27c and 321 Massey Harris Manure Spreader (1949-73)

As i love my variations i like to share with you this version of the 321 manure spreader with red supertoys hubs.

More samples have come up so now we have ten known versions. Are there any others ? For some reason the steel splined axle (not brass as this alloy is too soft for an axle) was not available any more and Meccano changed the design to the roll pin which is more expansive than the splined axle. I thought that the model with red plastic hubs was the latest issue but not at all, it is the version four only out of ten. The 10th version is quite a surprise as all the marking has been changed, there are no more raised areas, the word TOYS is smaller thant DINKY which dates this version after 1971 and the manufacturer's name has been deleted. Does this mean that the manufacturing has been sub-contracted to an other firm in England ? Today, kasvd comes with an other very rare version which is fited with red Supertoys hubs. This must be the version 5. I have search the net but could not find a similar one. kasvd could you please post a picture of the left hand side of your 321 and a photo of the base framed with all the tyre, both of these on a light coloured background ? Thanks and regards.

Jacques. It is indeed striking that the name of Meccano Ltd as the manufacturer of the product is not stated on the base. After all, Meccano Liverpool always mentions the name Meccano Ltd on its products. As you says, this suggests that the model was manufactured by a subcontractor. Maybe this was Joal in Spain? In the past I made a contribution in the following link about Massey Harris Manure Spreader model 204 from Joal: /forum-topic/321-massey-harris-manure-spreader-1949-1973-versus-joal-204-massey-harris-repartidor-de]/forum-topic/321-massey-harris-manure-spreader-1949-1973-versus-joal-204-massey-harris-repartidor-de Apparently, Joal recreated the Model 204 with Meccano Dinky Toys tools and may have manufactured the Model 321 as subcontractor for Meccano Liverpool at the time? it's just an idea, but I also realize that it does not stroke with the wording Made in England.Jan O

Dear Jan, I did notice the similarity between some Dinky Toys and Joal models and I purchassed the Joal manure spreader, the multibucket unit, the cement mixer and the Blaw knox bulldozer. Although they are very similar, none of them has been made with Meccano tools. They must have been made from the same drawings provided by the manufacturers and as they are at the same scale, they look very similar. If the manufacturing of the manure spreader was sb -contracted we must look else where but not in Spain as the spreader's marking still reads 'MADE IN ENGLAND'. I still think that Meccano's policy was to keep the old tools and not to sale them. Some very old tools have been used years later like the rotor of the Autogiro which has been fitted 17 years later on the Bristol heicopter ref. 715.

Colour of model may differ from illustration', says the text on the new, sturdy box. Still, the colour never changed at all. Things that did change were the wheels/tyres and the presence or not of the Massey-Harris brand name. As this revised box design came with the latest models only, it is peculiar that these obvious characteristics were not changed at all on the 'new' illustration of the model.