A Look at some played with pre-pros

[Tinman]

Two Very Nice models Nigel, Thanks for posting them. I really like that dark blue on the Pontiac, but I think Lesney did well with their choice on the orange-red released colour for this casting. Mick from Denmark used to make the point that models' colours in the Lesney store displays had been planned to be colorful and not clash with each other. It seems strange that Lesney would have considered both the #23 Caravan released in Feb. 1965 and also this #22 Pontiac GP released in June of 1965 to be painted in the same dark blue livery. Someone must have wanted this colour used on one of that year's releases, but never was able to convince management even after printing the Caravan's first boxes in that same blue. Kwakers

January 2017 1365.JPG

I'm trying to post more but my iphone and computer won't talk to each other.

The silver nozzle on the Crash Tender is silver, but looks painted and not plated.

[kwakers]

The side reflection on the top Studebaker and VW Van does add a bit of confusion to Idris' point Ghosty, BUT! there are actually TWO of the genuine unknown two toned Studebaker Wagon pre-pros, another being under the street address at the bottom of the same picture. That means at least two pre-production Studebakers existed in this picture, together with the known white interior 23D Caravan sharp Idris has also named as another pre-pro model.
To an earlier point in this thread, I must add that the #66 Harley Davidson Motorcycle box originally was also issued in blue in 1962. Antonin showed us his Pre-pro model years ago painted in that dark blue colour, as well as his #28 Mack Dump Truck Pre-pro (Model was "released" in August of 1968) painted in the same blue colour. That Dump can be seen in a group shot Antonin posted recently in Idris' "Missing..." thread on that model.
I think we can now almost certainly conclude that the dark blue trial colour we have been discussing here was in fact a preferred one for use on new castings completed in the R&D Shop at the Lesney factory.......kwakers

[GHOSTHUNTER]

Here are the zoomed pictures of the Two Studies plus the Lincoln with the same type of brighter sides which unless we can find a Two-Tone version of this model, must be light reflection.

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I saw the bright side on the #13 Dodge Wreck Truck which triggered my First comment about light reflecting onto the sides of the models.

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The Second Studebaker mentioned by Dick.

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The Lincoln also displaying a brighter side.

Ghosthunter.

[fixer]

there seems to be a second Lincoln with the same paint scheme top right and the Fairlane has a blue roof light

[Miller]

And there is that blue Rolls Royce again!

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[GHOSTHUNTER]

I am afraid the car in front of the Studie is not a Rolls-Royce (where are the rear bumper over riders?), I think it is a Ford Zodiac.

Ghosthunter.

[Miller]

Its a 33b Ford Zephir!

[GHOSTHUNTER]

Its a 33b Ford Zephir!

Thank's Roland and we spell it...Zephyr.

Ghosthunter.

[matchboxuk]

Here are a couple more played with pre-pros this time MB24 Rolls Royce \silver Shadow.

The silver version was of course the regular wheel model with silver hubs on black wheels. There is no tow slot.

The cream model was perhaps used in the factory for evaluation purposes. This has small, thin superfast wheels without the foil inset. There is a sticker attached to the base which reads 24-A1 PRE PRO. If this model had been in the hands of a child one doubts whether the sticker would have remained attached for long.

Both models have a cream interior but the silver one is darker.

[Idris]

Would the factory have gone to the effort of writing '24-A-1"? It looks to me more like a collector's label (using American coding).