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Time, Skill and Accuracy Invested by Modelers:
Payoff comes in plain old fun
By Gary Van Hoozer
Building scale models can be enjoyed by both the young and young at heart, whether you're a modeler or a rider. Riding's easy, but experienced makers say to take your time, and make it more of a hobby than a business.
Jim Turnbull, for example, makes scale-model tractors for fun, while his son Jason has ridden and helped show them at more than 30 tractor meets and fairs. Jason spreads the fun by giving other children rides in a small trailer pulled by a one-third-scale model John Deere L. The models generate a lot of interest at shows.
"I have had many offers to sell, but the kids say 'No'!" says Jim, who lives in Rushville, Mo. "People at shows like to set their kids on it to get a picture."
"I've built a pedal tractor, and I have a garden-size tractor that my dad built in 1957 that used a lot of Ford car parts," he says. "He built about 10 or 12 of them back then."
"His keys to success?
"Make a model of something that people are familiar with and don't give up when you're half done," he says. "If you get stumped, stop and think about it for awhile and you'll figure it out."
Ralph Henderson, St. Clairsville, Ohio, agrees that an investment of time and patience pays off. He spent the winter of 1993 remaking a John Deere model 110 riding lawn mower into a small Deere model A or G tractor.
"It's a good thing that I'm retired, considering all the hours I put into the project," he adds.
"Ralph recently sold the tractor for $1,200 to a personal friend, after refusing a $5,000 offer. Doc Saffeil, Belmont, Ohio, is the new owner. Doc is the vice president of the Stumptown Steam Threshers Association. Members of that group gave Ralph the initial encouragement for his project.