29b Austin A55 Cambridge Variants

[mbox75]

HiAll
here two diffrent Austin Variants with 20 and 24 Wheel Profil with and without Pumper Silver Trimm.

Cheers Mathias.

[mbox75]

one Model has clear and the other green Window.This is not not listed.Cheers Mathias.

[SMS88]

one Model has clear and the other green Window.This is not not listed.Cheers Mathias.

That is because nobody has ever shown us a photo of any A55 without green tint in the glazing!!

[kwakers]

In Bob Brennen's 1971 NAMC comprehensive Matchbox Catalog, both the knobby gray plastic and knobby silver plastic wheels were listed with both tinted and clear windows. The Silver gray plastic wheels that would be the finer 24 tread design was only listed with tinted windows as was the version listed as smooth gray plastic wheels that would also have that finer tread. He had all of these variations in his collection at that time. The last variation he listed was interesting in that he also had the black plastic wheel variation with the pale powder blue top and trunk in his collection at that time. Harold Colpitts noted in 1976 that very lightly tinted windows may appear clear, and also that this green like the 21 Milk Truck may fade to a light powder blue. I cannot agree with Harold on either point, but it is very interesting to note that these type arguments have gone on for at least 37 years now. I am completely Happy with my own powder blue 21 and have always had problems with Lesney's non-tinted versus tinted window variations.
Nice eye on the rear bumper trim and windows Mathius, I enjoy noting these variations in details that some may not appreciate......kwakers

[SMS88]

In Bob Brennen's 1971 NAMC comprehensive Matchbox Catalog, both the knobby gray plastic and knobby silver plastic wheels were listed with both tinted and clear windows. The Silver gray plastic wheels that would be the finer 24 tread design was only listed with tinted windows as was the version listed as smooth gray plastic wheels that would also have that finer tread. He had all of these variations in his collection at that time. The last variation he listed was interesting in that he also had the black plastic wheel variation with the pale powder blue top and trunk in his collection at that time. Harold Colpitts noted in 1976 that very lightly tinted windows may appear clear, and also that this green like the 21 Milk Truck may fade to a light powder blue. I cannot agree with Harold on either point, but it is very interesting to note that these type arguments have gone on for at least 37 years now. I am completely Happy with my own powder blue 21 and have always had problems with Lesney's non-tinted versus tinted window variations.
Nice eye on the rear bumper trim and windows Mathius, I enjoy noting these variations in details that some may not appreciate......kwakers

I suspect from memories of our last discussion here that most of us would agree with Harold because closeup photographs prove a minimal green tint in glazing units so members with less than 20:20 vision regard as completely untinted! Harold certainly is correct with his deduction that both 29b & 21c used the same paint and we do see the same shades today that he saw with so many more of the sun fade blues in sunnier climes than northern europe.........

[Idris]

...and also that this green like the 21 Milk Truck may fade to a light powder blue.... I cannot agree with Harold...I am completely Happy with my own powder blue 21...

Having both a blue 21c and a pale blue 29b, and having studied them in some detail combined with observations of similar models at toyfairs and such like, I am absolutely cetain that the pale blue we see now is not the same colour that the models left the factory in. I don't know whether we are looking at sunfading, environmental effect(s), or simply chemical instability of the paint pigment but, in my opinion and for what it's worth, I don't think these variations should be catalogued, rather they should be relegated to the status of a footnote.
Having said that, collecting is a broad church and we cannot be prescriptive about what is and is not collectable. Each of us must make up his (or her) own mind about what consitutes a valid variation., and I therefore very much respect Dick's viewpoint in this.

[kwakers]

When Nick noted early on that the paint under his decaled Milk Truck was still blue under a removed section of decal, I took note. I had always been looking for an odd darker color on mid production models because of an odd picture in Bronner's catalog in 1966 or 67, I forget which now. When I bought my blue version from England, it arrived to be powder blue under the roof and in all hidden areas also, and it may very well be my favorite Lesney of all time. I LIKE your thinking Idris, to each our own happiness. If it is in fact caused by an environment or chemical exposure, I would be a hard one to convince either way..........
In reviewing Harold's AIM listings, on the 75 Thunderbird he states that both body colors come in several shades, and then goes on to say the windows that appear 'clear' are MOST LIKELY tinted which appears to be 'clear'. THE WORDING ON THIS STATEMENT IS QUITE DIFFERENT THAN THE STRAIGHT STATEMENT HE MADE ON THE 29 AUSTIN WINDOWS. I have had trouble with tints on these, and again we all see some of these details in our collections differently as Idris suggests.........kwakers

[nickjones]

The pale green that the 21c milk float and the 29b Austin were painted in can fade to blue, I have a perfect 29b with a blue roof which Hugh, Graham (rockertron) and several other Matchbox collectors examined and all gave it the thumbs up, However, When I examined the underneath with a loup on the inside of the door sills showed minute particles of green overspray, I'm not saying the blue 21c and 29b don't exist, but both models can fade so don't be fooled like I was.

[Malibu]

Hi,
two questions to this model.
-Could it be that there was no trim on the headlights of this one?
-In Nicks list the description of painting the model says that first the metallic green paint and then the pale green paint was added. Isn´t it the other way first pale green and then metallic green?
Stephan

(c) Malibu

Austin.JPG (71.18 KiB) Viewed 856 times

[Idris]

In Nicks list the description of painting the model says that first the metallic green paint and then the pale green paint was added. Isn´t it the other way first pale green and then metallic green?

Yes.