Model Boat Mayhem
Mess Deck: General Section => Chit-Chat => Topic started by: woodybob on November 29, 2009, 01:29:44 am
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Say... whatever happened to this great little company that made such wonderful fittings for model boats?
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They went out of business many years ago I'm afraid.
Colin
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Thought someone took over the fittings ?
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I've got one of their last catalogues, and to be honest the offerings (although well made) were very expensive, completely outdated and would be out of place within the bounds of "modern" model making. OK if you are re-building a 1930s Basset-Lowke model I suppose. BY.
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I've got one of their last catalogues, and to be honest the offerings (although well made) were very expensive, completely outdated and would be out of place within the bounds of "modern" model making. OK if you are re-building a 1930s Basset-Lowke model I suppose. BY.
hummm... care to post some pages from that catalog?
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hummm... care to post some pages from that catalog?
Yes, OK. But give me a couple of days to do it. BY.
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Weren't there some ads for them a couple of years back, in "Model Boats" someone selling off the stock??
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Sorry. I KNOW I've got the thing somewhere...just haven't found it yet! (Too much "stuff").
However, I do have to hand a 1933 Basset-Lowke catalogue that is actually more interesting than the Webb offering. I've also got it on disc, so copying is no problem.
I could put one or two sample pages on here if anyone is interested? Or I could do the whole book in a serial form. Thoughts? BY.
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Whole please Bryan.
LB
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I may be wrong but, as a young copper :police: in North London in the 1960's, I seem to recall Webb Model Fittings having a workshop in a back street in Wood Green where two elderly gentlemen made all the fittings - fascinating to call in for a cuppa and watch them at work ;). I have no doubt when they got too old they sold the business but I suppose that no-one was interested in hand-making fittings any longer and the firm just 'disappeared'. I also have a catalogue somewhere but I would hate to try and find it after several house moves.
Perhaps Bryan Young would correct me if my memories are wrong :((.
Derek.
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I may be wrong but, as a young copper :police: in North London in the 1960's, I seem to recall Webb Model Fittings having a workshop in a back street in Wood Green where two elderly gentlemen made all the fittings - fascinating to call in for a cuppa and watch them at work ;). I have no doubt when they got too old they sold the business but I suppose that no-one was interested in hand-making fittings any longer and the firm just 'disappeared'. I also have a catalogue somewhere but I would hate to try and find it after several house moves.
Perhaps Bryan Young would correct me if my memories are wrong :((.
Derek.
Sorry Derek, all I can recall is that their fittings, although beautifully made, were "out of date" (i.e."traditional") and very expensive. BY.
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This reply primarily for LB.....but also for others who are interested.
Since my previous post I've looked again at the disc.
It runs to 104 pages, taking up 192mb of disc space. It is (obviously) about model ships of the era, plus a bit about other aspects of modelling that B-L did. Each page is between 1 and 2 mb, reducing a page to the 161kb required by the forum looks horrible!
So I have a suggestion....if anyone "out there" would like a copy of the disc I'm willing to do it for "free". Mainly because I hate to see "stuff" hidden away and never seen by interested people.
All I'd request is that you send me a PM with a mailing address, I'll PM you with mine. Send me a blank CD (preferably CD-RW, but not vital), with a small label or whatever with a return stamp on it and I'll post the full disc back ASAP. My recent postage cost for a CD within the UK has been 68p....and £1-60 for postage to the USA. (But only 75p to New Zealand.....you work it out!).
I can also enclose a little list of other very old stuff I have on disc that makes interesting reading....particularly WW2 guff produced by the Ministry for (dis)Information. Bryan.
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Yes Bryan I see the point, I'll send you a disk by the end of the week, I would do so tomorrow of course but I'm on Orangeleaf transporting Lairds to Birkenhead, Sir Percy arriving on Wednesday so that will be a 0430 start.
LB
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I have the Eleventh Edition (Eighth Edition Illustrated) think I purchased the Catalogue back in the 80's sometime when I had Grand idea of building an 8 foot Titanic (and this was before the JC film..) still have the 1/4 inch frames I cut , never know maybe one day.. :-X
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Hi Long Build,
Perhaps, from your catalogue, you could confirm that the address of the Webb Model Fitting Co was in Wood Green, London N.22.
From your photo it looks like the one I remember.
Derek.
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Yes, it was 204 High Road, Wood Green, London N22. I have the advert in an old copy of Model Maker.
Colin
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Thanks, Colin. Just shows my memory hasn't gone completely and they were rear of r/o 204.
Derek.
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Yes, it was 204 High Road, Wood Green, London N22. I have the advert in an old copy of Model Maker.
Colin
Actually the address shown in the Catalogue is
The Web Model Fitting Co.
63 Uppleby Road
Parkstone
Poole
Dorset
BH12 3DB
Also mentions at the back that they were an Associate Company of "Chine Engineering Ltd. and that Chine is Ministry of Defence Approved to DEF STAN 05-24
Larry
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Must have been a later date then. I do vaguely remember that there was a change of some sort at some point. The address I have given was taken from a 1960 advert.
Colin
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Must have been a later date then. I do vaguely remember that there was a change of some sort at some point. The address I have given was taken from a 1960 advert.
Colin
Me not around then :} :}
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Me was :((
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I think you AND a couple of OTHERS I know have been around a lot longer than we know about.. No matter what year model boats mag I pick up, their there.. 8) 8)
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I remember seeing the company advertised for sale many, many years ago and I thought then that their products would not survive :(( - they were too well made and labour intensive. As I mentioned previously, it was the 1960's when I used to sneak into their premises for a cup of tea :-)) and the address was r/o 204, High Road, N22. So that probably puts me well along the 'age scale' :(( :((.
Derek.
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I think you AND a couple of OTHERS I know have been around a lot longer than we know about.. No matter what year model boats mag I pick up, their there..
The rumours of reincarnation are true......
Colin
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Didn't they have an advt on ther back of MB magazine? I remember brass guns suitable for TBDs and such, and Braine gears for yachts.
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Some Pages
If you want more I will put them up .
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Like this one from March 1980
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A few more pages
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I want one of those adjustable weighted rudders!!
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Thanks for sharing. :-)) I just stumbled onto this http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Web-Model-ship-boat-Fitting-Co-Catalgue-1950s_W0QQitemZ270502499560QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_ToysGames_ModelKits_ModelKits_JN?hash=item3efb3494e8 and bought it. :-)
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Anyone know why Webs are no more, the fittings look excellent ?
Sorry, forget I asked that, I didnt read the first page. Its an age thing, I was working in Wood Green about the same time as that old timer Derek. :embarrassed:
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Sorry, forget I asked that, I didnt read the first page. Its an age thing, I was working in Wood Green about the same time as that old timer Derek.
Less of the 'old', Dickie >>:-( {-) ;D
I think that they probably came to an end when the 2 old boys who ran the company and made all the parts were just too old to carry on. Even when I used to call there in the 1960's they were certainly getting on in years and were typical old time craftsmen. Still, in those days everyone over 40 was old to me {-).
Derek.
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probably because they where so dear, in the 60s there deck winch was a trademan's wages for a week. having said that MHB want £125 for there non working vigilant winch