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27a Bedford Low Loader, issued 1956, length 78mm, box type B.
27b Bedford Low Loader, issued 1958, length 95mm, box type B.
27c Cadillac Sixty Special, issued 1960, length 69mm, box types B - C and D.
27d Mercedes 230 SL, issued 1966, length 74mm, box types E and F.








I found that the 27b Light Green model with MW was hard to find.
















Three different shades of the Maroon bases + Black one.










The White and Light Cream 27d models.



George T.

My 27s:











And one with mixed wheels:

Nick's comments on the 27a read as follows: "The first very short run has a blue cab and a dark blue trailer. This was soon changed to a slightly paler blue cab with a tan trailer which was also quite a short run."
I'll admit that when I first came across the blue cab/tan trailer variation, I was highly sceptical of it and assumed that it was a bitzer. However, it turns up fairly regularly and, over the years, I have come to the conclusion that it probably is a genuine issue rather than simply Lesney using up leftover blue tractor units. This conclusion is reinforced by Nick's statement that the tan-trailered version has a lighter blue cab than the blue-trailered version.
However, both my blue cabs are an identical shade. Can anyone confirm this shade difference and, even better (but probably a real challenge) post a photograph which clearly shows this shade difference?

Hi Hugh.
Both models are pictured on my site but the colour difference is not that obvious,
But note that the blue/blue is playworn and the lighter blue/tan is mint so the opposite of what you would expect if the playworn one was sunfaded.
http://www.vintagebritishdiecasts.co.uk ... /xx27a.htm

I've got an example of the Two-blue and the Blue-tan 27a lowloaders. I've got to tell you that the cabs look mighty close to me. My son says one of them shows a bit more color saturation than the other for whatever that means.
A couple of photos. First, the Bedford cabs/tractors without the trailers. What do you think? Is one darker than the other?



And then a second photo of the cabs in their same position but mated with their trailers.
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matchbox_n_molars wrote:What do you think? Is one darker than the other?

Thanks for the photograph, Greg! I would say that the first issue appears ever so slightly darker than the second issue, but the difference is truly marginal.