For Hugh the 33a

[Idris]

Could we have a baseplate shot as well please, jason?

[mike]

Found on my model.
Maybe a help.

[nearlymint]

Hi Hugh a base picture of the Faded model.

33 base

33a.jpg (62.95 KiB) Viewed 638 times

Beater one that I popped the base off, blue outside and green inside.

33 Blue

33b.jpg (58.95 KiB) Viewed 638 times

33 blue

33c.jpg (56.34 KiB) Viewed 638 times

J

[nickjones]

Hi Jason.
How about removing some of the silver trim from the grille of your beater and seeing what colour it is underneath. It would certainly answer all of our questions.

[nearlymint]

Hi Nick, these were definitely green when made. I will try and do a picture of my good one. Luckily it had a small GB sticker from the a train layout, when I removed it you can see the origional colour.
J

[EarlyWheels]

Hi All - - - Couldn't resist a comment or two on this thread. We all know that finding a true-blue 33A Zodiac (inside and out // not faded) remains one of the more vexing challenges facing collectors since this model began to draw attention and caused heartbeats to race over 30 years ago. Cutting to the chase, I believe without having the model in hand, it would be difficult to speculate that this is the real blue one, precisely because of the greenish color clearly visible on the interior and undersides of the car. There are blue Zodiacs found (and I bought the one from Matchbox Magic 1 back in 1998) that show a morphing progression of blue to blue green to a color resembling the standard dark green the further down one looks from the roof to the wheelbase. When I had the opportunity to meet Frank Sygusch, a keen collector from Germany about 3 years before that auction he showed me an array of 33A Zodiacs that must've had at least 8-10 subtle color shades ranging from dark green to light turquoise and this has stuck in my head ever since; with the Zodiac remaining one of my favorite pieces. Now as a friend notes that I've "dipped my toe in the water" acquiring a few pieces, I'm still able nearly 20 years later to find examples in the blue spectrum, but alas not the coveted piece.

[Idris]

So, no one has yet come forward with a 33a Ford Zodiac which is dark blue both inside and out. Not only that, but we have clear evidence that, under certain conditions (probably prolonged exposure to strong sunlight), the normal dark green can change to the much coveted dark blue. Combined, these must raise the question of whether there is such a thing as a genuine, dark blue 33a.
If the paint sprayed from the nozzles above the model were a different colour to that sprayed from below, would the result be the distinct two-tone effect that we see on George’s model, or would it be more likely that the two colours simply blend into one another towards the lower edge of the bodywork (as I believe may well have been the case with the recently auctioned model)?
Looking at things another way, Jason’s sunfade shows as a normal dark green model when viewed from below (as did the recently auctioned example), whereas George’s has a very distinct two-tone appearance. Could sunfade (which is a funny thing) produce that clear two-tone effect, or is George’s model the evidence we need in order to be able to conclude that some of the bodyshells were actually sprayed dark blue on the outside, or do we set a question mark next to the very existence of this particular model?

[nickjones]

I think the results we have had so far points to the elusive blue model actually being a sunfade.......
Nice to see you here Ethan (Earlywheels).

[Idris]

I think the results we have had so far points to the elusive blue model actually being a sunfade.......

I didn't want to be the one to say it but, now you have, I agree.

[SMS88]

Can sunlight bleach the yellow out of green paint to make it appear blue leaving the sort of tan lines we see under Georges car?? I would answer POSSIBLE
If only one or a couple of spray guns was/were contaminated with blue paint residue would the overspray/underspray patterns look like this with green interiors? I would answer UNLIKELY.
This is similar to the blue 21c question that got a lot of discussion going, and the logical conclusion is the same, sunlight bleached out yellow colour without being exposed long enough to destabalize the blue pigments