When it comes to collecting farm-related scale models, Irish people are brand loyal, according to Tommy Fennelly who runs Mad for Models in Burton hall, Carlow, with his wife Madeline.
“You get people who only collect John Deere or Massey Ferguson,” said the avid John Deere fan, who is based between Carlow and Castledermot.
The most sought-after model by customers is the ‘black-edition’ Fendt tractor by German company, Wiking, he said.
The business grew out of his own passion for collecting agricultural equipment miniatures, which he started in 1989.
“At that time, you would have to source a lot of scale models in the US. When people recognised that I had built up a collection of vintage tractors, steam engines and farm machinery, they started asking me to get them items,” he said.
Inspired by his wife’s name, Mad for Models was launched in 1999. “It was an instantly recognisable name that really worked for us,” Fennelly said.
Fendt 939 Vario
“There was a very limited number of agricultural scale models in Ireland – Corgi and Britains would have been the main ones, and then Siku from Germany came on stream.
“Generally, vintage models were only available from US companies.”
As well as buying from individual companies worldwide, Fennelly commissions pieces.
I had 9,000 of the Fiat 110-90 tractor built in 2008, because it was the most popular tractor in Ireland. We’re down to the last 200 now.
“We commissioned the McHale Fusion baler-wrapper in 1:32 scale two years ago.
“I had a lot of people asking me about it. I got in touch with McHales to ask if they would be interested in having a scale model produced to promote the business, and they were,” he said.
“A lot of Irish products are on the shelves through individual companies, for example, Siku produces Abbey Farm Machinery and the Britains brand produces Kane trailers. NC tankers and equipment are also produced by Britains.”
Over the years, he has built up a massive store of knowledge and enjoys helping people find items.
“I can take a phone call from anyone and tell them if the model they’re enquiring about was ever made. If it was made, I can help them search for it.”
While most customers are male, there are quite a lot of female buyers too, according to Fennelly, who travels all over Europe, especially Holland and France, to source items.
And they’re not all farmers. “Sometimes it can be the person whose home was frequently passed by agricultural contractors, or the nephew who helped out on the farm, who is inspired to start a collection.”
Significant birthdays, such as the 40, 50 and 60 milestones, often result in sales, as family and friends seek to evoke memories, Fennelly said.
“They want to find something important from the person’s childhood.
They could have had a model such as a Corgi or Britains that was meant to be kept, but was given away by mistake.
The nostalgia factor is huge. “I often get calls from people who think that the Ford 5000 has gone into production again – they don’t realise that it’s a photo of a scale model they have seen.
“That will start a conversation about the tractor they had in the past. I have lovely chats with people as part of the job,” said Fennelly, who also sells online.
Fortunate enough to carve out a niche in an area that he is passionate about, Fennelly has found the cost of exhibiting at shows a challenge.
“You can come home, having made big sales, but you pay a lot to get into the event,” he said.
He currently exhibits at a range of events, from Punchestown to the National Ploughing Championships.
“It’s great to see children interested in farm machinery models, and parents supporting them, at a time when so many young people are glued to devices.”
The boom years saw a lot of people get into the hobby because it was popular among their friends, and subsequently put items back up for sale if travelling abroad for work to release cash.
“You could see a lot of what they bought on DoneDeal when the recession came along.”
While he has a strict policy of only buying from wholesalers, he will advise people who want to sell on their collections.
“People can get badly caught out by cherry-pickers who take the best of their collection and promise to return the following day for the rest, but who are never seen again,” Fennelly said.