VBD2 is closed. Please go to https://vbd3.co.uk instead.

Diecast wrote:I don´t understand why the rivets for the window were designed so short. That must have lead to the cracking of the windows during production.

Isn't this the first model to have window inserts? If so, it is quite possible that Lesney failed to account for the plastic being a lot weaker than metal and so designed the window rivets in the same way that they designed baseplate rivets only to find that they were not fit for purpose and needed lengthening in order to avoid damage to the insert during assembly.

Let's not upset the Boss here Boys and Girls......The roof rivets being done by hand with a chisel rather than on the power rivet machine could also be an indicator of a power outage rather than just being done in the prototype shop for initial window fit. Both explanations are still very good ones with sound foundations, and we may not ever know which was the real story on other 70A Crimped axle Thames we may find. (Note Antonin, I don't wish to admit you may have the only one to exist, there has to be one out there for me some day!
The roof rivets were done by a machine riveter on the pre-pro prototype shop 23C Caravans Nick pictured for us, unlike Antonin's chiseled roof rivets. That feature may make Antonin's example an 'All-experimental' 70A glazed crimped axle Thames, or one done without power as we concluded before learning of the C/A Caravans. The shorter roof rivet posts on Antonin's crimped axle Thames tends to tell me that they were designed AFTER the experimental 23C Caravan's with their 'too-long' roof rivets. I say that only because the same shorter early roof rivets were then put in use on the early 22B Vauxhall, and also the 33A Zodiac castings when fitted with their very early window glaze units. There is no extra metal seen on their spun roof rivets either, and the 23Cs long roof rivets were not to be seen again till much later on 'modern' Lesney castings.
If it were not for our knowledge gained by Nick's posting of those Genuine 23C crimped axle pre-production Caravans with plastic window inserts, I would not have even presented my 'brilliant theory' (according to Antonin) that is very flattering, but undeserved. Your Thames is further proof Antonin, that once we collectors have found a particular (Rare) variation, we tend to sometimes not fully understand how few may exist of it until many, many years later, and our knowledge is gained by sharing in these very interesting side discussions. kwakers

kwakers wrote: (Note Antonin, I don't wish to admit you may have the only one to exist, there has to be one out there for me some day! kwakers

It is quite possible that there will repeat a similar story as with 41a Jag without decal location guide (as Hugh pointed out here as the first one). 70a Thames with DC axles may have been too long overlooked on ebay (and if it is visible only from one side on one photo then the probability of finding out this rare model is reducing by half).
Antonin