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nickjones wrote:I have been looking for this variation for years and no luck so far.

Join the club.
I regularly examine every 63b on Ebay but, so far, to no avail. I therefore think that this wheel variation is genuinely rare. (Could it be, by any chance, yet another example of a small pre-production run getting mixed in with the initial release?)

Update: I've just checked on the old forum (which is mind-numbingly slow compared to this one) and, as I thought, there used to be a Matchbox advert or publicity photograph on there showing a 63b with Major Pack wheels. What I said at the time was that the chances of such a rare variation turning up in a photograph like that completley by chance were so low that the conclusion had to be that this particular variation is a pre-production, so the idea that a few slipped out with the initial release would seem to hold water.

It might be worth checking the box illustrations because the first iron fairy box shows the model fitted with single faced wheels, I don't have a crash tender box.

nickjones wrote:It might be worth checking the box illustrations because the first iron fairy box shows the model fitted with single faced wheels,

Good point, Nick.
I've just had a look on Pat's site, and that only has boxes depicting 63b Foamites with standard wheels.

Hi Nick
I have checked it also, unfortunatelly no trace of smooth faced wheels. Perhaps it could be found in some adverisement leaflet. It is possible that the 63b was fitted with BPW ø12x45 in pre-production, it fits both, in the size ratio and chronological also (63b was introduced in April 1964 and 11c in June 1964).
Antonin

I have managed to extract the relevant image from the old forum (where it was posted by Matchboxmarcel).

Very nice Hugh, at first glance it seems that the Crash Tender has the wheels with smooth face. Unfortunatelly the photo is not in HD quality.
Antonin

Clarification and or correction re sale to Vectis.


nickjones wrote:
I have only seen one crash tender with that type of wheel, it was owned by forum member Yellow Foden

nickjones wrote
Hi Hugh.
The one that vectis sold was owned by yellow foden,

Hello Nick and Hugh, not sure if by chance there is another username of yellowfoden on the forum but I just want to correct the record if there is only one yellowfoden that Vectis did not sell a model from me.

I would find it quite difficult to part any of the Lesney in my collection let alone a model where there are so few examples known.

My mistake Nick, I must have confused you with someone else ?.

nickjones wrote:It might be worth checking the box illustrations because the first iron fairy box shows the model fitted with single faced wheels, I don't have a crash tender box.

i checked my boxes...ive checked pats box page...ive checked ebay...i havent seen any differences in the wheels on the box..they all seem to match the model that is paired with the box

Diecast wrote:11c Jumbo Crane code 1 with BPW ø12x45 is relatively rare. I already had one model in my collection, but I managed to get the second one. Originally I wanted to exchange it with another rare model which is not in my collection up till now. What was my surprise when I discovered that the code 1 comes in two variantions. The first variation is with BPW ø12x45 with inner and outer smooth face.
Antonin

It is a long time since I have mentioned two types of BPW ø12x45. Has anyone spotted it yet?
Antonin