Hi Rob,
Lovely 40 Series variations, probably my favourite Dinky series, the Blue hubs Hillman is lovely!
Hi Bruce,
Red hubs on the Leyland still escapes me, been on the wants list for years!
Anybody got a BOAC coach with spun hubs BTW?
Chris Warr.

You never cease to amaze me Rob!
I reckon you have a time machine picking these up in such good condition!
I knew these were out there, but had never seen one, thanks for posting!
Chris Warr.

I echo your comments Chris! Now Rob, how about a 255 Mersey Tunnel Police Van with spun hubs? I know they are out there, but have only seen one, so I expect this to be two!
Bruce

The late ones have a chequered ceiling cab, it is smooth on earlier production.

Jacques - thank you for the scan of the 255 with spun hubs. This was the one I was expecting from you when I wrote "expect this to be two"! (Or is this a scan of KH's example?!) At first I did not understand when you wrote the interior having a chequered ceiling cab, until I realised that I had been used to the terminology cross-hatched, going back to the days of Classic Toys magazine and the article on the 29h/282 Duple Roadmaster Coach. Cross hatching as you know became a norm when difficulties were starting to be experienced in ejecting the model from the mould. It appears with my favourite, the 965, although not in a sequence that would be expected.
I regard to your post with the 187 Karmann Ghia and the odd wheel, this is strange with the colour, although at first I thought it might have been an ordinary spun hub that was inadvertently reversed in the factory.
Bruce

Bruce
Interesting that you should mention the "cross hatching" under the roofs of Dinky's. When I was a young collector of 14, we noticed then that some of the French Dinky cars had it, and some did not. Of course we knew not why it was started, so just noted it.
My question would be it appears to me that the French factory started using it sooner by quite a bit. I have often wondered how much the two companies cooperated with changes and different techniques? You would think it would be beneficial to share this wisdom, but over the years it is easy to see that the two companies did many things somewhat differently. It would be interesting, at least to me, to have a more complete understanding how each operated, and was any direction handed down that applied to both, or were they simply allowed to develop what would work largely on their own? Did any other toy makes have separate operations such as this???? Inquiring minds would like to know more about this!
And I now appeared to have innocently hijacked this thread..... so sorry..... I got carried away! Maybe this should be moved to a new thread.....
Terry

One other little excursion then, regarding the MTPV:

This is the 'cross hatching', or whatever you call it, of the Mersey Tunnel Police Van's inside roof. It improves the flow of the zamac, especially near the tiny window pillars.

Although not very spectacular, there are even more differences to be found among the MTPV's issued. Of course tyres can be replaced, but the model can be proven to have been fitted with white or black smooth 15 cm tyres, the black ones treaded from 1957 on, and also the bigger smooth 17 mm tyres. Besides that there are three sizes of texts on the doors, transfers and stamps. Finally the shades and gloss of red can differ significantly.
Kind regards, Jan

Thanks for the update Jan. I have started a new thread on cross hatching so hope you can transfer the above to that thread! You are perfectly correct with the number of differences that can be found with the 255 although I did not know to what extent! The different size of text on the doors is similar to the differences with the 257 Canadian Fire Chiefs Car. Kind regards, Bruce

Hi all,

English not being my mother language, I use the vocabulary that I think is best but I do not always succeed , thank you for letting me know that cross-hatching is the correct word for chequered.

My mac is currently searching the complete Dinky Toys Encyclop

Jacques
Thank you so much for your response. Actually I had heard of the method called "diamond pattern" but since the Classic Toys article I mentioned previously, I have used "cross-hatched". As for your English, no problem there, as it is often hard to realise just where you live and that English is not your mother language! You are doing an excellent job as Moderator as well as that encyclopaedia you have compiled.
Bruce

Hi all,
Off topic apology, but Classic Toys, what a great magazine, sadly sadly missed. I still refer to them now.
Chris Warr.

(Yes, a splendid magazine, the first glossy periodical with abundant and especially well-illustrated in-depth Dinky Toys articles. I remember discussing it with editor Roger Bailey a few years ago. They simply did not manage to continue after 11 issues during 1994-1996. A great pity, Jan)

Thank you Bruce.

The Encyclop

Rob, I would love to add your red hubs 38f to these three. Could you please provide a large picture of it ?

Hi all,
'Bout time I added a post here, though mine are no where near as good as most of the amazing stuff here.

Bedford Bin lorry with green hubs.

NCB Float with maroon.

40b Triumph, light blue with fawn.

Cheers
CW.

Chris,

The scarce grey / maroon milk float is not the "NCB" but he "Express dairy". They have different ref. numbers 490 & 491.

These floats were build from a 1946 prototype by N.C.B. : Northern Coachbuilders Ltd., Newcastle-upon-Tyne, later Smith

Hi Rob,

I love it, the 24 Series is one I really need to get into, I only have a Town Sedan at present. Not easy to find them now though.

Chris Warr,

Although we are used to odd and almost tasteless colour combinations as Dinky Toys are concerned, the blue-wheeled Studebaker can certainly not have been intended to be put into regular production!
Rob, I admire (and envy in a friendly way) your virtually limitless Dinky-collecting potention. It took me 35 years of painstakingly collecting in order to score only a fraction of what you seem to have been able to. Congratulations!
Kind regards, Jan

Rob
I agree with Jan.....it is just amazing to see the depth of your Dinky collection. So many rare and unusual colors, and all in wonderful condition. Thanks for opening us up to a whole different level of collecting! All of us have our own collections, all special in their own ways, which we will continue to love and nurture, and all of us have different perspectives on collecting....that is what is so much fun, and this forum allows us to share our diviersity in a wonderful way. Thanks again for sharing with us!
Terry

Jan and Terry and everyone else!

No sooner do we get over seeing more mouth-watering Dinky Toys from Rob's fabulous collection, when we are hit with another photograph of all those great tractors! What more will come out!!

Bruce