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

This was recently auctioned on Ebay. I didn’t bid because I decided it was most likely a code 3 because i) I’ve never heard of it, and ii) the picking out of the casting banding in black would not be Lesney practice. I think the company concerned, Natural AG, was a Swiss transport firm which now appears to have been taken over.

I was going to bid but thought the same as you Hugh, still a nice model

Had it on my watch list too but couldn't make up my mind

I'll be honest and say that I was also in two minds about it. The fact that the decals fit so well could be an indication that they were made specially for this model. On the other hand, that blackening of the beading m- that can only be third party.

Very nice, Hugh! I didn't see it. Do you know the final price?

Peter

In the second picture the Black trim is more untidy and spills down onto the area under the 'Beading'.

GHOSTHUNTER.

Ergomatic wrote:Very nice, Hugh! I didn't see it. Do you know the final price?

Hammer price was £64 + £4 p&p from a UK-based seller. (The underlined text in my first post is a hyperlink to the auction listing.)

I'm surprised that no one's posted a link to this auction, especially since the model sold for US$631 (plus US$20 p&p). The seller told me that he bought it from the son of someone who had worked for the company in question. Whilst this (plus the fact that two examples have made it onto Ebay) is reasonable proof that it's not e.g. something from a model railway layout, it does not clarify whether this is a Code 2 or a Code 3 issue. Given the standard colour, I would tend towards Code 3 - in which case that's a truly amazing price!

Let's see if I can make up a dozen or so and get them on ebay by Monday (especially since they are going for that kind of money). Just kidding, I really don't expect them to bring in that much. Just kidding about all of it

Tinman wrote:Let's see if I can make up a dozen or so and get them on ebay by Monday (especially since they are going for that kind of money). Just kidding, I really don't expect them to bring in that much. Just kidding about all of it

I guess that was too dry to be viewed as humor. Attempt number two: No one under 35 in the USA knows what language the decals were printed in (since they quit teaching cursive writing in schools here).