Re: MOTORMANS FINDS

Post by **Idris** » Mon Mar 16, 2015 8:49 am

The army green version is more than just a colour trial. It comes from a pilot run for a proposed release which was supposed to cash in on a firemen's strike and the resultant widespread use of Green Goddesses. However, by the time Lesney had got themselves sorted out, the strike was over and the opportunity had passed.

jeff f · Post by **jeff f** » Mon Mar 16, 2015 9:59 am

hi, sometimes i think we forget we are talking about a kiddes toy company, the fire engine is a great buy, but surely its too late a casting to be pre pro, the brown ladder could had been put on at factory, by mistake or they ran out of white ladders , who knows, in them days it was a toy , get it in the box and sell it, as for the book being wrong, would not be the first time a books been wrong, in fact so much new info has been found since that book was published ,that its not the end of story, so many so called prepros are just colour test models or just a diffrence in the next can of paint , or casting variations that could happen as the molds wear , and molds got worked on. yes there is a lot of early models out there and due to numbers made there will be diffrences , and there will be pre pros , but just how many are true pre pros

i admire the lenghts some go to to show the diffrences , and yes there has been some interesting finds, not decrying peoples thoughts , but cant all be prepro, and at 50p for that bonnie fire engine what dose it matter, we all would had picked it up , hes a canny buyer

SMS88 · Post by **SMS88** » Mon Mar 16, 2015 10:09 am

GHOSTHUNTER wrote:Well, if it can be proven these ladders as shown above on the Rolls-Royce were first fitted to the Merryweather, it means the 'Forty Years' book is wrong and the History of the Rolls-Royce is wrong and given that the contributors to the 'Forty Years' book are ex senior members of staff at Lesney!!

GHOSTHUNTER.

What a great racket - taking ladders off worthless Y6 to create pre-pro MerryWeathers - a simple clip on part that would only be recognised by folks who have knowledge of both ranges which seems to be why its has not been detected before............

nearlymint · Post by **nearlymint** » Mon Mar 16, 2015 11:59 am

I have seen lots of fire engines with the ladders swapped over, never really took any notice as they are so easy to change. As long as you do not pay a premium for it .J

jeff f · Post by **jeff f** » Mon Mar 16, 2015 12:05 pm

i dont think its a racket, and as for the way motorman found it and what he paid dont even add up to a worthwhile con lol, yes i agree people who have the know both ranges will spot a pip on a ladder ect, but alot of mismatchs of plastics came direct from the factory, who just viewed it as a stock model and it made no diffrence , no one can say it was a fake done to con the buyer when it was 50p, troble is now its been seen and talked about how many more will come up for sale ???

Post by **motorman** » Mon Mar 16, 2015 12:11 pm

nearlymint wrote:I have seen lots of fire engines with the ladders swapped over, never really took any notice as they are so easy to change. As long as you do not pay a premium for it .J

J, i couldn't leave it on the table when the seller said he wanted 50pence for it. Even if it had a standard white ladder it would still have come home with me

leonty24 · Post by **leonty24** » Mon Mar 16, 2015 12:52 pm

Alex i also have a merryweather with a brown ladder, at the time would a brown ladder have been more appropiate in representing a wooden ladder just a thought

leonty24 · Post by **leonty24** » Mon Mar 16, 2015 1:05 pm

This my brown ladder merryweather

Post by **motorman** » Mon Mar 16, 2015 2:51 pm

Ghosty's rational about the ladder possibly coming from the Y-6 is a very plausible explanation for many ladder swaps and must be considered.

I note that the Merryweather i have has the red/brown ladder with small "Pips" and is identical to the ladder shown on the Y-6 image Ghosty posted making it pre 1980. The ladder in Daves' image has the more pronounced rounded pips making it post 1980.

Can it therefore be concluded that if the ladder on my model is pre 1980 then my Merryweather could very well have left the factory with this ladder?

I have tried to remove the ladder from my model and it would not budge, it is a nice tight fit!!

leonty24 · Post by **leonty24** » Mon Mar 16, 2015 4:10 pm

Considering that these two merryweathers have been acquired from very far apart locations it would make swaps a ltttle unlikely on at least one of these models,
probaly mine so well done Alex