White metal kit haul plus more Woohoo !!!

[motorman]

left home after uploading those pic's and now at work so will follow with more pics when home again.
One explanation for the chipping could be that when i found this models it was simply rattling around in a box full of other models.
It was $3. When I saw the owner reach his hand in and stir them around looking for regular wheels as if he were mixing bread dough I nearly passed out!!

One more thing, what is the safest way to remove the axle covers for inspection of the boom rivet?
Are there do's and dont's?

I would minipulate the already damaged area as highlighted in the image i posted, perhaps using a blunt edged tool of some sort. The axle clips usually pop off very easily, however given the damage this one appears to have, it may be a tighter fit than normal.

[slicc64]

Thanks MM
got it done and here's the pic's.
looking forward to yours and Ghosty [and anyone else more than welcome too] opinions.

[Idris]

Boom rivet looks good to me.

[motorman]

I agree with Hugh. The rivet looks fine imho so the boom and main body are as they left the factory. The differrent wheel types on this particular model remains very interesting.

[slicc64]

Well that's music to my ears lad's, thanks for the opinions.
MM given that the axle covers are so easy to remove I suppose the value is in the model colour rather than any wheel variations.
It is just as i found it but as you pointed out, the covers looked like they had been off before.
1] maybe it had bent axles and a previous owner replaced them
2] maybe the previous owner did exactly what I did to check the rivet
3] maybe it left the factory with 2 different set's of wheels.
4] maybe the previous owner had dozens of red ones and created his own variations!! [Na... forget maybe #4 please]

[motorman]

Wheels are of course entirely interchangable when a plastic axle clip holds them in place.

[GHOSTHUNTER]

I will thank slicc64 here for posting the pictures of the wheel mould numbers elsewhere, I have not had chance to check them for the production period, but from other models various forum members have in their collections, we know models left the Lesney factory with mixed wheels, the Treaded version being the earlier design than the Smooth version.

GHOSTHUNTER.