New arrivals in 2020 Pt 2

Another example of the rare Citroen with fog lamps has come along. It is not in the best of condition and it is beginning to look as though the fog lamps go hand-in-hand with free spinning wheels on this model.

At first glance this looks like any other Morris Mini-Cooper but it is a scarce type which has a white bonnet and free-spinning wheels. Usually it is only the models with just a white roof only that have the free spinning wheels.

A super example of the gold Bentley, issued in the Golden Guinea Set. As this set sold only about 30,000, the models in it are really much scarcer than many people seem to realise. That is not a great deal more than a 322 Rover International Rally edition, for example, regarded as one of the more expensive Corgis.

Issued in 1959 and withdrawn in 1960, this was the last but one model to have a friction motor and these are now hard to find in good condition. I am lucky that this one also has a smooth, working motor.

Most early 438 Land Rovers you'll encounter will be in deep green but the very first that were include in the Farming Gift set 22s were a much lighter shade, more of a mid-green. They did not have a canopy, nor were they ever issued in individual boxes to buy at your local store. So these are quite rare and worth a good price, especially when coupled with the all yellow 101 trailer. that too, was only available in that Gift Set. It did survive to get coupled to the deep green Land Rover too, however, so, whilst not at all easy to find is slightly less expensive.

The first Fordson Power Major Tractor, model 55, coupled with the first edition plough, model 56 to make Gift Set 18. The plough would only fit this tractor, with each using a very accurate but awkward attachment method. This Fordson has the later red plastic wheels but early editions had pale orange metal wheels. I don't know which are the scarcer.

The Massey Ferguson Combine Harvester was on my Christmas and Birthday Lists for many years but never arrived. It was quite expensive at 19/11d. (That's one penny, or about ½p less than £1) when first issued in 1959 with metal times like this one. This edition is unusual, however, in having orange wheels.

From the same collection as the Combine Harvester, I received this lovely Massey Ferguson 65 Tractor with a Fork attachment, also featuring unusual orange wheels. Both came from the States and I wonder whether the export models had different wheels.

Continuing my purchase these days only of the slightly uncommon models, here is what looks like a very ordinary, and not very good condition, 218 Aston Martin DB4. It has fixed shaped wheels, however, and they are looking to be quite rare on this model. It started with smooth wheels but also was fitted with a criss-cross type of cast wheel to look like spoked wheels and later editions got free-spinning wheels. Those with shaped wheels, however, like this one, are few and far between.

One way to use up the stock of spare Hillman Imp castings was to make them Monte Carlo Rally editions and Corgi did this a couple of times. In 1966 there was the 328 Hillman Imp and a year later along comes the 340 Sunbeam Imp. The 328 gets a couple of jewels added but the 340 gets six, with two replacing the headlights. The interior is a distinctly different white too.

I finally got a black hard top - and another E Type Jaguar to put it on! Love this model.

With a big chunk of paint missing from the front of the bonnet, this 281 Whizzwheels Rover 2000TC is not exactly mint but it dos have a complete chrome section front and rear. It is such a shame that this model had such poor paint, which comes off if you as much as blow on it, and very brittle plastic used for the revised front end. One of the rare ones, though, with only 48000 made. That's less than the yellow Fiat Ghia Jolly.

Another model only around for a very short time and selling in small numbers was the Whizzwheels version of the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, two models now available in a strange pink colour. Note the different headlamp covers too. I need a supply of right hand targa tops! It is always the right one that goes missing!

The rather better and gorgeous-looking 300 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, also only available for a short period before getting the Whizzwheels treatment.

A rare 'transition' model - the 387 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray with Whizzwheels but retaining the rear jewelled lights which were mere blobs of casting metal in the vast majrity of models. This one now gets its right-hand targa top which had been mssing for a year or two.

A nice example of the rare 438 in deep green and red interior.

A complete Gift set 41 with all the right cars on the Transporter.

Here is something most unusual. The 319 Lotus Elan from the Lotus Racing Gift Set 37 but with spoked wheels! In fact, the chassis came from a 318 from the same set but that was in very poor condition so I switched it to this one. I presume this is something that someone has created at some time. Looks great and a lot nicer than either the small shaped wheels or cast wheels normally used.

These Rover 2000 International Rally models are expensive so I could only manage to get this quite worn example. It is all original and the screens are undamaged, though, which means it still will not be cheap.

Lastly for now, a very rare Land Rover! It is the fawn edition from Gift Set 2 but with a yellow interior. I didn't even know that this existed until a collector friend in Germany told me about one he had found. I had to pay quite a bit to someone in America for this one, not because of its scarcity but because it was in America and, for some reason best known to Americans, they all want to use some Global Shipping Programme that is really profitable for whoever runs it and ruddy expensive for us who have to pay. It was also virtually unmarked, as was the matching Pony Trailer.

New arrivals in 2020 Pt 1

The 305 Whizzwheels version of the Mini Marcos is lacking a passenger seat but has more paint than any others I have seen for a long time! I have no idea when I'll find another seat, though. So I expect it will be around for a long time.

This Land Rover has been in a drawer for several years but I finally found a girl handing out leaflets at a reasonable price.

Another collection is completed with the arrival of this 214 Ford Thunderbird. It looks pretty normal but is the scarce version with smooth wheels but no 1959 on the rear plate. There are three versions of each of the 214 and 215 models: smooth 1959, smooth blank and fixed shaped blank.

Having sold the lovely dark grey E Type I had to get another one. These are one of my favourites. Although they were only issued with the plum red top, I do like the black version of the canopy that Mr Flowers sells.

This pretty well-weathered Austin Cambridge is the 201M edition and was advertised as 'white'. I had assumed it was cream or grey, colours I know about. It turns up, though, in a sort of green-grey-brown shade which is entirely different. I have no idea where this comes from and it may be a sample which found its way into the playground. All quite original so I'll see what others have to say about it.

As well as the dark grey E Type, I also sold the later Whizzwheels 374 version of the bigger 335 2+2 model in red. This is a replacement of the 4.2 version which was not around for long and of which most versions are yellow. It was superseded by the V12 5.3 model, also apparently entirely in yellow. 

On the subject of red and yellow I bought my umpteenth Renault Floride in the belief that it had closed vents only to discover that it hadn't when it arrived. Someone will have to put me out of my misery soon and find me one with closed vents as I am failing miserably to identify them from people's photos. This one is a bit messy but it does have a lemon plastic interior instead of the cream colour of all my other models in red.

A small dark blue-grey elephant has finally, after a long search, completed my Daktari Gift Set 14. A box would be nice but they're simply not to be found. This is an impressive set which is almost all original - just the lion's glasses are replacements. I have made this by extending the Gift Set 7 that I had in an original box and now realise that I need to replace the Land Rover with one with cast wheels which is what would have been fitted when this Gift Set 14 was issued. The Giraffe Transporter, Kew Fargo Truck are also unique to this set, along with the elephant. The elephant is by far the hardest to find, though!

The Jeep FC-150 was around for a long time in the Corgi catalogues, starting without suspension or interior and finishing up with both and cast wheels as well as a plastic canopy. This version with shaped wheels can be found with either lemon or red interior. I am not sure whether both can be found in cast wheel editions.

Another rare Land Rover here - a Pony Club Gift Set 15 model with Whizzwheels and a red interior. Similar to the deep green 438 edition, most were fitted with lemon interiors so these red versions are quite sought after. 

Another little model which looks pretty common but is actually quite scarce, this Austin Seven has what I term a Type 1c base - with a narrow front section to the base and the earlier text layout. With the fixed shaped wheels, this edition will have been likely only to have been produced for a short period in 1962.

  

I didn't notice at first and it was only when I was preparing to advertise this 203 Vauxhall Velox that I noticed the lack of silver paint. Anywhere. I am familiar with some models which did not get the two streaks on the bonnet but this is the first I have encountered with none at all!

With the Vauxhall came a nice little Hillman Husky 206M with a decent motor.

From the same collection as the Vauxhall and Hillman came these two fine 208M Jaguar 2.4s. Very minimal wear to either model and they are quite special with good motors too. Although not obvious from this view, the two cars are slightly different shades, one being noticeably richer and brighter than the other. 

I love this Buick Riviera in the pale blue finish. The colour does tend to show every little flaw to the paintwork so it is a true delight to find one like this which is near immaculate. I am very unlikely to part with this in a hurry. I can see that it is going to have its photo taken rather a lot.

Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman in pieces

Missing their radiator emblems, I have had a few 247 models of the Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman lying around and unlikely to be of much interest to any collector. The model is attractive, with clever use of chrome and the deep crimson colour is particularly nice and suits the car. I had always wanted a black one, though, and an opportunity to make one came along. One of the models had almost perfect paintwork and, whilst lacking its emblem, I did have a good original box too which I thought I could sell with it and stand a better chance of receiving something for it.

As I picked up the model I noticed a rattle. Initially I thought that was something to do with the windscreen wiper mechanism. On further examination, however, I saw that the steering wheel was floating merrily around inside, having come out of its hole in the dashboard.

I expected it to be a bit fiddly but I had the idea of refitting it using some thin tweezers an working through one of the rear windows which slide down. Unfortunately the Pullman has a screen that separates the front seas from the main passenger compartment so that idea was not going to work. I had always wondered how the windscreen wipers mechanism operated so I decided that I would open up the model and then could learn about the mechanism and also make a black one.

A genius at Corgi has come up with the idea f that weird-shaped yellow cog which pushes the cream plastic bad left and white as it turns. That in turn moves a small lever left and right and that has two V sections near each end, into which the similarly shaped lower halves of the two wiper pieces fit. The wiper pieces rest on small spindles and thus rotate left and right as the lower haves move. All the wiper section is held together when the window unit is clipped over the cream interior. Quite brilliant and, from my experience, reliable too as I have not had any that jam or cease to function.

The chrome section is an excellent way to produce shiny bumpers, radiator grilles but, mercifully, Corgi did not try and use if to provide suspension too! Instead there is the good old pair of wires fitted into the base which will probably last forever.

Fixed shaped wheels on the rear axle are necessary to make the cog turn but the front wheels are free-spinning.

I don't know what flavour of paint Corgi used for the crimson on this model, though. I left it sitting in a tub of pretty strong acid for most of a day but that had no effect whatsoever. I have used the same mixture for many years and usually paint comes off on its own after an hour or so with little of no encouragement. Indeed, I often have to whip out the model fairly quickly before it eats through the metal! So I decided to leave the paint where is was and just spray on top and hope the new coat would attach itself all right.

So far so good, although the deep lines around the sunroof, boot and bonnet are causing a minor problem I shall have to attend to later.

Corgi Toys @ 60: First Italian Model and the S range starts

May 1960 brought us the first Italian car in the shape of the Fiat 1800. You could have this in mustard, pale blue or pale blue with a dark blue roof. There also seem to be two shades of interior - lemon and a very bright yellow, the latter mainly found in the mustard cars.

These started with smooth fixed wheels and late examples may have shaped fixed wheels. The casting lived on after the 1800 with a 2100 model coming in 1961 with jewelled headlamps and a blind in the rear window.

The other 'first' this month was the introduction of the S models. Where an existing model got suspension and, in most cases, an interior, the S suffix was added to its catalogue number. The first to be upgraded was the Studebaker Golden Hawk in its gleaming silver or gold plated finish.

The 211S also gets a gold coat of paint as opposed to shiny style finish but I think this will have been later in its production as I have yet to see any of these with smooth fixed wheels which the May 1960 models would have been fitted with.

Better Bentley

Still lacking a passenger seat back, but looking a lot better than in pink with the very ugly Whizzwheels.

The original Whizzwheels base has excellent suspension, using wires, harking back to the Renault Floride days. That's probably the only thing it had that was better than the Rolls Royce with Golden Jacks. It's not easy putting these things back together with more than two hands often required. The finish on this one isn't that great so I'll see what I can do with the next one. A definite improvement on a pink wreck, though.

The tyres are Land Rover size and suit the car much better than the normal size. This really does seem to be a good example of a 'Corgi-That-Never-Was-But-Should-Have-Been'.

Bentley bits

​This was a pink Bentley! It was quite difficult to take apart and I am going to have trouble putting it back together again. But I have plenty of time. ​There is a missing part on a front seat but I can add that later, after it has been re-built as and when I find another.

The body is beginning to look good in the new colour, a far more suitable colour for such a grand car. 

And, of course, the Whizzwheels have gone! They were terrible! Interestingly, the window unit has the inscription Rolls Royce. The two models are identical apart from paintwork, interior colour and grille.

The grille is actually a separate piece of metal that fits into the main front chrome unit with the double jewelled lights. In this picture it is in place but it comes out easily and could be replaced by the Rolls one, which has an emblem, unlike this Bentley. I was going to buy another wreck that had decent chrome but I have discovered that the front and rear sections are metal and seem to polish up well. A bit more work required but I shall stick with the original parts after all as they seem to come back to life quite nicely.

This was an early edition. Later editions of the Rolls Royce lose the quarter light window on the doors. I don't think the Bentley lasted long enough to get the change but I need to check that. 

Although this one gets 'normal' shaped wheels, I might see if I can find a Rolls base one day with the Golden Jacks as those wheels do suit this model well. Only around for such a short time in 1970, though, the Rolls Royce 273 model is quite scarce (but still at a reasonable price in most places - except for the very rare metallic blue and silver version).

I will post a photo of the finished Bentley when I manage to put it back together.

Corgi Toys @ 60: Massey Ferguson with Shovel

April 1960 saw the arrival of the Massey Ferguson 65 tractor with a shovel attachment. Two levers could be used to operate this quite effectively. One lifted it and another released the bucket - all credit to whoever invented such a simple system which made this a most popular model, selling, apparently well over a million.

There was a lot of play value here as you could take it outside, push it into a pile of dirt in the garden, lift up a load and the drive it around and drop it into a trailer or the back of a lorry. The mechanism is not that sturdy, though, and many models now have quite loose attachments but they probably still function after a fashion.

The attachments were cream with the inside of the bucket painted silver. I have seen variations with an all silver attachment and another with just a silver bucket as well as others which have silver, unpainted, control levers instead of black. Lastly, some editions have transfers on the arms and the illustrated example appears markedly more white than cream too both on the attachment as well as the tractor itself. the arms are a different casting too and I think that this is a later edition.