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dinkyfan's picture
dinkyfan
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-667 Missile Servicing Platform Vehicle (1960-64)

     The Missile Servicing Platform model seems to be often lumped in with photos and articles about the #666 Missile Erector Vehicle with Corporal Missile, so it deserves a mention of its own.  This Dinky Supertoys made its first appearance, along with its companion #666, in the 1959 catalog.  It is a very nice and accurate model in its own right, and is replicated on an International Harvester chassis.  I searched and searched and found only a few photos of this vehicle, but did manage to find more in its other application with the Honest John Rocket Launcher.  That Rocket Launcher was introduced in 1964, the same year that this model was retired, so I am assuming they used the same die, much modified, as the rear section of the truck is completely different, with dual tires and wheels.  A companion to this model, and made at the same time, was the 997 Commercial Servicing Platform, exactly the same model, but painted in civilian colors.

     My model box is date stamped in 1963, and is the familiar striped Supertoys box.  The person whom I bought this was stated it was seldom, if ever, removed from its box, and was never displayed.  It retains the two original packing pieces as well as an instruction sheet in several languages, and the model itself is in wonderful, mint condition.  The only downside is the use of plastic for the bucket or platform, which was probably practical, but not my favorite item on a Dinky.  It is very well built,and features two folding legs or outriggers, designed to steady the truck when the boom and platform are extended and elevated.  The whole rear gantry also rotates, and the boom can be raised and extended easily by hand.  An interesting observation is the lack of a driver; I think all other Dinky military vehicles had included drivers well before this appeared.

       Best regards,  Terry

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fodenway
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An interesting and quite hard to find model. I have both the military and civilian versions, not mint but with only light playwear. In my opinion, the tinplate booms and wire arms are quite flimsy, as evidenced by the numbers found with them bent, broken or missing - same goes for the plastic cradle, often found split. Along with the Missile Erector's tendency to strip its operating gears, this pair of models could not stand up to the rigours of playtime in the way that was expected from Dinky Toys , hence their relative scarcity today!

dinkyfan's picture
dinkyfan
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I totally agree, after recently receiving both of these, nicely boxed and unused. Just looking at them, they first appear to have lots of play value, but in the hands of young boys, damage and breakage sure to occur, and buying both pieces was expensive too. I can imagine lots of less than pristine ones for sale! Were the stripped gears normally with the versions with plastic gears?
Best regards, Terry

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fodenway
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My 666 has plastic gears, not stripped but slipping on the axle. A tiny drop of superglue cured the problem, although I don't tempt fate by using the gearing without gentle hand assistance. On the servicing platform, the tiny rubber friction washers in the arms' joints have hardened so that the boom will no longer stay in the extended position.

dinkyfan's picture
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I remember hearing a few years ago, from a Dinky Toys restorer, who was desperately trying to repair a few of these that had stripped gears. He thought he had found someone who would be willing to make new metal ones, but that didn't work out, so he was left in limbo. I sure wonder which came first, the plastic or the metal?
Best regard, Terry

Dinkinius's picture
Dinkinius
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Terry

The 667 Missile Servicing Platform (and its companion civil version 977 Servicing Platform Vehicle) is indeed a very nice model, despite the use of plastic, but we were in an age then when moulding plastic was becoming the normal thing, not to mention had the components been diecast one can only speculate how much the end product would have cost and whether it would have been commercially viable.

The following are two images of the Instruction Leaflet that was included in the box for each model, dated January 1960. The obverse was printed in English and French and the reverse in Dutch, Swedish, Italian and German.

Here is the announcement in the November 1959 Meccano Magazine, together with the write-up from The Toyman on this new model in the Dinky range. 

Terry you wrote that your model’s box lid was date stamped 1963.  What exactly are the complete details of the stamp that shows the month of inspection? The latest date stamp I have obtained is a model inspected in April 1961.

As for the availability of the 667 with it being described as “quite hard to find model” and “their relative scarcity today” this is not really reflected in prices being realised in recent years. Conversely the same cannot be applied to its civilian counterpart, the 977 as prices these have achieved far exceed those for the 667 which may be an indicator of that model’s availability, although one major price guide has the opposite!

It is good that you have created this new Topic, although the trade name of the manufacturer in the PDF title was never included in Meccano’s sales or publicity literature and one can only speculate as to the reason why not. One reason is that the original design manufacturer was often not involved in the continued supply of a designated vehicle type, the ubiquitous Jeep being one notable example. Originally from the Willy’s stable, it was also built by Ford, with one distinguishing feature that separates the two being the front cross-member.

This is one of my examples of the nice "little" model, 

together with its civilian version, this time referred to as a Commercial Servicing Platform Vehicle

Kind regards

Bruce H.   (150)

20170301/1059/1427

dinkyfan's picture
dinkyfan
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DTCA MemberUSA

Bruce---Thanks for your nice additions regarding this interesting model, and also its companion civilian version.  These models do seem to illustrate the changes that Meccano was having to do, such as the use of some plastic material, which is quite alien to us older collectors, but I also agree it was inevitable, and probably more practical as well for certain items.  Per your suggestion, I have changed the thread title to correspond with what Meccano actually used, and I also posted a few more photos, including a closeup of the box lid date stamp.  I thought that it said "1963", but I could be reading it wrong!

     Best regards,  Terry

Dinkinius's picture
Dinkinius
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AustraliaDTCA Member

Hello Terry

The checker "R O" appears to have been employed at Meccano in October and November 1961.  I do not have anything checked by this individual earlier or later.  The stamp does appear to be 8 63, August 1963. Of course it could also be 8 60 with the last digit having been damaged. I would probably go for your original interpretation of 63.  I wonder where RO was assigned between November 1961 and August 1963?  Perhaps we will learn more about her when more and more Inspection Stamp details are provided!  This puts the human touch to each model packed in a lidded box!

Kind regards

Bruce H.   (150)

20170803/1063/1028

dinkyfan's picture
dinkyfan
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DTCA MemberUSA

Bruce---One of my questions, that also bears on the box date, is the style or type of box. Was that particular type of box still in use in 1963? If not, it would lend some credence to your thought that the last digit of that stamp might be wrong.....
Best regards, Terry

Dinkinius's picture
Dinkinius
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AustraliaDTCA Member

Terry - Yes this box style was very much still "in vogue" in 1963, even though during this time period, new box styles were becoming available and had already been used.

The first of these new style yellow boxes with a picture on the upper saw the light of day in September 1961 with the 959 Foden Dump Truck. Strangely, the blue-striped box was used for a new release in October 1961, 979 Racehorse Transporter and again in November 1961, the Fire Station Kit.

However by January 1962, the blue-striped box had become history for new releases, but soldiered on with models that had their origins in the years prior such as the 667 Missile Servicing Platform Vehicle whose termination date that had no doubt been decided, precluded designing and manufacturing a new style of box.

I have again had a closer look at that stamp, and I still agree with your original supposition of it being 63 as indicated in my previous Post. Hopefully we can find more stamps with RO on them for the period from 1961 to 1963, although this was a period when quality checking of every boxed model seemed to have evolved into simply a random examination.

Kind regards

Bruce H.   (150)

20170308/1065/1405

dinkyfan's picture
dinkyfan
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DTCA MemberUSA

Bruce---Thanks for the confirmation! I was sure thinking that is what it said, but having the "box expert" give his nod of approval makes me feel better about it.
Best regards, Terry

dinkycollect's picture
dinkycollect
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DTCA MemberFrance

Dear Chris K,

As you are a specialist in military vehicles, I have written to you recently at the email address which is on the CD which I bought from you sixteen years ago but my message bounced. You probably changed your email since 2004. I wanted to ask you if you can provide a very large photo of the under side of the 667 servicing platform without the word "MISSILE". The picture has to be the same as the above one but as large as possible.

Also, do you know all these variations ? I think that some of them have not been made.

1) without windscreen, marking MISSILE SERVICING PLATFORM and 667, from April 1960 on
2) with windscreen, marking MISSILE SERVICING PLATFORM and 667. version confirmed
3) without windscreen, marking SERVICING PLATFORM without 667 from 1960 on
4) with windscreen, marking SERVICING PLATFORM without 667. version confirmed

Kind regards.

Jacques