I haven't changed my tune, I do still like the Vortex design and I do actually really like the white mustang with the optional V40 cowl and red decals but that's where it comes to an end for me "at the moment". But that also doesn't mean I've closed the book on what I find attractive. In my opinion anyone who isn't open to try and put themselves in someone else's shoes and really "LISTENING" to others opinions or ideas about why they find something attractive or interesting and won't be open to changing the way they think about or look at something, to me are the ones that jump up and down when someone does something with "their" mower their "own property"Â are a bunch of childish socks. Any one who wants to say I change my opinion to people please but if I find the perfectly matching catcher for my Eclipse then that will be my favourite mower! It's rare but not seen as collectable, you wait until I show you mine finished, you will be seeking out these fluoro cowls because the colour schemes that they set up with these are just so perfectly executed. You should know me well enough MF to know I'm no people pleaser and you are the only reason why I ever even considered the PT models.
What I will say is that I did realise is that even tho I live alone I do have limited space and right now the red and yellow vortex mowers I own just aren't high on the priority list as I have many many other models I like more and want to finish off. I don't collect 4-stroke and it's not because I don't like 4-stroke mowers it's because I've got enough on my plate with my 2-stroke mowers that the extra time needed on a 4-stroke engine just isn't economical, time wise, and that's how I feel about my red and yellow vortex. I like them and I'd love to return them to their original glory but I just won't get around to it and I know it! I'm sorry if the vortex are low on my list of models that I find appealing, doesn't mean I've changed my tune I've just decided to prioritise. Your prioritise and my prioritise are completely different and that's OK mate!!!
So this is my 1975 build Store Brand Eclipse by Victa High Arch. It's %100 a 1975 build engine, I see no signs of any engine change at any stages. It has the cylindrical shaped airfilter/throttle-controller that comes out over the arch so the primer cap can face outwards and easy to access, now I've only been collecting a short time but this is the earliest engine number I've seen with this set-up as the 75-76 V174 VC-SPORT doesn't and the 75-76 V173 Mustangs I've come across all have remote primers and the first engine year I know of to have the alternative set-up, again in my short time collecting, is a 1977 build, I think Mustang from memory but It could definitely have that wrong and it could have been my store brand Contessa. I'll check another day. The base cast shape is similar to the other store brand bases I own but not exactly the same. It's definitely a heavier cast than 2 of my other 3 and the main difference in looks is that 2 of mine that are lighter both have a pitted look, it's not an effect from anything done to the bases aftervwards. Its definitely part of the design of these other 2. The colour is this amazing dark almost hammer tone green but not quite and the catcher I still need to go pick up is the one I think that's actually made to match the colour of this base.
I think my main tastes in what appeals to me on a mower is what most see as a defect I see beauty in the defects. I like what everyone else hates...... I don't do it on purpose that's just the way my brain works, it works different to most others and there is nothing wrong with being different!!!!
I seriously hope you like this eclipse as much as I do. I took some pictures with water on the cowl so you can see the actual vibrant original orange and the base is grubby as but I cleaned a spot for you to see the actual colour and zoomed in. I just love everything on this mower and the catcher pictured is the one I'll be picking up once I'm up to driving long trips.
PS MF, you're not the only person who collects PT, maybe the bulk you run into and the few who are active on ODK aren't but before I left Facebook for good last December and there is an entire page committed to PT mowers. So it's not you VS the world. You just choose to stay within the confines of a smaller mower community than I do because 2 of the 3 people I consider the ones I trust and respect are all PT and the other started on PT but his tastes evolved over his 10 years and he actually likes obscure brands from the late 50s and early 60's and these aren't considered valuable, rare, but not valuable and he loves them for the same reasons I love the ones I do but his work horse is a PT and he loves it!
Do you hear me trying to convince you that the mowers I find attractive should be attractive to you and give you a list. Nope. I'm not trying to cause conflict, I'm just trying to make you understand that just because you have taken a very strong opinion or stance to explain "WHY" I should find them attractive so much to the point that your picking out statistical reasoning to try and convince me, I have a certain point of view of that era as the loss of doing things because they looked good and removing colour from catchers and I'll be %2000 clear!!! I do like the White mustang with the V40 optional cowl and the red decals as they off set the white perfectly and you almost dont notice that the catcher is black. I'd really really love one of those chrome looking mustang GTS that were given put as prizes for good sales stuff. I love your passion!!! It keeps this alive but it's not as dead as you may think, it's just hard for the true collectors to come out and express their appreciation or love of anything related to the mower stuff when the big personalities cut them down when they do something they don't like but this is the thing, it's not their stuff!!! I just don't care any more and I'll keep saying what I say because it's me being honest and If I want to use a model 1 rotomo as an anchor for my boat that's my right! Now morally is that wrong, to me it's absolute sacrilege and I would love to string the person up who does it but it's their right! It's their property.
I have to support so many others that have been collecting for much longer than me with the bullying and harassment they get online for just trying to share their passion and the way they use or treat their collection. Over opinionated and aggressively commenting negative comments on others post I's just a show of how weak these people are, I'm constantly helping new people because the Facebook pages may have been made in good spirits but the guys in charge have found it a good tool to rip off unsuspecting new people and I go out of my way to tell people that they are getting ripped off! I don't care if that rocks the apple cart but I don't care any more and I'd love to meet some of these scammers in person. Because once that keyboard isn't there to protect their anonymity , keyboard warriors, and they actually run into me they won't be so aggressive. No one on here has actually met me in person and I show areas of my personality that leaves people to believe I'm a submissive and easy to push over, then they see the 6 foot 5 bloke that my own father has mistaken me for a criminal before and all the puffing of the chest, deflates very very quickly when the stories that they have been telling you are obviously the attempts of a person who's scared and even tho I think they are wankers, I'd never say that to anyone just because that's the only way they cope.....
