944 Shell-BP Fuel Tanker (1963-69)

For anyone interested in the 'Sweeteners for Industry' Dinky, a nice one will be auctioned at Vectis as part of the Raymond Hainsworth collection on either the 17th, 18th or 19th of March. Dave

Both versions of the 944 Tanker: Dave

dinkycollect wrote: David, The reason for the misalingment of the ladder holes is that this model has not been made in the Meccano die. Milton is known to have made several copies of Dinky and Corgi Toys. Note that the chassis of the Octopus is made of two parts. As far as I know, S. Kumar for Nicky Toys is the only manufacturer to have used second hand Meccano dies. All the others (at least fourty) are copies.'[/i] Jacques There are too many similarities with both the Meccano and Milton, granted the Milton is made in two parts, that I think the jury is still out on this one. I feel that it is the Meccano die, which became damaged before Kumar (of Number 42?? :laugh: :laugh: ) got rid of it to Milton who then chose the easy route of casting each chassis separately. The images below are a reasonable comparison of all three Octopus chassis. In the end, without anything documented, we are all entitled to our own opinion I guess. Bruce

buzzer999 wrote: 'For anyone interested in the 'Sweeteners for Industry' Dinky, a nice one will be auctioned at Vectis as part of the Raymond Hainsworth collection on either the 17th, 18th or 19th of March. Dave' Morning Dave No thanks, judging on my past experience with that company after 20 years of being a loyal customer. I have not lodged any bids with them since May last year, which for them would probably equate to several hundred pounds of lost commission! Kind regards Bruce

I understand that Bruce, my message was not aimed at you. I had a problem with vectis two years ago and they gave me an instant refund, I can only go on personal experience. Dave

Hi Dave, I'd love to pick up a mint boxed Sweetners, but that would just about take up my collecting budget for 3 - 4 years! Personally I am happy I have a real one, albeit battered, and I 'd rather spend the rest on another 100 odd unboxed variations off my list. I made the decision years ago to try to get one of each variation of my favourites, rather than just one MB version. The joy for me is in comparing them all to see how they altered over time. I know several collectors who will only tolerate MB models, and fair play to them for that, (they perhaps have more patience than I have!) it's just not my thing. Chris Warr.

buzzer999 wrote: 'I understand that Bruce, my message was not aimed at you. I had a problem with vectis two years ago and they gave me an instant refund, I can only go on personal experience. Dave' My apologies Dave, I was not thinking that your post had anything to do with me. I was just expressing my opinion of Vectis, or shooting off at the mouth, or better still putting my foot in it! I am glad you got an instant refund, but in my case they still reckon broken tabs on a Foden Mobilgas tanker are covered by a description of 'good to good plus' and I am supposed to be a fool for not enquiring first! OUCH! Actually when I stated that Vectis lost several hundred of pounds of lost commission from me, I understated it, as my absence meant the final price on many lots since then were considerably less. Anyway, I have found two excellent auction houses in the UK, with a third an old-time favourite. Bruce

Absolutely no apology needed Bruce, I know what your experience has been, I can only speak as I have found. Two of the auction houses I use who I have found to be totally reliable are SAS and Lacy Scott & Knight. You might want to check them out. Dave

I have used Lacy Scott and Knight at times Dave, but more frequently in the 90s when they mailed client's parcels. These day's they use a commercial packer which adds an incredible amount to the overall cost as most auction houses now charge like wounded bulls with their commissions. I have recently used Bonington's and Tennant's, but the former used UPS through ATG but the idiots in UPS questionably opened the parcel 'for quarantine inspection' and in the process cut several excellent Dinky boxes, their knife even cutting through bubble wrap before getting to the boxes. No problem with Tennant's. At least both of these companies list individual models rather than in groups of two or three where one buys more than what is of interest. I have been meaning to give SAS a go especially with Hugo there but I cannot recall if they use an outside firm to mail client's winnings or they have their own mailing department. I must look into this further. A pity about Vectis as they have been good to me, except they have employed at least one idiot cataloguer who does not have a clue when it comes to Dinky Toys! He is more of a liability to the company and nobody cares. Bruce PS I thoroughly enjoyed your piece in The Journal on A GRAND PRIZE. Actually, had Meccano used their wholesale price instead of retail, Master Evitts could have acquired even more with his two quid prize as it only cost Meccano 22/9!!

I am not sure who SAS use, the last few items I have bought I have collected and that gives me a chance to chat with Hugo. What an unbelievably nice and totally genuine guy. Thanks for your comments about the article, I have some more bits to come which are also a bit different. I have been concentrating a bit on documentation recently and will be doing some stuff on these when I get the time

My two versions including the slightly harder to find white Chassis version

That's a nice pair Dave! I had a bit of a 'mare finding the white chassis myself, the 944's must have made good toys as most of the ones I see are battered to death.Come to think of it, as a kid mine was too. Still looking for the black hubbed version, anyone got a picture? Chris Warr.