A History of the Zamboni ****************************** In the early 1940s, Frank Zamboni had an idea. Now, more than 50 years later, his name is synonymous with the machine he invented. In fact, ice resurfacers like the one he developed for his own rink in Southern California have had a tremendous impact on skating and ice sports throughout the world. And Frank Zamboni's belief in ongoing product improvement and innovation lives on today in the company he founded. In March of 1942, Frank Zamboni bought a tractor and started experimenting. His first attempt -- a machine built into a sled towed behind a tractor -- neither smoothed the surface nor picked up the snow adequately. Repeated experiments with the design proved fruitless. But Frank had another idea, and in 1947 he began tinkering with a completely different approach: a machine that would shave the ice, remove the shavings, wash and squeegee the ice, and hold snow in an elevated tank large enough to last for an entire resurfacing job. This attempt (Prototype No. 3) was unsuccessful, but parts from it were used in building a four-wheel drive machine that worked. And the new machine's adjustable blade could be held firmly in place by the operator, thus keeping it from chattering or digging into the ice. By the summer of 1949 he was able to get a good sheet of ice consistently, and the Model A Zamboni Ice Resurfacer became a working reality. * Scale 1:50 * Movable ice-resurfacing hitch on the back * Ages 3 & up