Crowds are flocking to see a special 80th birthday installation at JCB’s lakeside HQ in Staffordshire – a full-sized digger presented as if it were a scale model.
Visitors, young and old, have been marvelling at the ingenious display, which has an eight-tonne JCB 3CX Sitemaster backhoe loader packaged in the style of the iconic 1:32 scale models loved by collectors worldwide.
The special ‘Backhoe in a Box’ has been unveiled as part of JCB’s 80th anniversary celebrations and will be on display beside the JCB lake at Rocester until January. It stands nearly 15 feet high by almost 25 feet wide. It is also lit at night.
The exhibit also marks a milestone in JCB’s history: more than one million replica models of its machines have been produced under TOMY’s Britains brand, celebrating nearly 60 years of partnership between the two companies. Earlier this year, JCB also celebrated the production of its one millionth full-sized backhoe loader.
JCB Deputy Chairman George Bamford said: “Scale models of our iconic machines have been a part of the JCB family for as long as I can remember. The ‘Backhoe in a Box’ at JCB’s World HQ is an amazing tribute to our market-leading backhoe and is a truly spectacular sight.”
TOMY Europe MD Mary Wood added: “The most successful British JCB replica model has been the backhoe loader, so TOMY is delighted to see this product in the form of this giant model displayed at the JCB World Headquarters in Staffordshire.”
