19c Aston Martin DBR5

[GHOSTHUNTER]

Welcome back Dick, glad to know you are OK, but have been very busy, good to hear from you again.

Ghosthunter.

[Idris]

Idris' comment on the earliest models with a painted silver grill forced me to pick up a now-suspected early production #52 decaled model I STILL have on my computer desk to find it also is painted silver inside it's grill.

It's interesting that you have a silver-grille model with 52 decals. Graham (Rocketron) had a 19c carrying 52 racing numbers including a bonnet decal in his last sale. Although that did not have the silver trim, it might well have represented a late pre-production since it sounds to me as though, as with the 6b Euclid, the decals were not ready for the launch of this model, hence the use of the 52 roundels.
incidentally, I see that the model sold by Vectis as lot 211 in Matchbox Magic 14 on 4/4/06 also had silver trim. (See here.)

[Taniwha]

Nice to see some of those wonderful rambling posts from the mighty Kwackers again - welcome back Dick!

Cheers,
Gavin

[Idris]

I think it is the rest of the decal guide, because all racing cars had the racing number on the front part of the body and the radius of the crescent has the same diameter as the decal.

You misunderstand me. What I meant was that perhaps the decal guide had only ever consisted of a crescent rather than a complete circle.
Taking that idea a step further, could it have been added as an afterthought? I always find it strange that the engine cover does not sit flush with the rest of the bodywork. Was this model originally planned to have an opening or removable engine cover and, when that proved too difficult, it was converted to a one piece bodyshell, following which, an idea for a nose decal was floated, but never carried through because of the difference in levels (which would have made adding a decal impossible)?

I have now found a photograph of the inside of the bodyshell. There seems to be a lot of bracing between the driver and the nose, but quite what conclusion can be drawn from this, I have absolutely no idea!

[kwakers]

Thanks Gavin, I hope work calms a bit so I can ramble on about some of these interesting finds and new variations I have missed out on lately.
My comment on the 19C Aston Martin in Green is that Bob Brennen had that one in his own collection. I am sure that it is REAL, but Hugh may be right about that one he listed in his Guide as being a pre-production, or perhaps an early delivery colour trial right from Fred Bronner's display in New York. Unless it is a different shade of green, that non-metallic colour may have been overlooked quite easily by early collectors like us if any were in store displays. I have to admit that as we looked at those early cardboard displays for models we needed, the metal as well as the gray plastic wheeled display models were exciting to find. They usually left the store with us because we knew they had been discontinued and were "Special". This black tired Aston would not be all that exciting of a find for us in 1964 or 1965, so they were overlooked as current Lesney production until we found the decal variations later on in the 1965 Lesney Race Sets from Canada (as I had said in an earlier Post).......
Kwakers

[Tinman]

There is precedence for decal guide lines being only a partial outline of the area where the decal is to be placed. Lots of models with a simple line to note locations. Since there is a rectangle area (on the hood) where all the detail tooling took place, it seems perfectly reasonable to contain a partial decal guide in this area.

When I was buying the models as they were introduced, I deliberately skipped over all of the racers. One reason was they were too large in scale to use with my model railroad. Another reason, they were simply "less interesting" to me during that time period (an exception being the D-type Jags). As the years drew on, I developed a fascination and love of all the racers and began to catch up on all of the many variations.

About ten years ago, my collector friend Dave Lagerquist (from California) sent me a box with about 40 to 45 different beater models of all the open race car models. Over the years I've had them all apart and been able to find many variations. I restored them all and created countless "new" variations of my own design. Only six or seven remain and those have severe damage, missing bases, etc. The experience of restoring all those racers only made my affection for them grow stronger.

By not placing the third decal on the hood, Lesney could install decals on every third model for free. That's a big savings.

[Diecast]

There is precedence for decal guide lines being only a partial outline of the area where the decal is to be placed. Lots of models with a simple line to note locations. Since there is a rectangle area (on the hood) where all the detail tooling took place, it seems perfectly reasonable to contain a partial decal guide in this area.

By not placing the third decal on the hood, Lesney could install decals on every third model for free. That's a big savings.

I agree with Joe. That sounds like a logical explanation to me, but maybe there exists a pre-pro version with a full circle. There could be a problems to attach the parts of the circle of the different mold segments.
Antonin

[Diecast]

Perhaps I have found some modification on the 19c Aston Martin DBR 5. I think that the early models are metallic light (blue) - green, as John mentioned it yet.

[Diecast]

There are two body modification:
a) a square cut off for the steering shaft
b) a rounded cut off for the steering shaft

[Diecast]

The body wall thickness is thinner and the gap between the base plate and the body is larger, by the early models. The internal dimensions of the body is circa 11.2 mm. The inner part of the base plate is not painted
The body wall thickness thicker and the gap between the base plate and the body is smaller, by the late models. The internal dimensions of the body is circa 10.3 mm. The inner part of the base plate is black painted.
Antonin