No.11e Flying Bug “VW” casting variation.

[motorman]

Shhhhhhhhoooosh Reg, I didn't want to upset him but i recon your right!!

I hate bursting bubbles

[fixer]

Shhhhhhhhoooosh Reg, I didn't want to upset him but i recon your right!!

I hate bursting bubbles

Ken's gonna need to see the base with or without reinforcements ..... could push him over the edge

[motorman]

Shhhhhhhhoooosh Reg, I didn't want to upset him but i recon your right!!

I hate bursting bubbles

Ken's gonna need to see the base with or without reinforcements ..... could push him over the edge

Reg it has no reinforcements. I will attach image later

[matchbox360]

hi Ken yes it does have grey windows , it was in a lot of 10 won for 2.70 + p&p on fleebay
not a "mint fiend" just get lucky sometimes

Wow – you paid £2.70 for the lot, the #11 alone is worth at least 3 times that, IMHO.. a real bargain, any way you cut it! I didn’t pay that much for my ‘square’ label either, and you’re right, luck plays a big part, also knowing what to look for and a certain sense of observation.

Re. me being a ‘mint fiend’ it’s true that I’m quite finicky in my collecting, having a zero-tolerance for any visibly obvious defects (scarcer variations are the exception to this rule). With standard issues, even a tiny fleabite on the upper chassis is a no-no for me, as it marrs the otherwise perfect beauty of the model. However, I don’t mind if paint chips are hidden below/beneath the bodyline... out of sight, out of mind!

Strayed a bit off-topic there ... back to the Bug! Yes, your latest ‘square’ label does seem to have the (high) logo offset a bit to the right, in the exact same position as the ‘rounded’ label example you posted earlier. It remains to be seen if High Logo specimens come to light with the rarer Blue windows. I hope that any such models are then displayed on this thread, as it could be an important reference for those researching the Logo variation and its many permutations. Thanks again for your input, Reg!

Cheers + happy hunting,

Ken

[matchbox360]

Thanks for your pic, Alex, and for confirming that your ‘square label’ #11 has no reinforcements. Even though it’s unexpected to see this label variant with the ‘Low’ logo, I’m not entirely surprised, as the consensus seems to be that there were 2 moulds used from the outset (one with each Logo variant). Additionally, Christian confirmed (indirectly) that his ‘square label’ examples also have the ‘Low’ logo.

So if anything, your model ‘reinforces’ (pardon the pun) the theory that both Logo variants were present from the introduction of this model right until the last ones rolled off the assembly line. It may be observed from Reg’s pics that not only is there a difference in the Logo’s vertical positioning, but there are small variations in its horizontal placement, too. This does hint at the possibility that the logo itself was re-done at some stage to make it more well-defined.

And don't worry about 'bursting bubbles'... we're all ultimately interested in establishing as many facts as possible, and if this means dispelling myths and wild guesses, so be it!
Thanks to you guys, we're now a bit closer to solving the “Logo Conundrum” on this model!
Cheers, Ken

[fixer]

glad to be some help , just a small note just been outbid on an orange bug with fly decal that looked to have the lower logo

[motorman]

Here is the base image of my bug with no reinforcements

[matchbox360]

....just a small note just been outbid on an orange bug with fly decal that looked to have the lower logo

Sorry to hear you were outbid, Reg That’s a superb and charming Flying Bug variant, pretty elusive too. Do you have a link to the auction page? Might be worth looking into..

Cheers,

Ken

[matchbox360]

Here is the base image of my bug with no reinforcements
(image)

Very nice pics, Alex, thanks! You've got an exemplary model there. These early 'square labels' are difficult to come by in such good shape! Btw, you said it's not your favourite SF.. I know it looks a bit OTT, but c'mon, it's not thaaat bad is it?

Just to recap, the High logo is known with both reinforced (Pierkemimi's) and non-reinforced (Reg's, mine) baseplates. This extends the range of variations, but I'm beginning to think that there is a logo 'sub-variation', ie, the slightly displaced High logo on both of Reg's models compared to the more centred one on mine which is also less clear.

Apart from the labels and reinforcements, there are the Window colour combinations, not to mention the orange "Flying Beetle" and the Roman Numeral versions. It also helps to have two or more models to do comparisions with as the differences are more apparent that way. A rule of thumb is that the 'High' logo always sits further up, leaving a noticeable gap between itself and the curved bonnet lines.

Cheers, Ken

[fixer]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Matchbox-Flyi ... true&rt=nc
hope this works