http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/SMS369/les2.jpg
This photo was taken by `RV´ of Nebraska.Checkout your own GREEN no 12 LandRover Safaris to see if any have on one side of the wheel only EITHER the word ´LESNEY´ or ´ENGLAND´ but not both on the same tyre. This embossing seems to be the same typeface used on the insides of both hollow and solid SF wheels. My own green 12 has ENGLAND on 1 of its 4 wheels.
I hope to find out if this casting was the first to be issued with this size wheels and whether these embossed tyres are prototypes which were used up in standard production, and perhaps appear on some other castings.....

that's pretty cool :thumbsup: mine don't appear to have the words, looks like a tough one to spot.
it will be fun trying to trace this back to the beginning.

i guess i know what i will be doing for a few hours :) :)

i find it amazing sometimes that little features as this go unnoticed, i honestly have never noticed, nor have ever heard any discussion to the embossing of lesney or england on this cast, what a great eye you have sms88, when did you learn of this, and how? i inspected all of my landys, and it only appears on the green model, of which i have 2. one boxed and 1 loose, one i have had for years, and the other i bought about 4 years ago, loose. both tho are very faint, and i had to use a maggy glass to really see them both, one is on the passenger side front tire, and the other is on the driver side rear tire. i tried to photograph them, but my old sony cyber shot wasn.t much cop.....thank you for pointing this out-just amazing !

Mine has "LESNEY" faintly on the rear left tire.

I had 2 excellent Green LandRovers, and decided last sunday to trade one for something else.I only spotted the embossing ENGLAND when I was examining and comparing them both, so this is a new discovery for me .I bet its not in ´STANNARD´ :o .But clearly there are many of these green LandRovers spread throughout the world , but less than 50% have the tyre embossing.
I suspect this is the production of a new wheel mold and the lettering quickly wore off the new tool.Odd how tyres say either Lesney or England but not both.This lettering only appeared on the earliest SF wheels too, so it could also have worn off or alternatively management may have deleted it intentionaly.We know that Kingsize tyres also had these words embossed upon the sides

here are a few interesting paragraphs from 1976 explaining how A.I.M. tried to list variations in the rw catalog.
it does mention something about england and lesney on the wheels.
http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/1690/aimrwcatqc2.jpg

This green Safari is a third series ´12c´ ,and the wheels only say Lesney or England, not both ,and not those other words like ´made in ´.I suspect this article is refering to KingSize models with this comment,but I cannot be sure. It would be interesting to see if any other 1965 new models that were fitted with this large RW tyre also have these words embossed.They dont in my collection.I suspect that these words were from a new mould and quickly wore off.I have to laugh at the Stannard publication counting dots on the inside of the roof on 33 Zodiacs but failing to note the engraved as opposed to the raised trunk line edges of 25 rw Cortina GTs and these so far unique wheels on a small proportion of green Safaris. Amongst other variations I would say that these 2 are more unique and noteworthy than a high proprtion of listed variations

that was taken from the introduction to the 1-75 rw catalog from 76. with it noted on the 1st and 2nd series you would think someone would have checked the 3rd series too. :confused:
for you to notice it on the 12-3 landrover is a nice find. i wonder if it is the only large rw model with this lettering . i have check a few and haven’t seen any wording. anybody else?

good eye with the rw cortina too. i guess looking for the smallest of details some of the more obvious get overlooked for years. it’s nice to know that any catalog can be updated with information whether it’s from decades ago or last year. thanks :thumbsup:

The only lettering that I have ever seen on a & b issues of 1-75 series is the number cast into the metal wheels, like ´25 ´on the Dunlop Bedford. I have never seen Lesney or made in England on any early wheels.I wonder what the writer meant with his cryptic sentence if not talking about KingSize?????

it was from the 1-75 series regular wheels catalog., no kings were listed.
the wording does appear on a second series model as noted. it can be found on the #3 Bedford tipper.
the editor, illustrator and major contributors have since passed away. i can only go by what was
written, that some of the first and second series contained this inscription. with it now being found on the third series too.
sorry the picture is so large, it is a very tough one to photograph . it’s at the top of the tire.
http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/8918/bedfordtipper3rwwheel2hc1.jpg

These look like late issue with the same size tyres as fitted to the 12c Safari. I have a pair of these to check now.It does look like the word ´made´ on your photo, and suggests now that there were 4 different versions of wording but so far ONLY on these large regular black wheels which were a new size when first introduced c1965

i wish i knew more about that paragraph.. i know a few years before the release of that catalog it was asked if people would send in their list of rw models 1-10, then 11-20 and so on.
written descriptions are confusing enough and who knows what was mentioned about the wheel inscriptions.
i can see why a blanket statement was written about the wheels, must have confusing. :)

So today in 2007 the only evidence that we can turn up is a new wheel introduced c1964-65 has upto 4 different combinations of Lesney/England on the 12c and 3b at least.The lettering is noticeable if not easily legible and what with Stannard inclined folks counting treads I find it incredible that this wheel variation has no specific mention in collector literature
Both Mountain and Junkman being longstanding collectors with large collections including variations yet not familiar with this variation also strengthens the case for this being an unrecorded wheel variation

History in the making-
You saw it here first, folks!

here are model descriptions from A.I.M. newsletters 1970 and 1971
http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/412/wheelscat1970dg0.jpg
here are two listings from the A.I.M. pocket and desk catalogs from 1971.
i don’t look at these too often because of the coding. it’s lists the sf together with the rw.
http://img50.imageshack.us/img50/6219/aimcatwheelsabw6.jpg
http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/2564/aimcatwheels2aot8.jpg
here is the N.A.M.C catalog from 1971.
http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/6421/namccatwheelstg2.jpg
i will look through some more to see if more are listed. it looks like wheel inscriptions and numbers were noted at least as far back as 1970

Those are nevertheless wonderful sources, The Moutain, as you may well realize. I wish I had belonged to clubs like this back then. I was a little young, but enthusiastic about Matchbox especially the oldies. The only one I ever joined was the "official" club and that was a little later.

Thankyou for all of this.I knew about the specially designed truck wheels on the 6 which were never used on any other.The 2C is a cast that I dont own and probably never will, its too ugly, I guess the front wheels are the same as the 3 Bedford and 12 LandRover large size all made 1964-65.So all that i have discovered is a new varition on the 12c safari, but thats OK with me ;)

thank you for a nice discussion. :) there must be more information about this variation, either in print or on the internet. i do find it hard to believe it has not been mention in detail on the internet.
for sale and want ads didn’t seem to list these either, unlike the early sf wheels where people wanted both solid and hollow wheels, which fell out of favor.
i like the very minor details too, maybe caused by having too much time on my hands at some point. :rolleyes:
the 46 morris has a 46 on the wheel (sorry about the blurry picture) and i saw 30 on the wheel of the ford prefect.

tone, the clubs did advertise in the official club, interesting ads too. understood but never agreed the official club was for kids and the other clubs were for adults. could have been the other way around at times. :)
http://img235.imageshack.us/img235/4834/morriswheelaeu3.jpg

Wow this is very interesting, I looked at my collection and found 'lesney' stamped on the front wheels on both #13 Dodge wrecker and #25 petro tanker. I would have never seen that, if it hadn't been for this thread. Very cool and thankyou very much.

Ron

thanks to sms88 for starting this thread. :) why it was not discussed more over the years is puzzling . even though it was noted in 1970 (if not earlier) there has to be more discoveries, what fun would it be if someone knew everything :)

thanks to sms88 for starting this thread. :) why it was not discussed more over the years is puzzling . even though it was noted in 1970 (if not earlier) there has to be more discoveries, what fun would it be if someone knew everything :)
If somebody knew everything then we wouldnt have much so fun learning as we post...........I can see from MCCH that most serious folks only care about Stannard variations, and if it isnt mentioned they dont get interested at all, but that is their choice to have a bible instead of using their own eyes to decide what is and what isnt a variation.I have run a similar thread on MCCH and this is the thread with the intelligent interested replies, folks over there just rate this as a repeat of an old thread from the previous incarnation of the site..........I am so glad not to be a jaded collector :dude:

i always enjoy different ideas about collecting and the other opinions of collectors. a healthy discussion is refreshing :)

the catalogs in the seventies were often referred to as bibles. of course they weren’t and collectors were encouraged to submit any corrections and additions from their collections. when you think of the foundation that was set from then and where it is today, it’s nice to see the growth of the hobby.

i always enjoy different ideas about collecting and the other opinions of collectors. a healthy discussion is refreshing, rather than a quick jab. :)

the catalogs in the seventies were often referred to as bibles. of course they weren’t and collectors were encouraged to submit any corrections and additions from their collections. when you think of the foundation that was set from then and where it is today, it’s nice to see the growth of the hobby.
I agree, and I think that certainly from a transitional Superfast standpoint, collecting passion in this decade will reach its highest peak because the most passionate (i dont mean obssesive!!) collectors are those rediscovering their childhood.So as a general rule, items 35 -40 years old will likely be the most those most in demand as their former childhood owners have the money and time to begin their 2nd childhoods.We can already see a decline in ebay price of regular wheels and pre 1970 Dinky toys as those that had them as kids have acquired enough replacements and owners are dying off faster than new collectors get into these 2 subjects.
The growth of the hobby is a normal lifecycle that will end with the deaths of all those interested in collecting these.But for us today we are in the most enjoyable part of the lifecycle, but in 35 or 45 years when the time comes to sell my collection if I dont create some kids to enoy these toys I suspect the supply of old Lesneys will far exceed demand, unless we get a collector base like Hotwheels where even newcomers want original redlines.Possible, but unlikely, but seeing as i have these toys for my own enjoyment and do not spend pension investment funds on them then all that matters is that I can enjoy them for the rest of my life :)

Last sunday at a flea market I found a tidy no 3 Bedford tipper that had ´Lesney´ and ´England´embossed on all 6 tyres for $6.It never ceases to amaze me how when I focus on particular variations they appear if I dont have them. So now these tyres can say just Lesney or just England or both on the same tyre.I believe new moulds were engraved but so many millions of tyres were made that the lettering quickly wore off

I have checked all of my toys that were likely to have been made in 1966 when the change from knobby to smooth medium and large bpw was made and only these 3 have any embossed wheels, the Bedford has embossing on all 6 wheels.These embossed wheels can appear on any model issued when the tyre molds were new, but I suspect they are on a very small proportion of survivors today
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/SMS369/toys/2007-8Aug069.jpg

will you actively pursue that variation?
i haven’t checked all of my rw wheels. the embossing i have seen has been worn out.

Hi Mountain,
Its been a while since you posted.....welcome back from the summer ;)
I wont actively pursue this variation but if a car has these wheels then it is worth more as something extra special rather than an identical model without these wheels.
I think for those collectors who wish to collect each type of Lesney wheel (different sizes,different colors & shades,different tread patterns) the sensible solution from a collecting viewpoint is to have one example (it can be any casting) with each wheel size that has the different kinds of embossing ´Lesney´ ´Matchbox´´ England´ so that every Lesney wheel variation is represented in my collection regardless of casting.
I miss plenty of numbered metal wheels but i have almost all other Lesney wheel issues apart from the small fine tread gpw.I have a pair of gpw Rolls Royces which show the shade variations between lightest and darkest gray as well as having noticeable differences in their metallic blue paint shade but dont need this wheel variation for all gpw castings.
For me its about covering anything Lesney did that interests me in my collection.....and for thin SF wheels that includes one each of both hollow and solid tyre issues.

thanks, hope all is well. :)

that sounds like logical approach to that variation.
shade variations are confusing . trying to tell somebody you have a light blue shade and their dark blue is your light blue. of course sun fading leads to numerous shades
the sf 23 camper in yellow was one that was thought to be sun faded. even the blue camper was easily faded.

thanks, hope all is well. :)

that sounds like logical approach to that variation.
shade variations are confusing . trying to tell somebody you have a light blue shade and their dark blue is your light blue. of course sun fading leads to numerous shades
the sf 23 camper in yellow was one that was thought to be sun faded. even the blue camper was easily faded.
I would always say lightest light blue or darkest light blue , and to avoid confusion it is best to have the other shades present so that anybody can see the difference with their eyes.There are some playworn sunfaded toys out there but in collectable condition I look underneath in the wheel arches to see if the topsides shade is matched inside.I have a sunfaded pink 54 Capri that I bought directly from a toy store window in 1976- pop the hood and flourescent pink is revealed - a fun item not a valuable variation
I dont know if any unscrupulous sellers have been passing sunfaded cars off as legit paint shades but the most interesting Lesney variations are the transitional clear coat with gold or silver undercoat cars like dark blue Iso, 67 VW (very many shades) ,75 green Berlinetta,5 Lotus, 64 MG, 25 Cortina, 12 LandRover, 68 Porsche and 20 Marzal. Cars with white undercoats like 23 VW 56 BMC in orange or pink are indeed very prone to fade, electric lights will change them too - no lights in my displays!

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
I hope we can get 1000 hits, not enough threads here get 500 hits, let alone 1,000, that would be a great indication of how interesting other Hobby Talk users find the thread :thumbsup: .

This is a big topic that covers most castings that were in the 1966 range, and has largely been ignored due to lack of previously published comment to spark interest.Plenty of interest in metal wheels to plastic wheels transitional models ,and here we have the knobby silver/grey/black transition to the very familiar fine tread black wheels that saw out the regular wheels era.IF I EVER get a fine tread gpw vehicle, I will wonder and check to see if it also has this embossing because that short run of wheels was possibly the earliest use of the new fine tread wheel moulds. Does anybody have any fine tread gpw with the legend embossed?


Looking for small print on tyres is a lot easier :) than than counting treads for those of the Stannard persuasion,although (no offence intended to tread counters) a lot less :cool: interesting not being a prenumbered ´authorised´ variation :wave:

GPW ~ is that gray plastic wheels?
I don't have alot of gray wheels, but I will certainly look!

Ever since I was little, I always noticed Lesney on some of the wheels
and a #33 on my dark green Zephyr with steel wheels.
I thought I was the only one interested in such minute details.

1000 hits here on Hobby talk, thank y´all for lookin in :wave:


GPW ~ is that gray plastic wheels?
I don't have alot of gray wheels, but I will certainly look!

Ever since I was little, I always noticed Lesney on some of the wheels
and a #33 on my dark green Zephyr with steel wheels.
I thought I was the only one interested in such minute details.

Gpw is gray plastic wheels - there are the very common types, with knobs moulded around the edge, and then there are the very fine tread type which look like the normal black plastic wheels on the no 12 Safari - these are what I am talking about because they were only in production for a short time before the decision to make all wheels black only was taken, c1966, just the same time frame as the new moulds with the embossing came into use.So if you have a gpw no 3 Bedford tipper,62 Rentaset, 47 Icecream van ,Major pack Thames Trader cattle truck-these are some of the few castings issued with fine tread gpw, please do look and see if they have any embossing,and let us know here.

I only collect variations that are possible to see from a couple of feet away, and on the outside of the casting - this embossing just makes the cut if I look in the correct spot, although I need to be much closer to read the words. Luckily 1 example of each style of embossed tyre is all I need, and I will not collect each casting with this wheel type, but it is a bonus if a legit variation in my collection has these tyres rather than just stannard wheels :cool:

Theres a big bunch of good ole boys over on mbox.community.com thumbing through their Stannards guides counting wheel treads and looking inside the roofs of 33 Zodiacs counting nodules - there are some very serious rather anal folks in this hobby :o who would welcome your input, unless they have already blackballed you ;) !

i always liked the 2-3 foot. also the thought that if it was an intentional factory change as a variation.
i don’t mind the whole minor variation approach to collecting. it was a way of adding a little challenge during the slow times, plus some models were plenty and prices were considerably lower. :)

here is a variation on the sf #15 forklift. with and without an interior brace. the 2-3 foot rule doesn’t apply to this one :cool:
http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/139/forkliftsf15bracecr5.jpg

Some folks really like the 15 Fork lift, but this one has so many variations it would be too much of a labour of love for me to collect them.But I do have 2 - early issue yellow frame with black steering wheel and a c1980 unpainted frame cast steering wheel issue - both with the correct period blister.The earlier is my childhood example which although out of scale was very useful for loading up trucks when I was 9-10-11

the green base fork is a nice variation too and i believe a tougher find.
here are two superkings with fork lifts, the elastic hoist was an interesting variation
http://img114.imageshack.us/img114/7482/cargosk20azf6.jpg
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/5843/palletsk34adi1.jpg
here is a little more coding information. it’s regarding the 4.1 tractor and the larger wheels with both wording and numbering
http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/2344/tractorwheelscp8.jpg

Interesting to read that the ´made in England ´legend was cast onto metal wheels. But these predate the introduction of fine tread black plastic wheels c1966 which did when first issued have embossing.However the final use of gray plastic wheels was probably with these new fine tread molds c1966 - the few castings like the 62 Rentaset,47 Icecream truck, 3 Bedford Tipper, 25 BP tanker are all so hard to find that I havent ever seen any yet in the metal to see if they have these embossed legends too. I suspect they do but I dont know for sure either way. Perhaps I will just have to find my own ;) at a flea market.....

I picked up a mint white pallet truck still loaded a few years ago -I now regret selling it on since buying half the Kings range in 2006/2007 :rolleyes:

a little more wheel talk. not the wheels you were looking for :)
another description on the #4 tractor
http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/5486/tractowheel4rzk1.jpg
a description from 1970 about the 24-1 excavator
http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/9283/excavatorrw24wheels1fj4.jpg
how the #24 excavator was cataloged in the 1971 A.I.M. catalog.
no mention about the 24-1 wheels but noted on the 24-1 front wheels.
http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/391/excavatorrw24wheels2kf9.jpg
how it appeared in the 1976 rw A.I.M. catalog. if you go back the the introduction paragraphs you can see where it was written the minor variations and wheel numbers/lettering were not listed within the description of the model.
die numbers were often discussed with both the rw and sf but never seemed to make the catalog listings, mostly because it would mean listing dozens of each model. it was known die numbers were on the models just not collected too much as a variation. if anything it shows that there was a lot of information cataloged thirty to forty years ago. what a nice foundation :)
http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/2926/excavatorrw24wheels3cq6.jpg

There has been a fair number of threads over on MCCH covering die numbers this year, which indicates folks are starting to notice them and find them interesting! I would suggest that a footnote to the casting explaining which range of die numbers were used on a particular model is adequate, there is no need to collect for example, both hollow and solid SF, and rw 36 Opels with and without silver trim, with and without plated motors with all with each hood die cast number 1,2,3,4 (although collectors can now attempt to cover hoods 1,2,3 and 4 on at least one example of a 36 Opel variation)

Given the standard size of the tool that could fit in the casting machine, 1-75 series body shells seem to always be pairs, smaller castings like hoods (53 Zodiac and 36 Opel) ,the Honda motorcycle, doors (25 Cortina & 27 Mercedes) appear numbered 1,2,3,4 (meaning the tool can fit 4 copies of the casting). On a couple of models one of the 4 numbers between 1 and 4 has not been engraved on the casting -interesting way of saving time, although when faults occurred the casting number would show Lesney which segment of the tool required repairs.
Plastic components can come in larger quantities for one operation of the tool , for example the plastic motorcycles on the backs of no 60 Holden pickups are collectable because the tool numbering is added like a race number.I suspect that all die numbers (because they were individual segments of the same sole tool) were in use for the entire life of a casting so there is no need to list die numbers with individual variations because they apply to all variations.Its all about knowing your toys and how Lesney made them - a fascinating extra dimension for me, for example , now that we are aware that every 53 Zodiac hood was born in Hackney England as one of quads ;)

the holden motorcycles number were definitely talk about and do make a nice accessory to the model.
http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/7115/holden60sfgrpyh6.jpg

that would be an extensive and enormous collection if somebody collected all the die numbers and the variations the went along with the model. :freak:
another nice grill variation is the 45 corsair with not trim, trim to grill only, trim to headlights/grill.
of course you would have to have all of these with different grills, base plate colors (small and large lettering), wheels, wheel well sizes, split/spun roof rivets, dashboard area, inner t brace, etc :)
http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/1062/corsair45rwgrilliu0.jpg
http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/7986/corsair45rwdashjy3.jpg
http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/5632/corsair45rwbracejl3.jpg

Allways loved the Corsair.
Never knew about the wheel sizes. Mine must be all the same or I probably
would have noticed - I will check though.

There has been a fair number of threads over on MCCH covering die numbers this year, which indicates folks are starting to notice them and find them interesting! I would suggest that a footnote to the casting explaining which range of die numbers were used on a particular model is adequate, there is no need to collect for example, both hollow and solid SF, and rw 36 Opels with and without silver trim, with and without plated motors with all with each hood die cast number 1,2,3,4 (although collectors can now attempt to cover hoods 1,2,3 and 4 on at least one example of a 36 Opel variation)

Given the standard size of the tool that could fit in the casting machine, 1-75 series body shells seem to always be pairs, smaller castings like hoods (53 Zodiac and 36 Opel) ,the Honda motorcycle, doors (25 Cortina & 27 Mercedes) appear numbered 1,2,3,4 (meaning the tool can fit 4 copies of the casting). On a couple of models one of the 4 numbers between 1 and 4 has not been engraved on the casting -interesting way of saving time, although when faults occurred the casting number would show Lesney which segment of the tool required repairs.
Plastic components can come in larger quantities for one operation of the tool , for example the plastic motorcycles on the backs of no 60 Holden pickups are collectable because the tool numbering is added like a race number.I suspect that all die numbers (because they were individual segments of the same sole tool) were in use for the entire life of a casting so there is no need to list die numbers with individual variations because they apply to all variations.Its all about knowing your toys and how Lesney made them - a fascinating extra dimension for me, for example , now that we are aware that every 53 Zodiac hood was born in Hackney England as one of quads ;)

Wow, interesting reading!

Allways loved the Corsair.
Never knew about the wheel sizes. Mine must be all the same or I probably
would have noticed - I will check though.
I only have 2 Corsairs - love the roofrack (one sits on my favourite 25 Cortina) but the tiny scale of this casting given that the real car was the same size as a 25 Cortina has always let it down for me.The gpw variation is the only Corsair I keep my eyes open for ;)
When I was about 6 years old I went to the public library with my grandmother and my new Corsair and 28 Jag Mk10. Somehow, and I dont know how, I left these at the library and only missed them when we got home :freak: -some other little kid got a bonus.I actually managed to get a new replacement Jag Mk 10 (didnt care about the Corsair) which dropped out of my pocket not long after I got it in a field on a visit to my great aunt a year or so later - deeply frustrating to me at a time when the shops were full of transitional superfast! Today I park my Jag next to the Corsair in my display case as I will always link these 2 models in my memory with my grandmother.....

Thanks for relaying that great story. Strangely, I have a #28 mk10 grandmother story
and a little Corsair story as well.
not much of a story to anyone else, but to me...

I was always told by my older brothers that my mk10 Jag was my first MB and got it when I was 1 year old (!). I was probably 5 when I lost it for a while and Grammy came
to visit one day and found it way at the top of our property and gave it to me.

My original Corsair's wheels I painted gray. That's how much I liked older regs & gw's
when I was a kid. I would often carry one in my pocket to school or wherever and this
ones roof is a little caved in to prove it. I fell down the day this one was with me.
I would often bring 1-2 with me to the dentist. Somehow I thought they would protect me when I was really scared!

I think transitionals are my favorite now, but in 1970, they were not. Although they
were a blast to play with.
I don't know if it was late '69 or early '70, but when I was 5, there was a box-top offer
on the back of Cheerios. the picture showed #41 GT-40 w/ reg whls. I sent away for
it and low -and-behold the car that showed up in the mail was a Superfast!
Needless to say I was a little disappointed, but I still ran the wheels off it!!!

Lucky for me I still have these and most all of my first MBs - luckily!
They're all scratched to heck and some have 3-4 layers of paint-jobs on them.
But I would never think of restoring any of them. They are cherish for the history they
represent - my history. But I can distinctly remember at the age of 6 I wanted to
always keep my MBs in the case when not in use and was very careful from then on
not to put a scratch on any of them!

I also still have 80% of my childhood cars, many repainted. Its the stories behind the toys that keep me interested -and the toys that I saw as a child but couldnt have are the ones I have collected this past 10 years of flea markets and ebay, plus of course anything new that I see and like :dude:
sharing childhood toy stories can trigger distant memories in fellow collectors, so its ok to share a few stories :wave:
I had 30 rw from new as a child before I was 8 years old, and the Alvis along with 29 upgrades are displayed in the top right half of my Lesney display all together parked as close as possible in childhood patterns -Corsair and Jag,
28 Mack,7 Refuse,70 Grit Spreader and 47 DAF all together as I received in a brick parcel Christmas 1969 etc.....
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/SMS369/toys/2007-9Sep186.jpg
I keep my 24 favourite transitionals in a 24 car collector case from 1969 and display the others on the top left half of my cabinet -I need to re-arrange my boxes to accomodate the 3 recent additions - this is most of my boxes, with about 25 more G,H,I and J down on the bottom shelf .I dont have a very large collection but I have covered most of what I remember from childhood :hat:
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/SMS369/toys/2007-9Sep187.jpg

That is a truly great display!

Hey, what's up with that Union Jack on # 64? From a gift set?

Also, are gw Corsairs extreemly rare? Never knew MB made them,
I though I was the only producer of these :rolleyes: ;)

That is a truly great display!

Hey, what's up with that Union Jack on # 64? From a gift set?

Also, are gw Corsairs extreemly rare? Never knew MB made them,
I though I was the only producer of these :rolleyes: ;)
The child that owned the MG when new cut the flags from the box ends and glued one on the hood and one on the trunk.
Gpw Corsairs are rare, but they were distributed because there are dozens, perhaps hundreds of them about with online collectors, even if often playworn and vhtf MiB
Thankyou for the kind words -I can see that I need to tidy up and re-arrange the boxes - but much of the parking arrangements are inspired by my childhood model associations - the gold BMC,red Marzal,mid blue Lotus and dark blue Iso are replacements for my original Christmas 1969 quartet of SF cars -add in a rw 13 tow truck to the 4 trucks mentioned above and those 9 Lesneys were my 1-75 haul for Christmas 1969

sms88, very nice display. :thumbsup: the coloring looks beautiful. there looks like a blistered charger hiding in the back of the display. :)
there seems to be two ways people prefer to display models. those who display them in cabinets like the way you have them displayed and those who display them flat against the wall. i land on the flat against the wall method. :)

It is a Charger in a rw M1 pic blister with Superfast printed along with 52 Charger . I have Hotwheels blisters on the wall - much easier to dust ! But I dont have affordable access to those superb clear plastic wall mounted compartments that many US collectors favour

The very same 11.5 x 45 rather thick new tyres used for all regular wheels 12 LandRover Safaris were also used for all 13 Dodge tow trucks. Here is a very early production 13 Dodge which has the LESNEY legend at 11 o´clock through to 1 o´clock - its very difficult to get my camera to focus so closeup..... However all 4 wheels on this car have very clear crisp LESNEY names on the tyres so this can be dated to late 1964 when this issue was made and it is a reasonable supposition to go with this size & thickness of tyre being intentionally designed for these 2 new to the range trucks (later used on various other castings).
This color variation is very hard to find these days, makes everybody´s 10 rarest Lesney lists and I am extremely lucky and blessed to have found it a toymarket for almost $10.Before giving it a gentle wash I used a pin to reposition the red light which was fortunately rattling around inside the cab....now I am looking for a gray tow hook and a new model E box:)
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/SMS369/IMG_0071.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/SMS369/sms88/13.jpg