#19d Lotus stumper.

[kbean63]

I've got a #19d Lotus that, frankly, has me stumped. Maybe some of you more knowledgeable collectors can shed some light.

It appears to have axle extension rings on only ONE side both front and back. The front right has an extension ring, the front left does not. The back left has a ring, the back right does not.

It also says "MATCHBOX" in large text.

[Brad Pittiful]

thats funky!

[kbean63]

I can't figure it out - its not as if the wheel struts are seperate pieces, it looks like they're all cast simultaneously with the baseplate. Maybe it was just poor casting (?). Looking at the rear right strut I think I can see a faint trace of a ring, enough that I could write it off as poor casting, but the front left has no trace of a ring that I can see.

I guess this is another example of the casting variation discovered by Jon Biggles that has mixed text and extension rings... I think, although this one appears to have mixed axle rings as well.

[Brad Pittiful]

maybe the only cut one side of the mold to see if it would do what they wanted from the piece...then approved it and then cut the other side of the mold

[kbean63]

maybe the only cut one side of the mold to see if it would do what they wanted from the piece...then approved it and then cut the other side of the mold

I had thought about that scenario as well. What makes it particularly strange is that the rings are on opposite sides, one on the right, the other on the left. Like I say, I'm stumped.

[Ewan]

I found an orange one the same a few months ago - the post is here viewtopic.php?f=11&t=69

[kbean63]

Ewan, wow. And yours has the rings on the same sides - front right and left rear. As you mention playwear is not likely, particularly now that two specimens have surfaced. It's likely as Nick mentioned that some got made before the molds were completely retooled or as Brad mentioned maybe they did only one side as a test. Either way it's a pretty interesting pair of specimens. I wonder how many got made this way - everyone get out your #19d's and start checking.

Kevin
p.s. now I'm jealous that mine isn't an orange model.
p.p.s. one thing I don't understand from Nick's description of the casting variations and the Jon Biggles anomaly - Nick's description says that the axle rings and mixed text came out at the same time so shouldn't they all have both? Wouldn't it be more of an anomaly to have small text and axle rings? I must have misunderstood something.

[Ewan]

Sometimes I have too much time on my hands to consider these things - this morning whilst doing the ironing I came up with this theory

As the base on the 19 Lotus is a casting, presumably there were at least 2 moulds? Maybe during a busy period, the obvious one being whilst making up Christmas orders there was a very high rejection rate or complaint rate concerning only the 2 axle ends that have been altered on our models. To keep production going, the first 2 ends had the bosses altered, maybe only in one mould. When the factory quietened back down or the run of 19s was done they went back and altered all the moulds so all the axle ends had the bosses in order to prevent future problems. That would explain what appears to be a scarce variation - you could be looking at only one mould for a short time. I'd be amazed if there aren't more out there - it's not the most obvious thing to spot and I only got mine because it was orange, but I check everything I get against Nick's site.

[Tinman]

Many alterations were once thought to have been done all at once. Over the years, it has been discovered that some alterations (to a specific model) were done, not all at once, but in rapid succession. This model can now be added to the list of alterations that happened piecemeal.

[kbean63]

Does anyone have a theory as to why the extension rings were added in the first place? Maybe that would offer a solution as to what happened. I assumed that the rings were added to reduce friction of the wheel against the end of the wheel strut but maybe it had some other purpose.