68b Mercedes Coach

[Idris]

The NAMC’s “Catalog of all Series Matchbox Models” (first edition), AIM's “1-75 Series Regular Wheels” catalogue (second printing, 1983), Stannard and Houghton do not list any variations not already identified by Nick.
U.K. Matchbox did not examine the model.

[Diecast]

Just to remember, I have mentioned it yet. There are several casting variations inside the body. I am not sure if there are variation with short/large front ejector ring by A, B, C variations. I have models e.g. with large ejector ring and thick axle braces, no ejector braces(A), or with short ejector ring and thick axle braces, thin ejector braces(B)

A) thick axle braces, no ejector braces
B) thick axle braces, thin ejector braces
C) thin axle braces, thin ejector braces
D) no axle braces, thin ejector braces, short front ejector ring
E) no axle braces, thin ejector braces, large front ejector ring
F) no axle braces, thick ejector braces, short front ejector ring
G) no axle braces, thick ejector braces, large front ejector ring

Antonin

[nickjones]

As most traders and collectors are not willing to actually dismantle their models to see what variation it is I have decided not to include the casting modifications pointed out by Antonin, Sorry Antonin, But full marks for dedication. As there have been no other variations noted I will consider the 68b Mercedes Coach listing as complete.

[kwakers]

We have discussed and shown both cream roofs and interiors on these 68 Mercedes Coaches, verified by being able to examine the hidden inside of either for their uniform color. I believe George even featured an example of his odd 68 recently on our Forum to view and note for our pleasure. If perhaps we need to drill a hole in one to check uniform plastic color all the way through, I will volunteer an example for that purpose before we close the 'variation book' without noting the cream plastic's factory provenance. Just like the later 23D Pink Trailers with their cream roofs we found in stores out of the factory, it seems a shame to ignore these odd plastic colors....... That is unless we choose to remain color-blind on only the plastics of our Regular wheel models, but note them as rare on Fire Stations and Garages we still find with odd colored factory panels on them and on any Superfast odd colored plastic components that are accepted with joy every time they are noted as a bit different.
Years ago I made a statement concerning the varied colors on Superfast models that were being closely documented as to shades and hues of plastic windows, interiors and accessories, while many discussions of regular wheel plastics known to veteran collectors were dismissed by youngsters as 'fade' and 'climate and chemical reactions'. To those of us who collected in the mid 60s out of stores, I guess we are led to expect that an extra 6 years of storage on our display shelves have caused not only a changing of our model's plastic colors, but also a dulling of our memories concerning their original odd plastic colors when we noted and bought them brand new out of the stores as variations from the normal models we already had at home.......kwakers

[Tinman]

Dick, it may be a waste of time. I had two models where the plastic turned a dark very off-white color and then crumbled into pieces. Those crumbled pieces were the same color all the way through and both started out bright enough to be considered "white."

The interior was in a 53b Mercedes and the other was the hose, ladder & pipes on top of the 29c Denver fire truck. Before I go further, I am not arguing the fact that some models came with different shades of plastic straight out of the factory. On the other hand, it's difficult to dismiss the fact that when the plastic begins to degrade that it will change color all the way through. Some models that started out with white plastic bits can degrade to much darker off-white colors.

Drilling a hole in a plastic bit will only prove that a part has not been affected on the surface but can NOT differentiate between plastic bits that started out that color or ones with severe degradation which effects that part all the way through. The only way to discover degradation is that the plastic may (or it may not) have become brittle and some bits eventually simply turn into crumbs even without touching them.

Here's the 53b interior which I shook out of the inside (it had crumbled in place while being displayed). The really dark/dirty parts are just that, an accumulation of dust/dirt.

[nickjones]

I completely forgot the shades of plastic Dick, Thanks for reminding me.
I recently got to examine one of Graham (rockertrons) finds at the last Brentwood toyfair, It was mint and boxed and had an off white roof and white seats.

[Pierkemimi]

While we on the model here a picture : on the left interior (colour close to orange my guess)

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Opinions gladly received. Sunfaded ?

[nickjones]

The easiest way to tell if it is cream or if it is white is to insert a small screwdriver in front of the tab that holds the roof on which you will find on the base, The roof will come off and you can look at the underside of the roof and seats, Try this on a beater before you attempt it on a mint model. Remember the screwdriver should be inserted at the front of the tab in between the tab and the back of the grille.

[Pierkemimi]

Thanks, managed to get it open. Sunfaded, base is white.

[kwakers]

That crumbling interior is terrifying to me Joe. I have never seen anything like it up in the Northeast U.S., so I wonder if storage in severe heat may have played a part in that one's deterioration. Over the years I have seen and picked through many childhood collections, seen many sunfaded store window displayed Lesneys, and even collected some of those to display as oddities. Pierkemimi has an example of that type sunfade to enjoy for what it is, a sunfaded plastic piece of a Lesney Toy. This Mercedes Bus is known for fading both roof and interior together, but I have factory examples with the odd cream color roof with pure white interior, a pure white roof with the same odd cream color interior, and an E Bay purchase bought with both odd color components present on it in the exact same color with no fade visible anywhere on either piece.
I can vouch personally for the pair I bought brand new, but not for the third with both cream components. Here are some of my long-winded observations and experiences on 'Later 'Regular Wheel' production Models with odd Plastics':
1. All my #68 Mercedes Buses with legit odd plastic colored pieces were found on the very last Mercedes base casting with covered axles, thick axle supports and small studs on the outside of those axle supports.
2 All my odd colored #9 Boat decks, Hulls, and also interior floors were found on the later 'braced' Boats, and were bought mounted on the last Trailer with those same small reinforcing studs on the outside of it's axles. The hulls can be bright white, while the floor unit glued solidly to it made of the same type polystyrene plastic can be either white, tan, or cream. On a limited run, the outer hull was done in cream with a 'matching' cream interior floor on the one we have.
3 My 23D Caravans with cream roofs were all found on the last casting of the caravan with those same added small studs on the outside of the axle supports on them. In that last style Caravan base casting with those small studs I have also found three very different interior colors used in them.
Are these all just random occurrences on all three of these particular regular wheel models with large plastic pieces on them, or has decades of observations of boxed Mint models led me to conclude Lesney started playing plastic color 'Tricks' on regular wheels just before the Superfast line was being tooled up for it's start of production.
I also have Mint in their factory boxes 37C Cattle Trucks never exposed to light or elements with Brown rear cattle boxes on them. I note that some 'Authority' has at some point in time deemed these brown boxes to all be the result of sunfading. I see that Nick's listings of these colors is very correct as is, so I am very happy with his facts. I wonder if that person who had called the brown 'sunfaded' had bought his brand new in 1967 with 5 distinct cattle body colors on them as I did and Nick has noted. Some are a light gray, some a medium gray, some a dark gray, others are brown-gray, and a couple I bought brand new are still really really brown all these decades later.
On the 4D Dodge Cattle Truck, we found in our stores the Blue plastic rear body, a lighter colored Blue-gray rear body, a lighter GRAY rear body. We had to look through hundreds of stock dark green rear bodied models to find these other 3 odd colored cattle bodies brand new in the late 60s. I would hate to have these written off as 'sunfade', they are factory.
I understand completely Tinman that all of what you have stated above is totally correct, but I am just trying to document models I know of first hand that are still held by us. I still enjoy other unique oddities like your pink decked 48B Boat that I bought from you, (and will always cherish dearly) but I just cannot explain it's existence. I have proof that the cream-decked boats are cream on the inside when the glue gave away on one I bought in two pieces, but I can't bring myself to cut that pink deck off of yours to tell us about it's color inside....(??)... kwakers