80d and 818 Berliet camion 6x6 tous-terrains [Berliet 6x6 All-Terrain Truck] (1958-1970)

Not a new arrival, but a recent arrival : Just an ordinary, CAMION MILITAIRE BERLIET TOUS TERRAINS No.818, nothing unusual, but I was delighted with its condition as the model is totally mint with not a chip nor finger-sheen, and the box - each end flap is tight and crisp, although there is a slight corner bump! I have not been a French Dinky enthusiast until recent years, as I never saw any French Dinky Toys when growing up, nor was I aware that a French factory existed. Australia only received the English Dinky Toys as far as I am aware, although some may have arrived for distribution in the capital cities, those living out in the bush might have been forgotten. We lived 'out in the bush', which is not quite as isolated as being living out in the 'outback'!Kind regardsBruce

Very nice example Bruce. Mine is the early one, with the diecast convex hubs, shiny black base plate and the box with the old number 80D and without illustration. This model wasn't available in the Netherlands either, which is often seen when a similar competitive British model was on the market, in this case the 10-ton Army Truck and/or the Medium Artillery Tractor. Later on this 'protection' was more or less ignored and most French models were available freely in the early 1960s. An additional picture of the Berliet, doing its duty. Kind regards, Jan

Greetings all Jan - nice seeing your early version. Can we see the base of your model to compare it with the later version? Further to Jacques'/my first Post, here are some more images of this fine model. Bruce

Rochet-Schneider T6 prototype, only 10 build. November 1958 Meccano Magazine page 32 Bruce, There are three different markings on this model, yours is the second one.

A couple of bits to add to this thread: Here is the 80D version of the Berliet, with its box. Here is one with a baseplate marked 80D. Here is one that appears every year at a show three miles from where I live. Dave

Hi all, I took some new pictures, including the base plate and general view underneath. It is obvious that in production there was made a change over to painting after assembly of the base plate, instead of before, as done initially. Kind regards, Jan

janwerner wrote: 'Hi all, I took some new pictures, including the base plate and general view underneath. It is obvious that in production there was made a change over to painting after assembly of the base plate, instead of before, as done initially. Kind regards, Jan' Hello Jan When you wrote above that production was changed to painting after assembly of the base plate, instead of before, I checked inside my 818 and instead of seeing over-spray that would be associated with the base plate having been assembled and then the model painted, the inside of the base plate has the appearance of being thoroughly sprayed before fitting to the model. With the above pictures, I have attempted to show how well painted the interior of the base plate is, but I am afraid I have failed dismally!! So, how was the base plate painted? The upper or inside thoroughly first, then fitted to the model and then the model painted? Kind regards Bruce

Greetings all As mentioned in the New Arrivals topic, images of the base plates for both 80d and 818 in my collection are below. The one noticeable difference is the style of rivet head used for the rivet holding the base plate for the third version. Please forgive me for the terrible shadows on the chassis for both trucks. That is the one down-turn of using natural Australian sunlight! However, while perusing my photographs, I noticed something that nobody has detected previously when I submitted numerous pictures of my third type with concave hubs. There are three images above that show this error, as well as one in the New Arrivals topic! The error is/was the positioning of the Tricoleur on the front bumper for the third issue - the blue segment is on the right when it should be on the left! One would have thought that when my model with concave hubs was being made, the ladies would have been very proficient in positioning their country's flag the correct way! Kind regards Bruce (150) 20160605/933/2118

Thanks Bruce, so, we may conclude that the early convex hubs version is seen with three different base plates: 1. Gloss black, 80B 2. Matt green, 80B 3. Matt green, no number Remarkable, in such a short time span! Kind regards, Jan