142 Jaguar Mark X

How many pieces of luggage should the Jaguar Mark X have? I recently acquired this one which has 3 pieces of luggage - a large brown case, a smaller green case and a fawn hand-bag. The illustration on the box shows just one piece of luggage. In Jacques Dujardins Dinky Toys Encyclopedia one picture shows 2 pieces of luggage and further down in the description it mentions 'an opening boot containing a travelling trunk and valise'. Comments would be appreciated. Regards, Chris.

Hello Chris, the Toyman's answer below, on page 443 of the November 1962 issue of Meccano Magazine. 'An opening boot revealing a roomy interior with a travelling trunk and valise' are mentioned there too. Kind regards, Jan

Greetings Chris and Jan I have just pulled out my 142 Jaguar Mark 10, to check on its contents. It only has the trunk - no valise. With the box details only listing a trunk as the contents of the boot I wonder if the valise was a thought at the time the copy prepared by The Toyman was submitted to Meccano Magazine and then discarded as a cost-saving measure later on, although it is possible that a valise was added as a bonus with a number of models. When one reads the details on the box, and remembering that in the USA, the boot is referred to as a trunk, the description on one of the large side box panels, could be read as having a boot/trunk without mentioning the plastic trunk! (Another peculiarity is the word for the metal covering the engine, in the UK and British Commonwealth it is a bonnet, but elsewhere it is a hood!) This confusion is sorted out when one reads the description in the red side panel when it is written Opening boot with trunk. Looking a little worse for wear I am afraid, is my 142 Jaguar Mark 10. with a drawing of just a brown trunk. The side panel clearly indicating the contents of the boot/trunk is limited to just a trunk - no valise. However, using Vectis as a logical source, there have been quite a few 142 Jaguar Mark X pass through their hands, about 200 since the late 1990s, and of these, only two auctions mention a valise, with the remainder either having no luggage, a description of with luggage or having a brown or green suitcase or both, but mostly the description mentions a brown trunk. (Obviously the trunk could also be green as shown with my example.) One thing is for certain, it is a pity that all those cataloguers over the years were not more specific with the contents of the boot. Kind regards Bruce (150) 20180102/1173/1222

Dear all All I can say is that my Mk. X Jaguar was provided with a trunck and a bag, no suitcase.

My Jaguar, which I have owned from 'new,' has only the brown trunk, as pictured on the box. The smaller trunk and valise are obviously more Dinky rarities we must now look out for! Amusingly, the low-quality Nicky version of this model still includes luggage as well -- what looks like a blue briefcase, in the case of my sample.

700 461 Guy Girod wrote without evidence that this Jaguar was first issued without a hole for the caravans tow bar. I have not yet seen any yet, can somebody confirm that such a chassis was made ? Kind regards.Jacques Photo by courtesy of Q.D.T.

Dear Bruce, The box does not read Opening boot with trunk. but Opening boot, trunk etc... which is quite different and does not make sense as boot and trunk mean the same thing. This is probably a mistake, should it rear 'boot and bonnet' or 'hood and trunk' or even 'boot, bonnet, lugage etc...' ?

On mine the hole is present too, but it strikes me that the 'patent applied for' strip is not. Apparently a later produced box?

Here under are mine. Both have the hole. Kind regards Richard

-142 Jaguar Mark X Jan Actually Jan - you are referring to AMERICAN ENGLISH which refers to the BOOT as a TRUNK. The same with BONNET which in AMERICAN ENGLISH is called a HOOD. So when Meccano was referring to 'Opening boot with trunk' in ENGLISH/ENGLISH it refers to the thing in the back in which luggage is stored and in that storage space is a TRUNK which is an over-sized suitcase in the shape as made by or for Meccano, more often used by sailors in days gone by. Hope this makes some sense - the problem being two countries who speak English, but one being a 'break-away' from the Mother Country and is a Republic! The same applies here in Australia, mainly with spelling, but here we use the British description of BONNET and BOOT. In Australia we are not a Republic but a Constitutional Monarchy. Our Head of State is still the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom and Northern Island, with our appointed Governor-General being the current Queen's representative. (This caused a crisis many decades ago, and may in the future cause a problem when more and more folk migrate here from places all around the world, and not from the UK. When that happens, we may get into a similar 'pickle' as the US has found itself with the last Presidential Election! One final comment - apparently the website no lonnger includes the title of the item being included on every Post, a subject I raised some time ago with the Webmaster. Who is now the Webmaster following the passing of our dear friend David K? So, I have added it to this Post. Kind regards Bruce (150) 20210103/1220/1404pm

Hello Bruce, for the time being, after David's sad passing away and until a new webmaster is found, Al will attend. Kind regards, Jan

Hello Jan I am sorry - my introduction was meant to be 'Jacques', not 'Jan'. I have recently been diagnosed with yet another health issue, as I am suffering from CCM - Celebral Cavernous Malformation. Yet another hurdle to leap over, although any operation is impossible so it is just a 'watch and see' with another MRI in February 2022. I have already been in communication with Al, and he is attending to the problem with the emails going out with new Posts on the website. Hopefully I will also hear from Jacques in regard to my comment above! I too was saddened on hearing the news on Dave K. I guess we are all mostly at an age when 'stuff' happens. Kind regards Bruce (150) 20210603/1221/0306