Seeing blue when my screen says green.

 

"Oh dear," I said in a note to my friend Andreas. We share many stories of success and failure in looking for Corgis and comfort and congratulate each other as appropriate. "I've bought yet another deep green Land Rover and a broken trailer. . . but at least the tin Chipperfield's canopy will be useful." I had seen the Ebay listing above and rapidly made an offer without looking very closely, thinking it might be the elusive and valuable 351S model. The seller had responded quickly to accept my modest offer which tended to endorse my view that I must have made a mistake - seeing blue when I am shown green. I did look again and, indeed, convinced myself that I had definitely made a mistake and that was when I wrote to Andreas.

When the parcel arrived a few days later I was in no particular rush to open it and left it on my desk for some time while I unpacked some others. Finally I thought I might as well take the items out and see whether the trailer could be repaired and think of something to do with what may well have been my 104th deep green Land Rover.

Imagine my delight when the bubble-wrap fell away and a genuine, 351S RAF Land Rover rolls on to my desk! I did actually cry out something like 'Yay!' quite loudly and rushed to tell my wife all about it. Yes, neither my eyes nor computer screen had deceived me on this occasion and I have a really very nice example of this extremely scarce model. Yes, it has been played with, it has lost its hook, RAF roundel and plastic canopy but it is real and I'm happy.

Even in this picture it still looks very much like a normal 438 in deep green, doesn't it? It is only when you put the two together that the difference becomes clear.

The framed rear window is an important identifying feature which can often distinguish between a real model and something someone has made to look like one.

The base is just like any other 438 or 406S with normal wheels.

I do wonder whether there are many other Series II RAF Land Rovers which avoid attention and arrive almost unannounced to surprise collectors.

Blue or green?

 

At first glance, seeing this photo might make you a little excited at the prospect of a 351S model being available. The blue shade looks about right and, even though it's not in great condition, you may be tempted to investigate if this were shown in a sale catalogue or auction listing.

Then take a look at this one. I would find it difficult to resist buying this one as it looks very much like it could be the scarce shade of green found for a short time in the early Agricultural Gift Sets with an all-yellow platform trailer.

The extraordinary thing is that they are all the same model! It is a very ordinary deep green 438! I have not doctored the photos. Apart from being reduced in dimensions, they are straight from my camera, taken in daylight, although admittedly February daylight and I had a light on in the room on the ceiling above them.

This really does demonstrate how careful we must be or, at least, how we must be prepared for disappointment! The difference is quite remarkable and the model sitting on the desk in front of me as I write looks quite normal and obviously deep green.

Maybe it is just my eyes, the effect of other items nearby or just my brain wanting to see something that it is looking for! Perhaps you see no particular problem and don't really understand why I am writing this. But if you are in any way like me then I am afraid that we will each need to ask sellers for some alternative photos, ideally taken next to some other model but, as that's a lot to ask for something that is probably going for about £10, we shall simply continue to take chances and hope!

This was actually one of two models I bought a few days ago after staring at the screen for ages. I even downloaded the seller's photo of the models and ran it through some editing software to try and determine what the 'natural' colours might have been. That indicated that they were even more definitely blue! Indeed, I had to reassure myself that they weren't rather dirty examples of the Pony Club edition!

The pair did only cost £10. And that included postage. I didn't expect much. I didn't get much. Just two deep green 438 Land Rovers. One as above that is complete and, being all original, might get me my money back. The other I have made into something else - just for fun!

351S RAF Land Rover discoveries

 

The 351S RAF Land Rover with suspension and interior is a rare model. Of all the Corgi Toy issues from this era, I have found this one the most difficult to find anywhere and at any price. It just doesn't appear. You'll see 'Pop Art' Minis and the yellow 406S Land Rover and other scarce items quite regularly but this one just never seems to be in anyone's box of toys to be sold. The books tell us that 25000 of these were sold. That's not a lot by Corgi standards. The not particularly common RAC Land Rover issued at the same time is said to have sold 207000. It is still a lot more than the Rocket Age Gift Set 6 (10,000) and even the Golden Guinea Gift Set 20 (23000), each of which are definitely easier to find, the latter particularly so.

The books tell us that this was issued in December 1962 but also withdrawn in 1962 so I can only assume that either a huge crate of these went somewhere never to return at the start of production or that the data we've been given is wrong. Suffice it to say that a original example of a 351S in almost any condition is a valuable item now.

I have accumulated four examples and finally believe that I have at least one, possibly two originals. I shall look at each one in turn but I'll start with comparing the colours of those I have.

Often you will find that a seller's camera produces quite different shades to what you will see yourself in daylight. I have even had trouble distinguishing the deep green 438, also issued in December 1962, from a possible dark blue colour and have even bought a few hoping they might be RAF blue only to discover they were a rather non-RAF deep green!

As you'll see above, my first acquisition, the model on the left was a blue colour closer to the RAC blue than RAF blue. The two centre ones look the right colour but then so does the one on the right. So colour, especially if you only have one to look at, doesn't help as much as you might hope.

I will now look at each in turn.

First, here is the one of the right in the photo above and I can say straightaway that it is a repainted model. It has been done very well, though, with quite a reasonable job of some aged-looking rivets that are possibly correct front and back.

Although I was unaware of this at the time, however, the rear window is a different casting, with quite a distinct angle to the vertical parts of the frame and the window itself is inset, the window unit being flat perspex only.

It is a nice-looking reproduction, however, although not adding silver to the radiator or bumper is a surprising omission by what would seem to be an accomplished person. The previous 351 model only had a roundel on the front so I think adding one to the rear may also have been a mistake here. The roundels on all of the others that I have, by the way, are mine and not great but I thought they should be there.

The second is, I think, the genuine article.

The rivets look original and real and the paint colour is good and consistent under the wheel arches. In particular, the rear window sits flush with the outside of the cab and the frame lacks the angle of the previous example. This would seem to imply that, for the 351S, a window unit that had a raised profile to fit the rear window space was used. I have just checked some other Land Rovers and found that I have a 416S with the same flush fitting as well as one 438 model. That is a new discovery for me and I will have to return to this subject in a future article!

I think it is fair to conclude, though, that a genuine 351S will have to have this flush window and that might help you in your deliberations. This particular example lacks a piece of the hook and has obvious playwear but it is sound and I am pleased to have it.

Here is another that I think is original (apart from my roundel!). It has pretty solid rivets which I don't think anyone could have replaced like that and, if they had, I am pretty sure they would have added the hook that is missing!

The colour under the wheel arches and beneath the front bumper is consistent too. The rear window is also flush. I was a little put off by the silver splashes under the font bumper but I am content that this one is good.

Like the other original, this one has had a hard life and lost a lot of paint but it's real and worth a fortune.

The last one to illustrate here is, in fact, the first one I acquired some years ago.

I had nothing to compare it with the and, although the colour did seem a bit 'blue' I was hopeful that it would be an original. Underneath, the rivets looked very original and secure and certainly did not seem to have been tampered with in any away. The colour was consistent too under the wheel arches and near the front bumper.

I was concerned, however, by the splash of paint on the base itself which was a worrying sign that some owner might have been in the habit of adding paint and more so by the extra silver paint that seems to have been marked near the bumper.

The tyres, of course, I knew were incorrect but they do suit the model and I was not too bothered about someone having changed them and so I have left them in place. The rear window on this one was completely missing, though! That was odd. I suppose it is possible to break and then remove the bits but not that easy to make a clean job of it. This means I cannot test whether it meets the new 'flush' requirements but the frame is in keeping with an original 351S style.

So I don't know what to make of this one. the colour is quite different but it really does not appear to have been taken apart and repainted. It will, I guess, remain a mystery! The most likely explanation is that it is a production sample. I had had a few of these for other models and they often do have splashes of paint here or there.

I shall probably put the two originals on sale but the price will be high, I'm afraid. Maybe if I find a few more I be more generous but if you want one now I feel they have to be at least £400 and I will have to hang on to the mystery one as I can't sell it with confidence as one or the the other. The reproduction is worth about £50, consistent with what I have found collectors have been happy to pay for the 322 International Rally Rover 2000 models that I've made with the correct wheels (but the normal 322 body).

I shall write more about the 'flush window' later. Maybe that will finally provide a way to distinguish 500 from 357?!

Standard standards

The Standard Vanguard III was issued in 1957. You could have two finishes initially: a very pale green with a red roof or yellow for the M version with a friction motor. There are more variations, though, to look out for in this range which many will have thought was just the three models, including the 352 RAF Staff Car edition.

The first thing to look for are the 207 models with shaped wheels. Still fixed, though. These are not uncommon although definitely scarcer. These can, I think, also be identified by the extent of the red paint on the roof. Whereas before the paint covered the pillars as well, the later edition has just the roof painted red. Now, whether there are smooth wheel editions with the red roof only or shaped wheels with red pillars I don't know! I suppose either may be possible but they would be quite a find.

The second thing you need to do is look at the base of the cars. The 207 started with a black base in the thicker style rather than the thin metal of most others issued previously. It has the rear axle differential bulge, but not the same as the bulge for the gear on the 207M. The words British and made appear either side of TOYS and there is no text on the 207 front axle section. The 207M has patent pending  on the front axle section.

Still with smooth wheels, the 207 gets a grey base later in production. The British made text has gone with Made in Gt. Britain now on the front axle section. This text carries on through the introctsion of shaped wheels.

The 352 RAF Staff Car has yet another variation. Early issues in 1958 have a black base but with the same text layout as the grey base on the 207 and this continues when the base changes to grey for the 352 too.

I have not seen a 352 with shaped wheels although, as it stayed in production through to 1962 in parallel with 207 so they may well exist and would be a little special to find one day.

I am also aware that on some M models with friction motors there have been two versions - with or without an oil hole. Whether both exist on 207M in particular I have yet to discover. I am going to assume they do, being a standard-looking chunk of metal that I imagine would have been distributed across the factory for the whole range of friction motor models. All that I ahve seen to date, though, have had the oil hole.

So the Standard is not quite as 'standard' as you might have thought! Not many sellers are aware of the differences so you should be able to collect the scarcer variations without having to spend too much.

Black and grey bases

An interesting item came in yesterday, this Jaguar 2.4 with a friction motor. It has plenty of signs of wear but the windows are clear and the motor, whilst weak, does work. What immediately caught my eye was that it has a grey base. Every other one that I've encountered, and all those shown on several other sites like QDT have black bases. 

The text seems to be identical. I am aware of only one other model that can be found with either a black or grey base and that's the Standard Vanguard as an RAF Staff Car.

The 208M model first appeared in 1957 and production will have ceased in 1959, none of the M models being that popular. The last three M models were the 211M Studebaker Golden Hawk, 214M Ford Thunderbird and 216M Austin A40 and these were issued in late 1958 or 1959. All of these that I have seen have had grey bases and all the M models prior to the 208M Jaguar seem to have had only black. From this I am inclined to conclude that the change from black to grey bases would have been made sometime in late 1958 and, therefore, few Jaguars will have this.

The 352 RAF Staff Car was not issued until 1958 so I thought that a black base on this model could be quite scarce too. However, a quick look through Ebay and QDT pages shows that all but one for sale at the moment do have the black base. So that idea doesn't seem right! Maybe the 207 model didn't sell well and there were lots left from earlier years' production which Corgi painted RAF blue and turned into 352 models.

There are at least two variations of the bases for all the early models. That includes the tin base models as well as the solid base versions, whether M models or not, and the early racing cars and Bedford CA vans. The typeface for 'Corgi Toys' and the text itself and the layout you will find are clearly different and I shall have to make a study of these sometime.

For now, though, I would be interested to learn of any other models with both grey and black bases like these. There could clearly be an implication for values.

The 1959 Plymouth Suburban Estate car can be found with either a cream or grey base and the 210 Citroen comes either with or without a rear axle 'bulge' so it seems that the years around 1958-9 were a time of some change at the factory in this particular respect.

Corgi Toys @ 60: Bloodhound Missile and an RAF Staff Car

October 1958 saw the arrival in the shops of the second instalment of RAF missiles. This must have seemed a very exciting and quite dramatic model when compared to the slightly tame looking Thunderbird that had preceded it.

Made by Bristol, this really must have looked the part, with its four detachable rockets with red outlet ends and bright yellow paintwork contrasting with the white main body. Although the vast majority in the field may well have been in khaki, some were, indeed in this or a similar colour and the whole model was so realistic as evidenced by comparison with the photo of a real thing below.

In this first appearance, the missile comes with the launch platform. Later, there will be a Gift Set to include a transport device for this and an RAF Land Rover to pull it along. In late 1959 you would also be able to purchase each component individually.

Bloodhound's longer range kept it in service until the threat of bomber attack by the Soviet Union disappeared with the dissolution of the union in 1991.

The other new model in this month was the final appearance of the Standard Vanguard III, now with a coat of RAF blue and either a solid black or grey base. As far as I can tell, each appears in roughly equal numbers. 

This model will appear in the Rocket Age Gift Set too and stays in production until 1962. That would imply that there might be some around with fixed shaped wheels. However, I have yet to find one so I imagine that, if they do exist at all, they'll be very scarce.

Corgi Toys @ 60: Lotus Eleven and Gift Set 3

July 1958 brought model number 151, a Lotus Mk 11 Le Mans Racing Car into the shops. This could be found in several shades of mostly pale blue, bearing racing numbers 1, 3 or 7. It is also available in silver and red. the red editions are scarce and I have yet to find one for myself!

It is an extremely simple model and seems very dated when compared to some of the other models it will have been next to on the shelves in 1958. That is, however, a fair representation of the real thing, designed for minimum weight and air resistance.

The Corgi model had a thick plastic screen and metal steering wheel and all these issues would have had smooth fixed wheels. I have no idea how anyone would be able to change the tyres on one of these! So, if you are thinking of buying one, check the tyres.

Below is a photograph of a real Lotus Eleven from the Lotus Eleven Register web site which has plenty of information about this model.

Try not to confuse this model with a later edition, 151A, which appears in September 1961 in a brighter blue with a stripe on the bonnet, slightly different screen design and a driver behind the wheel. The first issue did not come with a driver and if it has a stripe it will have been added later. Some sellers do get confused, however, and think they're doing a good job by adding these!

The other new item for July 1958 was Gift Set No. 3, featuring 350 and 351, the Thunderbird Missile on a trolley drawn by the RAF Land Rover, each having been released individually in May.