Dinky Toys photography specials

I did not even know about that color variation...and I actually like it better. Is that color a later issue? Very nice addition to your collection!Terry

No, on the contrary, Terry, the dark green variant belongs to an early batch. You will never find it in an individual box: sold from trade boxes only. The Bedford truck-trailer connecting part now: Regards, Jan

Last year I finally tracked down an Opperman Motocart at a traction engine rally not far from where I live. It was painted in a dark green colour and the owner assured me that the colour was absolutely as per the original. I wonder if Dinky changed it to a brighter colour to increase the sales the Motocart. Dave

Dave--I would guess that you may be right on why Dinky changed to the lighter color....likely they thought it would attract more attention and sales. But I sure like that dark green version...looks great, and thanks Jan for pointing out that was an early version. Terry

Yes, generally speaking the 1940s and early 1950s colours are darker and 'duller', more satin than glossy finished, but at the same time much more realistic than the later 1950s 'gayer' colours. Wheels in a standard black or in matching - not contrasting - colours. Understandably Meccano chose for the brighter, contrasting and glossy colours lateron, because in those days the toy market for these models had priority and was considerably bigger and more profitable than the collectors market. Kind regards, Jan

Hudson Commodore Sedan Down Under

And this list of 15 November 1951 (detail) explains the difference:

That list is very interesting. I wonder why they felt the need to change the lettering on so many base plates? I can see it makes them easier to read at a glance, but it's not as though the early ones are illegible, and I would have thought Meccano could have found something more useful to spend their time and money on.

Hi Fred, this list happens to be mine but it is also shown in The GBofDT, on page 218. There is no further additional documentation so the reason remains obscure. 1951 was a very dull year for Meccano because of restrictions caused by the Korean War. Perhaps the designers had more time now to do a job like this. Besides that, in everyday practice we see designs being changed and we keep wondering why. It may have a marketing reason, to be up-to-date in style, not just for practical reasons but in order to keep up with style developments, appeal and promotion. Another nice couple photography special: Kind regards, Jan

Jan-- Nice photo of the Estate wagon....that was always one of my favorites when I was a kid. Are there any color variations that you know of? Terry

Hi Terry, no, there are no major colour variations for the Estate Car. Just the cream hubs are more tan/beige on the majority of the earlier production models (and very late models have unpainted shiny metal hubs). The very first box shows the model with red panels (and the name 'Plymouth') but this was never done. Kind regards, Jan

Jan-- I searched and was able to find some images for the Estate Car, which in America is simply called a 'station wagon'. Since this was introduced in 1951, I thought it might be a 1950 model, but upon looking closely, it is apparent that it is based on the 1947-1949 Plymouth Special Deluxe. Many of the articles I found on the car said not too many were made, and these were amongst the last of the real wood bodied cars for Plymouth. I have included a couple of pictures below, and it appears that Dinky did quite a good job in modelling it...the front end is particularly accurate. The only area that is somewhat different is the rear side windows. Dinky shows them as very squared off and rectangular, while the real car had a gentle slope to the rear, making that rear side window slightly curved at the top rear. But all in all another very nice 1950's classic Dinky!Terry