Dinky Toys photography specials

WONDERFUL Dave ! I have only 3 of them and not as new as yours ! Richard

They belong to a friend of mine, five of them are mint boxed and the Weetabix is nearly mint boxed. They are truly awesome. I am going to try to get a better photo later. Dave

I have managed to collect only two of them: so hard to find in excellent to mint condition at a 'reasonable' price! Fortunately those below are much easier to find and to pay for: ANOTHER COUPLE OF ANTAR GIANTS (look for the differences!)

The one with the Blue/Yellow sign is a factory error/flaw Dave

Haye, that is interesting! I always thought this was the correct one, because my original childhood example also had the blue/yellow transfer as far as I remember (it is in repainted condition now). It must have been of the same batch, because I got that one in December 1956, and this example has a November 56 stamp inside the lid! It would be interesting to know of other DTCA members if there are more blue/yellow marked examples around. Kind regards, Jan

My Mighty Antar that I received as a Christmas gift in 1956, has a box lid date of June, 1956 and it does have the correct transfer on the front. I just gave it a good cleaning and was surprised that the original tires were still flexible enough to easily remove them.By the way, that Mighty Antar is a very nice model, with lots of detail and play value. I know that when I received mine, I did play with it a lot, and it is still in good condition. A wonderful model that Dinky made that must have thrilled lots of young boys in that era! Terry

No, a little bit thinking and looking around on the internet makes it definitely not a flaw, a factory error, but a variant. If you have a look on the internet on 'Dinky Tank Transporter' in the illustrations mode you will see almost as many red/yellow as blue/yellow decalled examples. Besides, the deviating small size of this decal makes it clear that it has been especially made for the narrow front bumper of the Antar. The Ambulance, for instance, has the regular sized larger blue/yellow marking. And, also, it has the same small blue/yellow one at the rear. Talking about differences, I was also aiming at the curious little 'handle', pointing to the left, next to the regular vertical 'handle' over there, in the middle. I had never seen that one. Did you? Kind regards, Jan

This is getting really interesting as the whole scenario is totally and utterly confusing. I have just checked the June 1956 Meccano Magazine as this is when the transporter was launched and there are two very interesting things: The illustration clearly shows the Red/Yellow sign for the Royal Armoured Corps and the text on page 307 states 'The new model is correctly finished in green with Royal Armoured Corps signs at the front and on one of the ramps at the rear of the semi-trailer.' I checked this when I saw your posting and because of this I assumed that all Antars were produced this way and I never bothered to look at mine. After your response I checked mine in my cabinet and it has a Blue/Yellow Royal Army Service Corps badge just like yours!!!!!! I fairly recently upgraded my transporter and sold my old one. It would make sense in the real world to have a Royal Armoured Corps badge and I think Dinky originally got it right and then for some reason, known only to themselves, changed it. After all these years we will never get to the bottom of this and I think we have unwittingly unearthed another mystery. The world of Dinky is never dull. Dave

Jan--I also noticed that small 'handle' area in the front and almost commented on it. I checked mine and it does not have it. Since my box lid is stamped June, 1956 I must have gotten a very early issue it appears, if that was indeed the introduction date. Terry

The question is : who in the Britrish army runs the tank transporters ? the Royal Armoured Corps the Royal Army Service Corps If it is the Royal Army Service Corps, Meccano may have found it's mistake and change from the Royal Armoured Corps to the Royal Army Service Corps. Does one know what the grille casting variation is ? a lever of some sort ? Mine is a Supertoys, belongs to the the Royal Army Service Corps and does not have the casting variation. Jacques.

The fact that there are still so many tank transporters around with the apparently short-lived red/yellow decals confirm my idea that the initial batches made in 1956 must have been huge. This would also mean that the yellow lidded Dinky Toys boxes should coincide mostly with the red/yellow decalled models inside (if original of course). Others may confirm or deny. I did not mean to get off-topic, but this is interesting enough, isn't it? Regards, Jan

My dear friend, I'm desesperately looking for informations about the Dinky Toys real life prototypes. I see you have got some leaflet. So, can you be so kind to tell my someting about Opperman Motocart, Leyland Comet, Studebaker Tanker and Trojan Van specs? I particularly need to know what kind of motors they had and when they have been produced. Thanks a lot for your help. Gianni Catella (whith greetings from Rome!)