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SpecCast die-cast Bantam C-35 Shovel
May 31, 2006
By Noel Widdifield
LSOL.com Managing Editor |
Author
Bio
The shovel is based upon the self-propelled model introduced in 1953. SpecCast advertises that the model has over 200 intricate parts and it is painted in the flame orange of the real thing.
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Over the past several months I had been watching the product announcements for the SpecCast Schield Bantam series of construction equipment in 1/25 scale. When I arrived at the East Coast Large Scale Train Show in early April, I had my eye out to see if any of the Spec Cast equipment would be for sale there. If you followed my daily reporting at the show, you know that I found what I was looking for. One of the vendors had all three of the new products on display. I purchased the Bantam C-35 shovel and decided to write a product review on it. Two brothers, Vern and Wilbur Schield, who built their first Bantam out of used parts in 1940, founded the Schield Bantam Company. 
That machine was a dragline and was followed by two more machines that were sold in 1941. In 1943 they built 9 Bantams in a barn at a quarry near Waverly, Iowa. Although the war made it difficult to obtain materials and sell their machines, the brothers continued with their business and in 1944 built a small plant at the quarry.
They sold 27 Bantams that year. In 1946, the brothers moved the company into Waverly and built an 18,000 square foot building.
From there the business expanded until they sold the business in 1963 and they had built and sold about 15,000 Bantams worldwide. 
Their success was because of their concept: build a very powerful, but small-sized series of machines.
Their early machines were built from used parts and then war surplus machinery, but they quickly moved on to a first rate series of small equipment that was sold through dealers throughout the U.S and overseas. 
The machines were inexpensive, reliable and easy to maintain. They used a variety of attachments that allowed the operator to do many jobs with a single machine. The brothers painted all of their machines with bright flame orange paint and used a logo that featured a Bantam rooster.
These machines were easy to spot during the years when railroads were rapidly replacing their steam locomotives with diesels. You can still find some of them for sale used on the Internet today. They make interesting models for any era from the mid-1940s to present day and fit well on my September 1954 railroad. The SpecCast model is a beautiful die-cast replica of the Bantam C-35 Shovel. 
SpecCast offers two other machines in this line. They are the C-35 Dragline and the C-35 Backhoe.
The shovel is based upon the self-propelled model introduced in 1953. SpecCast advertises that the model has over 200 intricate parts and it is painted in the flame orange of the real thing. Modeled in 1/25 scale, makes it the same scale as many of the die-cast automobiles and trucks available today. It is much too small to fit into a 1/20.3 railroad, but looks pretty good on my 1/29 scale New York Central since many of the buildings, automobiles and figures are also 1/24 and 1/25 scale. The Bantam Shovel comes in a brightly colored box and is packed in foam packaging for protection. 
The model is heavy for its size, weighing about one and a half pounds. In 1/24 scale, the top of the cab is about nine feet above the ground. The machine is about 7 feet wide and about 22 feet long to the end of the boom. The entrance door to the operating compartment is 6 feet high. Using the picture shown earlier of Wilbur and Vern standing in front of one of their machines as a model for measurement, these dimensions appear to be correct.
The rigging is the first thing that I noticed. SpecCast uses a fine black thread for the rigging. 
The shovel is controlled by the rigging and uses two removable cranks to move the boom up and down and to control the bucket arm and the bucket. 
A separate cable opens and closes the bucket. . 
There are two operating doors on the model. The first is the entrance to the operator's compartment. 
The second is used to enter the engine bay. 
The operator's compartment has a seat and several levers for operating the machine.
The model does not come with an operator, so I added an ARISTOCRAFT engineer. I had to cut off his legs at the knees to make him fit, but he looks like the actual operator using the machine. 
The engine compartment contains the engine and gears found in the real machine. It even has a battery and an authentic looking detailed motor with a fan and exhaust stack included. The windlasses and gears also appear to match the prototype. 
The rear access doors do not open, but appear accurate. 
The treads are metal, roll easily and match the prototype for detail.
The underbody is completely detailed. 
The drive mechanism is even included. 
The bucket is hinged and has a release mechanism that can be opened by first moving a slide latch to unlock it and then by pulling on a thread to release it. 
The Bantam C-35 shovel is a very nicely executed machine. It seems to be a perfect reproduction of the original and operates very well. The paint appears to be very thick and perfectly applied. 
The logo matches the logo used by Schields Bantam. The shovel is well put together and the details are perfect. The only problem I encountered was with the rigging.
As long as I left the model upright everything was fine. When I turned it over the rigging fell off of the pulleys. Putting the rigging back in place is a very delicate job and extremely time consuming. I know this to be true because I turned the model over for pictures and alas I had to restring it. 
About an hour later, as I was moving the model, I accidentally turned it on its side and had to restring it again. I solved my problem by determining the position in which I wanted the machine to be on the railroad and gluing the rigging in place. Should I wish to reposition it, I will remove the glued rigging and restring it. The machine looks great on my railroad. The shovel fits in perfectly with the other trucks and people I have working on the rail line leading into the turntable. 
Although I only purchased the shovel, I examined the other two models offered by SpecCast and found them both to be of the same quality as the C-35 shovel model. I would recommend this model to anyone who wants a construction site on his or her railroad. The models sell for $99 each and are available on several websites that sell auto models and Large Scale railroad equipment. 
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