Tragedy in the making for Armour Buffs

[Tankbuilder]

Shalom.

Was just clued into this by a friend. I thought others would be interested.

Silicon Valley tank collection heading east

http://www.sfgate.com/business/technology/article/Silicon-Valley-tank-collection-heading-east-4972136.php#photo-5443193

Quote from article:

"But in a deal inked on July 4 and announced Monday in honor of Veteran's Day, the 240 pieces have been signed over to The Collings Foundation, which preserves historical military aircraft and now plans to add a new military vehicle museum at its Stow, Mass., headquarters.

Foundation director Rob Collings said the organization hopes to raise $10 million to build the museum by auctioning 160 of the military vehicles in August 2014."

That's a whopping 2/3 of that collection that they're planning to auction off. I bet that is NOT what the collecter or family hoped would happen to it.

Cheers

 

[wds]

That is too bad.
I never managed to see the collection though I have lived in the SF bay area almost my whole life.
I worked on Alpine road (the main access road) in Portola Valley for about 4 years (20 years ago) and saw a couple of vehicles coming and going on transporters.
Some of the local model clubs have arranged private tours in the past few years, but I never made it happen.

.. so it goes ...

Cheers,

Bill

Thanks for the link

 

[moon puppy]

I don't know, they will build a proper museum with the money raised, that can't be a bad thing. (Always trying to look on the bright side of things..)

 

[Sherman 18]

I saw that. Not sure how I feel about. I feel sorry for the guys that were employed to take of and restore the vehicles. Talk about a dream job pulled out from under you. If the new museum can put what is not sold off in the protection of a building to keep them from rotting outside, that is good. Hope they will get them out and run them around. One thing people seem to forget is how noisy tanks are. Time will tell.

 

[ausf]

The tragedy to the collection was when Littlefield passed, it was his passion, not his heirs.

Yes, it's bad that part of the collection will now be in private hands to fund the museum, but the upside is the entire WWII collection will be exhibited to a lot more people (venue and location).

I, like most armor modelers, have followed the photographs of the Panther restoration over the years, but my access stops there. Now I'll have a chance to actually see the pieces along with many others. It might be selfish, but it's a good outcome considering the possibilities.

It's not like they'll be painted one color, sit on slabs outside for 40 years, then scattered to the wind like Aberdeen collection, that's the tragedy.

 

[Ken Abrams]

Keep in mind that the majority of the vehicles being auctioned, are not the finished pieces in the buildings that we've all seen all over the web, but the many, many unstarted pieces and parts donors that are in large numbers outside. The one completely restored M16 halftrack may be partly due to the fact that there are four or five more halftracks sitting outside in various states of having been parted out. Those are the majority of vehciles being auctioned off, to private guys who are looking for their own restoration projects.

The remaining collection, which has been pretty much out of my reach will now be 45 minutes from my home so now I will get to see some of those vehicles in person that I have only seen through purchasing Chris's photo CD's. I don't think it's a tragedy, in fact I think it's quite possibly the best option aside from some billionaire footing the bill to keep them in California for the next fifty years, a tragedy would have been the entire collection being sold for scrap.

 

[ausf]

Museum opening weekend, you pick the pub, Patriot-boy.

 

[Ken Abrams]

Deal!

...but just for the record, I hate football. Well, American football that is. The only thing I like about the New England Patriots and Tom Brady is the off season and Gisele Bündchen.

Red Sox and Bruins, yup. Hand egg, nope.

 

[Tojo72]

so now I need to figure out a way to get the wife to go up and check it out :hmmm