New arrivals

Hi all, This 697 25 Pounder Field Gun Set just arrived from Canada. It is in lovely condition and even has one packing piece. It is not a real rarity, but at $ 37,- I could not resist it. The picture box and plastic hubs make this set a bit special. Kind regards, Rob

Rob You did very well with that acquisition! Just had a look at it, and I am genuinely surprised as to how cheaply you purchased it, although the $40 postage was a little steep!! Presume this is the model and box! I was surprised the seller did not mention the packing piece! In fact, the end-flap pictorial box is very, very uncommon, although lately there has been an influx of them. I bought mine in 2015 and paid three times what you paid, so perhaps Dinky Toys are on the way down in value! Although for some reason, some of the usual, yellow lidded boxed models seem to fetch more these days. But congratulations on a fine addition to your collection! Kind regards Bruce H. (150) 20170405/1092/1159 PS Just checked and mine came in at five times your purchase price! Ouch! At least it arrived Christmas Eve 2014!

Hi Rob, nice bargain you found! It is my experience that this kind of bargains happen more and more, especially for the more regular models, but also many formerly very expensive models go down in price nowadays, even in (virtually) m/b condition - of course if you avoid the well-known expensive auction houses and luxury internet shops. The later issue in colourful end flaps box is less common than the initial one indeed, but on the other hand not extremely hard to find. Sometimes expensive but also for very reasonable prices. Mine, below, bought in 2009, is between your - Rob's and Bruce's - prices paid, sixty euros from a private person in France, on eBay. OK, not fully mint and without packing piece. Kind regards, Jan

Jan, I have done as you suggested and put the information about the Premier and Kemlow copies of Dinky Toys in the topic 'Other diecast models' Chris

Hi all from EnZed, I hae just received a French Dinky Simca 9 Aronde which I tought was grey by the vendor's photos (which I should have studied closer as I missed that the wheels had been replaced - hence their cream colour). The colour is a pale green halfway between the grey and green versions in the photo. Now I guess you might say it is a repaint, but I don't think so (have been collecting Dinky for many decades and know the signs of repainting. The base has not been tampered with and the paint colour is consistent inside and out the casting and has the right sheen and finish of a factory job. At the rear the trimming is exactly the same as the other 24Us in my collection. Another rnew arrival is also suspicious - English Dinky 103 Aston Martin DB3 Touring in 'beige' - like the one that was sold from the late John Kinchen's collection. No driver figure (and looks as if it hadn't been prised out as the mounting hole still 'unused') and it looked like John's one had a replacement driver with its featureless face anyhow. However, on inspection of this new arrival, I found that th 'biege' is simply faded 'salmon pink' that it was supposed to be. The later issues of the 131 Cadillc Eldorado and 173 Nash Rambler in pink also fade to beige suggesting that Meccano changed the paint - presumably to eliminate the lead which would have been required for such a colour. Ron F

Dear Ron, This colour for the Simca Aronde first casting is not listed anywhere. I suppose that it is the early casting with smooth ceiling which was issued in grey and green. There is a posssibilty that your model was painted during a change of colour and that the system was not flushed giving this in between colour.I have met a woman who worked on the painting line at Liverpool, she confirmed that the system was not always flushed. This saved time and increased the bonus. A few models with peculiar colours could leave the factory. Dinky Toys were only toys after all. It could also be a colour test. Jacques.

Jacques, keep them coming! A miraculous double-acquisition now. I have been upgrading the quality of my collection since some 10-15 years already, always searching for better models to replace poor quality models, repaints, restorations etc. from early collecting years. One of the candidates to be replaced this time was the no. 108 M.G. Midget Sports, red with racing number 24. A nice, complete model, but with many paint touch-ins, chips and the red finish considerably faded. Early this week I found a worthy replacement, a 'buy-it-now' from a reputable seller who always is very fair in his prices. This one was so fairly priced, especially for a desirable model like the M.G. Midget, that I could not ignore it and I struck. A wonderful example, fresh, very near mint and boxed. The only 'deficiency' was that the box had a white colour spot instead of the correct red one. Although I decided that this should be the acquisition of this month, I couldn't help checking eBay the same day once more and I came across a superb white M.G. Midget, racing no. 28. This one a 'buy-it-now' from a more expensive dealer. So I decided I should ignore it and not spend more than this month's budget allows. Next day I couldn't help taking another look and - surprise - the seller had put a 20% discount on this and some other models for sale. And there was something else: this model too had an incorrect colour spot on its box: a red one! You will understand that I could not resist this unique opportunity and overran my budget without much hesitation. This afternoon - within four days from UK to NL! - both models arrived by mail, separately of course. They are bright new indeed and fully meet my expectations, with only some 'invisible' chips on one or two protruding points. The very reasonable prices asked for each model must certainly have been more or less affected by the wrong colour dots on the boxes. You can imagine that the box swap has been executed immediately ... Kind regards, Jan

Jan--Wonderful examples of both colors of the competition version, and I especially like the red color....it just seems to fit the character of that car so well. Several years ago, I found the white version, also mint and very nice. That white paint always seems quite thick and prone to chipping, so very nice to find a pristine one. I have always wondered why Meccano referred to this as a MG Midget, when in fact, the correct designation is an MG TF. Right after the war, MG brought out the TC, followed by the TD, then finally the TF. The two earlier models had separate headlights, instead of these faired into the front fenders or wings. Best regards, Terry

Ron---I only have one copy of the Aronde, and it is a later version, as it has the grid on the underside of the roof. In looking at that picture of your three, from the rear, it appears that the one on the far right has two separate tail lights painted in red, on each side. Mine only has one round, red dot, so I was curious if that was a casting change or merely more detailed hand painting.Best regards, Terry

Hi, Thanks Terry and Jacques for your responses. I thought you might like to see my 'fleet' of 24U/536 Simca 9 Arondes. Left to right: first three with smooth roof underside (the one on the left has black painted hubs), then the pale green one with grid under roof and finally the last issue with modified grille, etc.The tail lights on the grey version are the same as the other three, except the extra red light has been added 'later'. Thanks Terry for pointing it out. I also noticed that the last issue's tail light moulding is different, so it is not only the grille that was changed. The casting on the 536 is very rough at the rear as well! The model itself is almost mint. Ron

Ron Thanks for clarifying and also the additional photos.....nice group of Simca's! Best regards, Terry

Hi Jan. Very nice story about your MG. A part of a collector life ! A dream for a lot of members or Dinky fellows ! Here under the last arrivals ! Friendly yours Richard