7a Horse-Drawn Milk Float

[Idris]

None of the NAMC’s “Catalog of all Series Matchbox Models” (second edition), the AIM's “1-75 Series Regular Wheels” catalogue (second printing, 1983), Stannard, Houghton, or Leake ("Concise Catalogue of 75 Series Matchbox Toys by Lesney" (4th edition, reprinted 2006)) lists any variation not already catalogued by Nick.
U.K. Matchbox examined the model in vol. 3 no. 1 (Mar. '79) p10 and makes the following otherwise unrecorded observations:
"Driver, driver's seat, and footrest.
Two castings of this composite assembly exist:-
Type A - Seat width virtually extends to full width of cart. Thick driver (4.5 mm across shoulders), with small feet and bottom of trouser legs not defined. Short footrest, driver's feet positioned nearer cart front and the triangular area formed by trousers, trousers, and cart front is both small and almost completely filled in.
Type B - Seat width stops short of edge of cart either side. Thin driver (4.0 mm across shoulders), larger and well defined feet and bottom to the trouser legs. Long footrest, diver's feet positioned further from cart front resulting in a much larger area between trousers, footrest, and cart front, which now exists as a clear, open space."
The table which accompanies the article indicates that the Type A driver is associated with the early crate casting (i.e. left rear crate further back), and the first shaft casting (i.e. no braces, 6 mm shaft base width). Does any Member have an example not fitting this pattern?
We must also not forget that two models have been found by Forum Members having small 'pie-crust' wheels from the 2a Dumper and without any white trim. My example has the first-type crate position and the first-type shaft castings, and I would suggest this should be added to Nick's variation table as variation code 0 (perhaps with a footnote warning that it could be a preproduction model).

ADDENDUM: In Lesney Link no. 1 (Oct. ’85) on p20 mention is made of an early casting c/a7a with “…ordinary Lesney wheels without any number stamped on them…”. No second example seems to have been found.

[DrJeep]

My early milk float (rear left crate further back) has the "thick" driver, actually nearly 5 mm across the shoulders, with poorly defined feet. But there's an obvious space between his legs and the seat that I wouldn't describe as small and almost completely filled in.

[Idris]

Please note that the first post in this topic has been updated with information gleaned from Lesney link