Next up - the K23/2 Scammell Crusader with King Low Loader and Bulldozer. This one is a bit more true to the original King Size vehicles, seeing as it has a definite 'construction' feel to it. This is another one I had as kid, it was available in 3 varieties, the original blue tractor with gold trailer and red dozer, An Orange Tractor and Trailer with yellow dozer and a Hoch and Tief version. I assume that the K23 was dropped before the other Scammell Crusaders as there doesn't seem to be a version with the car alloy style wheels found on the 7-Up K17 and Gauntlet K33. I have a playworn blue and gold, a boxed blue and gold and a playworn orange version. I have so far seen one Hoch and Tief tractor but it was in with a huge joblot of Kings and I couldn't justify buying the whole lot just for one unit. I also have too many trailer-less tractors, hope I don't end up regretting the decision though.....
Introduced in 1974, the same year as the K17 Container Truck, the original version had a blue unit, gold trailer and red bulldozer and is by far and away the most commonly seen. Here's my boxed one
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The next version was all over orange with a yellow dozer and the colour scheme really must have been thought up by someone with a strong sense of tradition - a modernised K8/1, maybe someone thought they could aim it at Laings? This is the only one I've seen so far, and the dozer was a separate purchase although I've since seen another, naturally better one!
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Both of my blue tractors are identical, although the colour seems to fade quite a bit. As with the red K17 tractor I have seen a blue one with black grille, and I assume they exist with green windows too.
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Moving around to the back, neither of my blue tractors have the ramp under the trailer clip and the orange one does. I assume blue trailers exist with the ramp though. The orange one has black paint sprayed over the chrome exhausts and I think this is factory done.
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Again, as with the K17, axle clips come in at least 2 colours and will fit either way
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Now the trailers: Again, as with the K17 there are 2 types of trailer pin, and as both my blue tractors are minus ramps this reinforces my opinion that the trailer was altered first.
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The axle clip on the orange trailer is greatly simplified
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This is the Achilles Heel of the whole assembly - the plastic strip which holds the trailer neck in place is prone to losing strength or as in this case splitting (around top rivet) meaning that the tractor has a habit of taking off with the neck, leaving trailer and base behind. Imho it would have been simpler to have the trailer in one piece.
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One last point on the trailers. The gold trailers seem in the main to have yellow winches and the orange trailer winch I have is black. I fell into the trap (and not for the first time either) of assuming that one had replaced the other, and as I've seen blue units with black grilles it seemed logical I'd find gold trailers with black winches. Have I ? - Nope, but I am currently watching an orange trailer with yellow winch.........
I'm not going to dwell too much on the dozers, they are the most 'glitzy' bit of the whole thing, with the chrome engine and (frequently broken) air trumpets. I have found one casting variation between my 2, the instrument panel has 2 dials and maybe a switch panel. The switch panel on the red dozer has far more detail than the one on the yellow dozer.
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Finally the box - the picture on mine is definitely 'early style' and I don't know if there is a later one. When I get my MIB orange set I'll let you know
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