Early SF Baseplate Colours Query

[Idris]

As we all know, many different paint colours were used for baseplates in the early days of Superfast. I have heard two explanations for this: 1) Lesney were using up residual stocks of RW body colour paints, and 2) it was a marketing ploy to create additional variations, thereby boosting sales.
Personally, I favour the first explanation since it is relatively easy to match a SF baseplate colour to a RW model. However, there do seem to be an awful lot of coloured baseplates out there. So many in fact, that you would think that Lesney must have had 1,000s of gallons (imperial!) of each colour in stock on changeover. That strikes me as being unlikely. Could it be that Lesney kept on buying in RW specification paint in order to keep on producing coloured baseplates, indicating that there is more than a grain of truth in the second explanation?

[GHOSTHUNTER]

I firmly believe in both.

1, It clearly was a good idea to use up surplus paint rather than scrap it.
2, This is only partially feasible as I don't think they were interested in creating variations, this came later with the 'Yesteryear' Vans in the late 1970's.

Cost cutting is never going to be far away from any toy or model company's accountant and sales team. I am sure Lesney would have got some great deals on paint from it's suppliers if they did not mind what colours they took, especially as they could use this on parts of the model that was not so important, the baseplates.

Ghosthunter.

[motorman]

Hugh i am unsure what theory to put my money on to be honest. I do tend to think that they had huge quantities of unused paint from the RW era and it was cheaper to use it than dispose of it by other means.

One thing i am sure about is that collecting Superfast is a far more interesting hobby as a result, with an abundance of models with different coloured base plates the #8 Wildcat Dragster and #69 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow as two great examples. The completists amongst us have lots of variations of certain models therefore to hunt down making it lots and lots of fun,..... if a little expensive!!

[GHOSTHUNTER]

I certainly understand the expensive bit...

Ghosty.

[Rob]

Using up old stocks of paint has always been my understanding and when the three day working week occurred at the beginning of 1974 this practice continued with whatever paint and labels they had in stock, hence the many variations that can be found from that era.

[Idris]

Using up old stocks of paint has always been my understanding...

Mine too. It's just that, when you look at all the coloured baseplates Lesney produced, they must have had unreasonably large stockpiles of the RW colours.

[Rob]

Using up old stocks of paint has always been my understanding...

Mine too. It's just that, when you look at all the coloured baseplates Lesney produced, they must have had unreasonably large stockpiles of the RW colours.

I think they bought lots of the reg wheel colours and then got caught out with the speed at which SF needed to be churned out to meet the Hotwheels threat, so used up whatever they could where they wouldn't necessarily be seen, such as the baseplates.

[numi]

Has anybody thought about the possibility that Lesney was buying overstocked paint from the factory,over-runs made for other clients,rejects and mismatched returns from other clients for much less than the usual Mb colors.This could solidify the cost-cutting drive in hard times and/or keep the profits in line and business buoyant.
numi

[Idris]

Has anybody thought about the possibility that Lesney was buying overstocked paint from the factory,over-runs made for other clients,rejects and mismatched returns from other clients for much less than the usual Mb colors.This could solidify the cost-cutting drive in hard times and/or keep the profits in line and business buoyant.

Are there many examples of SF baseplate colours which cannot be linked to an RW model?

[motorman]

As we all know, many different paint colours were used for baseplates in the early days of Superfast. I have heard two explanations for this: 1) Lesney were using up residual stocks of RW body colour paints, and 2) it was a marketing ploy to create additional variations, thereby boosting sales.

Hugh i don't think we should dismiss the second explanation about it being a marketing ploy for it wasn't the first time Lesney played about with base plate colours when you consider the Regular Wheel models such as the #27c Cadillac Sixty Special, #75a Ford Thunderbird, both of which can be found with a variety of wonderful base colours and colour shade variations.