GHOSTHUNTER wrote:[attachment=0]
I am pretty sure that the two box descriptions shown here should be swapped, it is common knowledge that the 'Short script' (A LESNEY PRODUCT), came out first and the 'Longer script (Matchbox regd etc, etc,), came out later and carried on into the 'G' Boxes.
So I believe Stannard made a genuine mistake and did not notice it.
The first statement is correct, however with regard to Stannard the matter is a little more complicated.
In Stannard's book, the designation "F1" is assigned to boxes with white "SERIES" under the number inside the blue square. For this type, the kind of bottom lettering is not taken into account at all.
The designations "F2" through "F5" are assigned to boxes with red "SERIES" under "OX" combined with the four different kinds of bottom lettering (ALP, LPC, MIR and MRT - my own abbreviations - in this order).
So, first there is an inconsistency in ignoring the kinds of bottom lettering for the "F1" type, and second the third kind of "SERIES" positioning (being in red under the blue square) is omitted altogether.
In my own box listing, I have never assigned sequence numbers to any subtypes of F type boxes, but have instead only used abbreviations for the individual features: bottom lettering kinds as mentioned above, and the three kinds of "SERIES" positioning are abbreviated as WIB (white in box), RUB (red under box) and RLB (red left of box), respectively.
I cannot say right away which of the possible combinations of bottom lettering and "SERIES" positioning exist and which do not, but I do not see much benefit in trying to establish this knowledge, as for each individual model only very few of those combinations were used. In addition, there is also the further variable of "additional text" (none, "Autosteer", red "Superfast" or black "Superfast") to be taken into account as well, and one more variable specifying whether the model shown on the box has regular or Superfast wheels.
To sum up, you can work out sequence numbers for a total of 96 possible combinations of four variables - 4 x 3 x 4 x 2 - (of which only a few really exist), or do without such numbers altogether. I have chosen the latter.
