THE BASEPLATE
The baseplate is a piece of pressed tin painted black (with some versions very shiny and others completely matt over the years). Four principal types of baseplates exist, bearing DINKY TOYS or DINKY SUPERTOYS, and having or not the MADE IN ENGLAND wordings on the rear. At the beginning the MADE IN ENGLAND wordings were on the baseplate and the DINKY TOYS or SUPERTOYS and BEDFORD MECCANO LTD wordings had a quite small size, usually known as "small lettering". When the MADE IN ENLAND disappeared from the baseplate, the other wordings were enlarged, hence the "big lettering" designation.
Baseplates with MADE IN ENGLAND wordings : DINKY TOYS - DINKY SUPERTOYS
Baseplates without MADE IN ENGLAND : DINKY TOYS - DINKY SUPERTOYS
To these four variants, one must add an intermediate : DINKY TOYS in big lettering and MADE IN ENGLAND in very small stamped lettering on the bottom part of the rear of the plate (in reading direction). This version has been recorded with or without MADE IN ENGLAND on the chassis. No SUPERTOYS version recorded so far...
The DINKY SUPETOYS baseplates were made for the both articulated models, but factory errors occured, and tippers, trucks and refuse wagons have been seen with a SUPERTOYS baseplate. One must notice that a lot of PULLMORE recorded have a DINKY TOYS baseplate, the SUPERTOYS wordings being under the trailer. Some baseplate with the MADE IN ENGLAND are mounted on chassis bearing the wordings, and baseplates without MADE IN ENGLAND wording are also mounted on chassis without wordings...
HUBS AND TYRES
The trucks have almost ever been fitted with the usual ridged hubs, only the very last tippers and refuse trucks have received red plastic hubs.
The trailer of the articulated truck was at the beginning fitted with ridged hubs, first painted black then red, and then was fitted with red SUPERTOYS HUBS, the tractor remaining with ridged hubs during all the production.
The trailer of the PULLMORE car transporter has always been fitted with SUPERTOYS hubs, the tractor itself had always ridged hubs.
The tractors have always been fitted with mid size black tyres, at first smooth, and then treaded. The trailer of the articulated truck had at the beginning big black round section treaded tyres (the same as on TALBOT or FERRARI racing cars), and as the trailer received its SUPERTOYS hubs, it was then fitted with the same tyres as the tractor.
THE OTHER PARTS
The radiator is one mazac piece including the both headlamps, fixed to the front of the cab with two lugs that are bent to keep in tin place (as on the 25 series trucks). I did not notice any casting variant on this piece. It has always been painted in black with a light silver higlightning of the grille and headlamps, but some of the very last examples of the tipper, of the refuse wagon and of the articulated truck had a silver painted radiator (and not unpainted mazac as sometimes written). On the military 25WM truck, the radiator is painted the same color as the rest of the truck.
The coupling part for the trailers does not have casting variants. It is always attached to the trailer, the axis being riveted to the latter. The piece includes a lug fastened to the rear of the cab and is secured to the tractor by a pinched axle that holds it on the chassis. This axle located at the rear serves as a pivot or attachment for the various buckets. On the articulated truck, the coupling part was initially painted in the color of the truck with the wings enhanced in black, then quickly painted entirely in black, and this on all subsequent versions. When the car transporter appears, the coupling piece is painted entirely in light blue and then becomes mid blue when the cabin becomes mid blue. A concave washer riveted on this part provides an attachment for the spare wheel.
The 12848 factory drawing showing the bush and all its modifications
The crank and lifting spiral allowing the buckets to be raised had only two important modifications, at the very beginning of production. These modifications concern the bush at the bottom of the spiral, and were only noticed on the very first #25M TIPPERs, the first models produced, and only on unicolor (orange, green or cream) models, and on the very first #25V REFUSE WAGONs produced. The bush it at first thin, then thicker but without the 45° chamfer. These variants can easily be seen and denote a forgery if not present on unicolor tippers for example. All the tipper with black hubs, and the cream models with red hubs viewed until now have a thin bush, and only these tippers have this type of bush. Only two orange tippers with green hubs have been recorded, and only two refuse trucks have been recorded with this one too, but I never saw one with the second type of bush. The changes on the 12848 factory drawing are dated from august 1948 (increase of the diameter) and from january 1949 (chamfer). The lifting spiral is soldered in this piece. The crank itself never had a sleeve, unlike the COMMER for example.
The three variants of the bush : thin, thick and with chamfer
The glazing is an one piece casting. It is rivetted on the inner side of the cab roof and bears the wording BEDFORD. It was added to the models at the beginning of the 60s.
The factory drawing 12839 of the glazing, partially reproduced in M&S Richardson books
To be continued...
Post initially published : jun 24th, 2017
Version française ici.
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