major tractor and a new plough but only if you buy Gift Set 13 at 8/6d (which would have been about a month's pocket money for me at the time!)
The tractor may look identical to the #55 model from 1961 but there are many differences. Firstly, the steering is now more realistic, although it is sad to say that a later revision with the Ford 5000 Super Major reverts to the ugly swivelling axle. Next there are now headlamps inset in the radiator grille - much simpler for casting I imagine and one has to wonder how many of the 55 models never made the box with their little headlamps protruding on either side very vulnerably. In the seat is a driver now too, the light-haired Farmer George.
At the back is a far simpler device for attaching implements, including the now very basic plough. Looking more realistic with its shiny shears replacing the yellow plastic this just slots over the attachment at the rear and there is now no need to fiddle around with several linkages. The previous tractor and plough were delightfully well-engineered and very much like how the real devices would have been put together but really hard work for us to play with. Having said that, there was nothing else for us to attach the plough too and not a great deal else for the tractor to pull along either but never mind.
Most models of the new Fordson have orange plastic wheels but you may find a few with the red plastic wheels which were intended to be fitted to the Massey-Ferguson tractors but easily mixed up in the factory. I think the orange metal wheels will have only been fitted to the earlier #55 model so should not appear on the #60 models.
You need to wait a few months until later in 1964 when the tractor and plough would be available individually.
The other addition to the local shop stock would be the Volkswagen Pick-up truck #431.
This was always a bright yellow but could have either a red or dark green canopy. The canopy was made of thick plastic and most seem to have disappeared now, with few models being available to buy with one. It is interesting to note that Model Supplies only offer a tin replacement and I am not aware of anyone who does make what ought to be a relatively easy part. There are many very good copies for the Land Rover but it seems no-one is too concerned with the lowly old VW. So if you have a canopy, take good care of it!
There are two interiors - lemon and red - and both are right-hand drive. The lemon flavour seems to be the more common of the two and most trucks that I have encountered have had the red canopy.
The wheels are always the normal shaped a and free-spinning variety on this edition. In years to come this will be revised with a tool box in the back, a winch added and issued as a Breakdown Truck in olive or white and in a number of Gift Sets. This will continue in that form until well into the 1970s but, sadly, the Pick-up had a short life, disappearing from order lists a little more than a year later.
A gold edition is known but is almost certainly a colour trial rather than an issued variation.
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