35 Series Small Cars

Hello friends, Had a look at my 35 racers. I did not find the W mentioned by Walter. The first 35b were produced without pilot head. I have found these only in silver. Inside is smooth before the word Dinky toys. Later models had a pilot and can be found in silver or red. I have also a red model with silver driver. Inside, later models have a cross + brfore the word Dinky toys. Weight of the models without pilot is 14 grams. There are many pre war models cast in lead so for the racer it is possible. Despite the small models can be found very often, the complete set is a rare one and very hard to find. Here is a picture of my set with the first racer in silver. John.

Thanks for your feedbacks. The red model with the W is not magnetic, I have checked. And I tried to make a picture showing the undersides of all my 35b's. Not easy, but interesting. Topmost is the silver early non-driver: smooth surface ahead of Dinky Toys Then the yellow pre-war model with driver: smooth too Then the red lead model with the W Then a red early post-war issue with a vertical bar ahead of Dinky Toys And finally a late silver post war issue, again with this vertical bar. Now what? Regards Walter

Oh, I forgot to add another interesting aspect: the red lead model with the W is the only one colored inside out. All the others are colored only at the outside. How come? Best regards Walter

Hi all, Given that it's heavy, none magnetic, and has W cast in, I'd love to think it was cast in Tungsten, (Chemical element of which is 'W but that can't be right, can it? :unsure: Chris Warr.

Pre war model without driver. Pre war model with driver. It is very likely that this model is cast in lead. There is a W in front of the word DINKY and it is painted inside. There is a + sign in front of the word DINKY and the axles are crimped. Late issue. There is a + sign in front of the word DINKY. Late issue. There is no + sign in front of the word DINKY. All the pictures in this thread are by courtesy of Walter. If you have any more variations, please advise.

I am still trying to establish the approx. date of production of the lead 35b Racer (see above). The factory drawing for this model is 'Job No. 10123'. Does anybody has a copy of this drawing? It could contain a note and date for such an alternative material used, like on the drawing for the 23e (221) Speed of the Wind (Job No. 10255A, dated 12.3.52), where such a remark can be found. Further, I would be grateful for all ideas and opinions on this subject . Thanks and best regards Walter

Hello All I am a little confused (more than usual, that is) as I have just purchased a small lot on ebay that includes what is apparently a 35d Austin in yellow, complete with wire windscreen. It also has a hole in the seat for a driver. I gather from the Richardsons' DT & MM that the pre-war civilian version did NOT have a hole for a driver, only the military 152c. However, the model shows no sign of repainting in yellow. It has the typical factory spray (or rather overspray) pattern underneath. Admittedly I have only the photos to go by, as I haven't yet received the lot, but does anyone have an example of a 35d WITH hole? Incidentally, included in the lot are two figures that came in the 150 Royal Tank Corps Personnel set. A 150c Private and a 150e NCO. These are acting as mechanics for the three 35b racers also included in the lot, which all appear to be post-war except that one has a silver grille where the others have red grilles. None of the models has either axles or tyres so no help in dating there. I look forward to posting photos when they arrive. Not very thrilling I know, but definitely cheap! Pip-pip! John

JohnPossibly you did not notice my initial post, above, on the 35 series, and the Austin 7. My blue Austin 7 is a pre-war version, and it does have the hole for the optional driver (which was supposed to be used for the military version).Since the civilian and military versions were identical, except for color, it made sense to have the hole already there. Hope this helps! Best regards, Terry

Hi Terry Thanks for responding. I did read through the thread but Mike and Sue's statement on p.58 of DT & MM threw me.' . . . First he quotes the Meccano catalogue decription 'The model is the same as No.152c except that it is finished in a range of different colours.' Mike then says ' It is not quite the same as there is no hole in the seat for a driver but this is the only difference . . . .' That confused me, hence my enquiry. Is there general agreement that ALL the 35d's had a hole in the seat? When I saw the one in the ebay lot I thought perhaps it was a 152c that had been repainted. don't forget I'm elderly, confused, AND a noob! Kind regards John

Two years ago in a comment in the --23e and 221 'Speed of the Wind' Racing Car (1936-56) thread I said the following 'I still haven't told everyone (except Walter) about my other recent pre-war find. I get some photos up soon'. Well, those who wondered at the time need wonder no longer. To be truthful I simply forgot what I had written and it's only because I just added a further contribution to the 23e and 221 thread that I realised I had done nothing about showing what I had found. Here are some photos of a pre-war 35b in driverless form that I acquired at a very reasonable price, I asked Walter's advice about authenticity and he kindly sent me the following message:'Hi John, No doubt, this is a genuine, original example in good condition, almost no metal fatigue, which is rare. The black wheels are original too, not all the 35b's had white wheels. And the space before DINKY TOYS is blank, which is correct too. The colour green is original, those first issues without driver were made in silver, red, yellow, blue, green and turquoise. Lucky you, I should say. Congratulations.' Lucky me indeed!(Apologies for the poor photos.)