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[vintagent]

Hi, I was just wondering what happened to TMP (was it?) who used to be over Chatteris way in Cambridgeshire.  I once bought an F1 cat hull from him for £70.  A beautiful thing, superb moulding.  He also did outboard casings in alumimium to take KBs and ,I think, OPS engines.
Everything scale.  I believe he also did stuff for R/C cars at one time.
He was getting on a bit back in the early 90s when I bought my hull from him, but was spritely enough.

I just wondered what happened to all the goodies he used to make. The quality was top end.

Regards,
Vintagent

[Martin (Admin)]

Ah! Your referring to the great Miller Agnew - APMS (Agnew Model Products) & TM products.
 I used to pop in and visit him all the time years back however I believe the company and Miller have now long gone.
I did once find an American website that bought all the hulls etc. but that seems to have gone as well....

http://www.modelboatmayhem.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=1213.msg11145#msg11145
http://www.modelboatmayhem.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=18417.msg178003#msg178003
http://www.modelboatmayhem.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=5388.msg52665#msg52665

Quite a bit here:
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_7065963/mpage_1/key_/tm.htm

Even a video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aI5cixbWYrk

[Martin (Admin)]

Found it!!!! - AMPS International Hobbieshttp://www.shop.ampsinternationalhobbies.com/

[vintagent]

That's the one, Martin...AMPS!!  Miller Agnew, well, well.  He spent a long time in the States, I believe.  I still have a leaflet for his model car diffs somewhere. He was a forerunner in that regard, now they all have them. Rreal quality stuff, all of it.  Shame he's gone.

Thanks for the links, I'll check 'em out.
Regards,
Vintagent

[vintagent]

Checked those links, thanks again.  I'd forgotten what quality they were. I think I ordered an outboard from him for my Seabold hull, then got hard up before it arrived.  Wish I'd have busted myself to get it now!!

I remember him telling me that a cometition model R/C car driver was good, a helicopter "pilot" had it hard, but a racing cat driver (model form, that is) would be physically knackered after a 20 lap race.  The sheer effort of contolling speed, direction AND power trim for the outboard being almost impossible at speed for that long.

He used to race at Waterbeach pond, which I think is now Cambridge club's water. I invited him to our village fete with the Cambridge club and they turned up absolutely mob-handed.  people were stopping their cars on the main road to watch!  It was just our river outside our house and there were so many modellers it was a show on its own. Afterwards the secretary thanked me for asking them!  I was speechless that they'd put on such a good show for us.  Millar was there with a Seebold which was playing up, but then suddenly started and off he went. The crowd stood and cheered when he'd finished.  The modellers all said how nice it was to see scenery going by their boats instead of "losing" them on a big pond.

Happy days indeed.

And guys, the river's still there!!
Regards,
Vintagent

[BJ]

Ah! Your referring to the great Miller Agnew - APMS (Agnew Model Products) & TM products.
 I used to pop in and visit him all the time years back however
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_7065963/mpage_1/key_/tm.htm

Like you, it was nice to be able to pop over the to see MillAr on a summer evening (A not E, Martin) and his videos.
His son, Bob, posted Millar's obituary on the RCU forum just before Christmas. See http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_7065963/mpage_35/key_/tm.htm


Replicated by kind permission of Bob Agnew.

Hi Everyone

Unfortunately I have some sad news for everyone .

My father, Millar Agnew, sadly passed away last week. He was 87 years old and had been suffering from Dementia quite seriously for some time.

It had got quite bad and most of the time he did not recognise anyone. He did however live to see two great grandchildren born.

I mention this because it meant that he did not suffer towards the end and I think his passing was quite peaceful for him and was painless.

I have been monitoring all your posts for some time now and quite often used to take photos off the site in to show him and told him about the things you were all doing with the products that bore our name and were such a big part of his life.

On the few occasions that he was lucid and on good form he was really interested in what you were all doing and for that I thank you all for the pleasure you gave him.

Thank you all again for the enthusiasm and interesting posts that you filed

Kindest Regards
Bob Agnew

[Martin (Admin)]

Thanks for posting that sad news  BJ.
I sent an email Bob just saying I have many fond memories of Millar's stores and the time I spent with him in his workshop in Chatteris.....

[vintagent]

That's a shame.  Millar always took time for a chat and made the nicest hulls and equipment I've ever seen.
He always maintained that a model boat hull should be scale as it is not a model, but a small boat.

Regards,
Vintagent

[BJ]

.......... and the time I spent with him in his workshop in Chatteris.....

Now here is a picture taken  on the night in March 2002 when I went over to collect my Stiletto hull - beats wallpaper!
You should have seen the "goodies" in the loft space......!

[Martin (Admin)]

Seen on Ebay....

AMPs EXPLORER SPEED BOAT MODEL LARGE SCALE 34.5 INCHES
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/EXPLORER-SPEED-BOAT-MODEL-LARGE-SCALE-34-5-INCHES-/280538749736?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_ToysGames_RadioControlled_JN&hash=item4151699b28

[BJ]

Seen on Ebay....

AMPs EXPLORER SPEED BOAT MODEL LARGE SCALE 34.5 INCHES

Thanks for that linked picture, Martin - I thought my first one was a second hand MiniShark but the plan on the link confirmed it to be an Explorer.
Damned good boat, rebuilt my first one with a new hull last year from my mate had been storing it for a "rainy" day.

[phillnjack]

I used to own an amps miss enfield, nice big scale powerboat.

dont remember what happened to that ,but it was  nice boat.

I still have an AMPSA outdrive i got back in 1982, made mainkly for 1/4 scale formula 1 boats
these were pretty popular, also ther was a good amount of large outboards from amps with scale covers.

They certainly did cater well in those days for the model boater.




phill