New arrivals

These days I tend to acquire just the more unusual editions and here are the latest since my last post on the topic.

311 Ford Capri

Although I'm not a fan of Whizzwheels, this was quite a decent model and these later red editions with a matt black bonnet are quite desirable and more realistic than the strange fluorescent orange versions issued initially. I wish this had kept the red spot wheels, though, but this is one of a few models which don't look too disastrous with the dotty pattern.

416S Land Rover RAC Radio Rescue

Whilst the 351S RAF version is one of the most searched-for models, there were not that many more of these sold but it has yet to acquire the same status. Examples like this - with a fine box too - are well worth hanging on to. Note the illustration is still of the Series 1 416 (and with a headboard).

Sort of Gift Set 2

I think all the early Gift Sets had the red Pony trailer but I like the way this goes with the early Land Rover so I'm selling the two together which are each surplus to requirements and a little worn. This trailer has a handle on the ramp. One without a handle is coming in soon.

303S Mercedes-Benz Roadster Open Top

There are very many editions to look out for. Here's another five that I needed!

White with a bright yellow interior (as opposed to a tan colour with a driver)

White with no stripe - an early edition with the blue interior from the 303 model

Blue with a bright yellow interior + driver

Blue with a white 303 type interior and free spinning smooth wheels - one of the very first editions fitted with suspension. This example has poor paintwork.

The last shown here is the very scarce type with wire wheels. I already had a super rare golden hue model with wire wheels. This is a 'normal' silver issued at about the same time as the Silverstone Racing Set.

300 Austin Healey

A fairly scarce example in cream with shaped wheels

313 Ford Cortina MkIII GXL

It's the export edition and this one has Right Hand Drive so I now have both LHD and RHD variations of this model. It isn't in great condition but these are terribly expensive in almost any condition.

300 Austin Healey

Finally I find not just one blue edition but two. Neither are totally original, unfortunately, with extra paint here and there but they did both start life as genuine blue editions before all the additional work.

251 Hillman Imp

Look - cast wheels! That's the first I've seen, presumably from a very late production, maybe for the last of the Transporter Sets (as for the Rover?)

252 Rover 2000

Also a first for me, with cast wheels. I advertised this one at too cheap a price as it sold within an hour!

215 Ford Thunderbird Convertible

Finally I find one with shaped wheels - not many around!

215 Ford Thunderbird Convertible

While looking for these, a colleague reminds me that there are editions without '1959' on the rear plate. So I had to go looking for one of these too. (The shaped wheel versions are all blank.)

214 Ford Thunderbird Hard Top

Even more difficult to find is this version of the Hard Top with shaped wheels, as that ceased production some time before the more popular convertible model. (I am still looking for a blank edition with smooth wheels)

258 The Saint's Volvo P1800

This was sold almost as soon as it came in - a tatty but much sought-after edition with a blue bonnet sticker.

315 Simca 1000

In blue. And in excellent condition. This will not be cheap.

226 Morris Mini-Minor

This is possibly one of the oddest models of all, which is saying something looking at what has come before! It's the normal maroon Mini that was the last before Whizzwheels and had a good life but I thought that life had always been with cast wheels. Here's one with normal wheels. It came from a chap in Eastern Europe so maybe some early export models were produced with normal wheels. I am surprised as cast wheels had been appearing already on the blue models. This is also a Type 2 body so a later type too.

Trophy Vanwall F1 Racing Car

It's the Corgi 152 with silver-gold plating and no transfers. 

207 Standard Vanguard III

A late edition with shaped wheels and no red pillars.

207M Standard Vanguard III

The quite rare Mechanical edition. Few survive without very obvious paint loss due to the colour but this is a little better than most.

324 Marcos 1800GT

This is the scarce edition with blue stripes, for export to Canada, which is where this one has come back from!

216 Austin A40

With shaped wheels. Nice.

216M Austin A40

The Mechanical edition. also nice. I like these a lot.

202 Morris Cowley

This shouldn't be this colour and certainly shouldn't have those wheels. The base, however, is firmly attached with original rivets so this is either a first class bit of later work by someone or some kind of production sample. Maybe "Let's see what the models look like with these new shaped wheels. . ."

267 Batmobile

I have tended to avoid these, (a) because I don't know enough about them to distinguish one model from another in what appears to be a complicated range spread over many years, (b) anything decent is usually very expensive and (c) I don't like them very much. However, I did tell myself to look out for the very first edition (well maybe not the matt black one but the next one) and just get that so that I wouldn't have a big gap next to this catalogue number. This came along and fits the bill very nicely. Just the aerial needed some repair.

(The gold-plated one didn't count really!)