By Fred Hendricks
Note: This feature is in the November TF 2017 issue
Note: This feature is in the November TF 2017 issue
 Click to view electronic issue. | Bob Gibb builds scale model tractors and implements with precision accuracy. Bob's hobby of customizing and scratch building models stemmed from restoring antique originals. "Owning and restoring antique tractors was a fulfilling hobby. But then, I wanted scale models of those same tractors. As I started gathering up the replicas, I discovered they were not authentic. They were missing parts or features of the real tractor. So I set about customizing to make them realistic. If you're going to have model tractors, why not have implements to go with them? But, there were very few implements for the antique tractor models I had customized. That meant scratch building, which I started doing," he explained. Bob soon began building unique models. Matchless Models Bob's scratch-built units are considered matchless, as they represent farm implements that were not previously made as models. In many cases, they are replicas of vintage equipment. Bob highlighted several of those: "A very unusual model I built is the 1/16 scale version of the Moore-Gale footlift sulky plow. The plow was built by the Moore Plow & Implement Co. of Greenville, Mich. I located an original of this old plow in a monastery. It now sits alongside our driveway as you enter our property. Having it close by made it easy to take measurements when I was building the model." For those not familiar, the number of plowshares differentiates a sulky plow from a gang plow. A single-bottom riding is called a sulky plow. Riding or walk-behind plows with two or more bottoms are called gang plows. With his fascination for equipment from bygone years, Bob scratch built a row corn binder. This skillfully crafted binder is a highly detailed replica of a 1940s original model. The popular McCormick-Deering corn binder was built by International Harvester from 1902 until 1953. The binder was originally developed for corn, but later used to also harvest sorghum and other can crops. Want to read the rest of the story? It's available in the November TT&C 2017 magazine! Download here: NOVEMBER TT&C 2017 Call (701) 883-5206 or (701) 883-5206 to purchase or order online at: http://www.toytrucker.com/past-issues.html |
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