Hi Jan, a great contribution about this impressive American car!

A lot of the remarkable characteristics have to do with the unusual 1/43 scale. Most other American giants have a scale of 1/48. Even most British saloons have a smaller scale of 1/45. This explains the thick ridges along the flash and the huge tyres. The Ford Thunderbird (FDT555) is somewhere in between. Neither the small 15 mm tyres nor the medium 17/18 mm tyres really match.

I made some new photos demonstrating that the suspension on the rear wheels is so feeble (or the weight is so uncommonly heavy) that it stands lower on its wheels than desired. This annoyed me already when I bought it 55 years ago. My photos demonstrate the difference. 

I also made a photo of that rather unuseful remark on the inside side flaps that the model's colour may differ from the picture on the box. Indeed it does, but that is easily seen through the little open diamond in the box's side.

Finally about the colour. I was surprised anyway when I got it so many decades ago, because it differed from the catalogue pictures indeed. But I wasn't aware of the existence of the pink one, which appears to be more common than this one. Sometimes I read an amount twice the pink one for this light purple one.

My example is still in good condition, given that we still played with it - and even the box is very nice, despite frequent packing and unpacking.

Kind regards, Jan W. 

Jan & Jan--

     First, a very nice writeup on this model, with lots of history to learn about it.  That sure is strange that they showed it so often in colors never used.....interesting and you have to wonder why?  And Jan, so nice to see your very original example still in such great conditon....even that box is better than most.

     I finally bought one of these a few years ago, partly because I happened to like that era of Chrysler cars, but also I wanted to sample just what these later Dinky Toys had to offer.  My main collecting interest runs to about 1959, but the past few years I have strayed a bit into some of the early 1960's offerings, mostly out of curiosity.  I am posting a photot mine, mainly to show those large white, lightly treaded tires.  I am assuming that those were later than the large white, smooth version.  I also like these treaded tires better than their English counterparts from the late 1950's, that have such large treads, very unattractive on automobiles.  As a side note, mine does not seem to be suffering the lower rear end sag as much......so far at least!

      Best regards,  Terry

Jan, very interesting post!
Note that the doorman in the sales brochure doesn't have any legs, simlar to this picture from an ad.
Ragnar

Hi all, as Terry's example is fitted with the treaded tyres it may be a slightly later production. If so, the apparently nice horizontal position of his model may indicate that the factory improved the initial weak suspension for this oversized model. Any more evidence for this? Kind regards, Jan 

My Saratoga is fitted with small black treaded tyres but these can very well have been appplied at a late stage.
Ragnar

The drawings on the boxes and catalogues were often made from the wooden mock-up but the mockup of the Saratoga has not been painted and is still so.

When a new model was to be issued, things had to go fast : getting the mock-up from a subcontractor modelist company, drawings of the casting and base plate, drawing of the die or dies, testing and modification of the die, printing of the boxes and catalogues, casting and assembly of a pilot lot, painting of the pilot lot in various colours, most of them ending in the local dump, choosing the colours of the final models etc.... A lot of work in a minimum time.

This explains why the boxes and catalogues were odered from the printers before the final colours were choosen. These documents were printed with any colour possible.

The diamond hole in the boxes is mainly economical as a single box type can be used what ever the colour of the model. This avoids stocking different boxes according to the colour of the model in the box. It is also economical for the collectors who do not have to search boxes with the correct colour spot.

This post aplies to several models, if you want me to duplicate it to other threads, please ask stating the model and its ref. where you want the post to be duplicated.

Jacques

Thanks, Jacques, for your expert comment! The bare wooden prototype is shown indeed, by Roulet in the 2nd edition, page 210 below, fig. 866. And, to be more precise, a green colour trial prototype, with grey detailing, conform the well-known drawing on box and in catalogues, is preserved as well, shown by Roulet on page 210, fig. 867.

I (we) appreciate very much that you are online again! Kind regards, Jan 

Hello Jan W.

Thank you for your kind words.

There are two better pictures (3/4 front and 3/4 rear 700 pixels wide) of the wooden mock-up on the Dinky Toys  encyclopædia. The green and the silver models are also there.

All the best.

Jacques.

Hi all.

I discovered today, that the die was modified during the Saratoga's life.

Have a look on the photos bellow

Kind regards

Richard

Richard

Well noticed!  Interesting to see that the Saratoga received this amendment due to an ejecting problem that was encountered.  Is the same modification carried out with the interior of the roof and boot/trunk also?

I have never added the Saratoga to my French collection but looking at some of the images above, the hubs are very similar to those used with the Mercedes Benz 186, Holden 196, and other Liverpool models of that vintage, or am I mistaken.

Cheers

Bruce H.   (150)

20172905/1113/1037

Bruce

This modification is due to an injection problem not ejection.

A die has to be polished very well, with wear of the die the polishing goes and the metal does not flow so well leaving spiral marks on large surfaces. Castings with such marks are recycled and cost time and energy. When too many models are cast with such marks, cross hatch is added to the mould or the mould is scraped.

All the best.

Jacques (100)

Dear Jacques, this is one of your familiar specialist technical kind of answers that have been wanting here for such a long time!

Thank you, and kind regards, Jan 

Right Jacques.

Bruce : same modification for the ceiling only.

To complete the post, the photos below show my models and the white shades.

On some items the coat of white paint is so thin that it does'nt cover enough the pink and the result is a pale pink.

Kind regards to all.

Richard

Richard

After reading the Post from Jacques, Post #16 above, and the comment from Jan W. my apologies for dabbling in the area of technical expertise. I am reminded of what Jaques wrote in the Interior Cross Hatching Topic that can be found in the Dinky Toys Technical Discussions forum. Unfortunately what Jacques wrote then was severely cut during or before the transfer from the old website to the new which provided details on adjustments such as cross hatching, checkering or some other variation.

This what Jacques wrote on 17 September 2014:

I have answered this question several times on various forums.

"checkering" or "cross hatching"is applied to large flat surfaces to facilitate the flow of metal in the die and reduce the weight of the toy but also to save on the metal. If you save 10 gr. on 1 000 000 models you have saved 1 ton of zamac.

The main reason is that large flat surfaces such as car roofs, tippers etc…

For the information of our readers, the above is all that was transferred from the old website to the new website.  It appeared to me last year, that nobody had taken the time to examine that Topic and complete the comments, so 19 months later I conducted my own investigation, as I did with many of my own Posts as well as those from other authors that were incomplete and subsequently the following was graciously provided by Al Keeling that completes what Jacques had originally written:

Posted by me on 4 April 2016

which follows from - The main reason is that large flat surfaces such as car roofs, tippers etc, 

are kept thin and the metal does not fill the die completely or makes a turbulence leaving a nasty pattern or depression on the casting which has to be rejected and re-cast. The dies are highly polished when new, this eases the flow of metal but with aging, the surfaces are not so smooth and this slows the flow of metal. This is the reason why the cross hatching is usually not found on early models.

Some models such as the 24D Plymouth Belvedere, 25C Citroën H type van or 32E Berliet fire engine have also had flow channels added to the ceilings. I agree that this technique started in 1956 or maybe 1955 with the 24N Traction. It would be interesting to make a list of the models with cross hatching to know when this stopped. Did any of the models with windows have it?

In future I will refer questions of this nature to the Dinky Toys Technical Discussions and to the Interior Cross Hatching topic.

However, it is to be noted that my last paragraph Post #15 has NOT been answered with the sole comments being directed to the casting variation. It would be nice if a specialist or someone  else can provide an answer.

Bruce H.   (150)

20173005/1114/1425

Bruce,

I supose that te spun concave wheel hubs were made from the same drawing in Bobigny and Liverpool. They may have been subcontracted.

Jacques (100)

With my new arrival, I could not do anything else that to add a new photo 

We can see the variations of pink !

Kind regards

Richard

Richard,

The paint manufacturer was not very good.

... and probably that the buyer in Meccano received nice gift for Christmas !