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Another find from Saturday's Kalamazoo Toy Show was this 1st variation of the 70A Thames Estate Car. The interior of the roof is smooth, lacking the rivet posts later used for fitting of the plastic window insert.

Nice one Greg - I think this one is quite tough to find.

Cheers,
Gavin

Is this smooth interior roof actually scarce? I just checked my models and I have 2 of them!

I really don't know fintail. I was just happy to find a nice example of the very first variation.

Nice find Greg.
Stannard lists a slightly later Thames with gpw and with windows but with crimped axles, I have not seen one yet, does anyone have a thames with windows and crimped axles?.

I don't have any 70A models with crimped axles, with or without windows.

Hi Nick, you must have a different Stannards book to me, as I cannot see any listings about axles so where did you see this listing for crimped axles from?

I have seven variations and all of them have round axles, including my code 1 which has the roof with-out the rivets.

George T.

kerbside wrote:Hi Nick, you must have a different Stannards book to me, as I cannot see any listings about axles so where did you see this listing for crimped axles from?

I have seven variations and all of them have round axles, including my code 1 which has the roof with-out the rivets.

George T.

I must have been mistaken about getting the info from Stannards,
It is listed at code 5 on my site, early baseplate, clear windows with window rivets, 9x20 GPW on crimped axles.

It sounds like that version with roof rivets, windows, and with crimped axles might have been a trial model for testing the 'new window rivets' and the fitting of window inserts Nick. They would have hand assembled a few in the prototype shop to check their final fit, but used the axle crimper there to finish the axles rather than bother workers on the busy production line rivet machines. This is the first I have heard of a Thames with crimped axles, and would have expected it to turn up only with the early smooth roof and with no window inserts in early 'component testing' pre-production models. I believe I still remember the 70A pictured in a pocket catalog with totally different colors on it, I may have to look at that 1959 (?) catalog now for signs of axle crimping on it......
I have been searching for years for a #68 Austin Radio Truck in any condition with crimped axles, but had picked up the #69 Nestle's Van with crimped axles out of a store years ago with no problem. These two Lesneys were the last to have been released with crimped axles that I knew of till today. Another #70 Thames with C/A to add to my 'wish and want' Lesney telephone book.
kwakers

I checked all mine - no crimped axles. One of my smooth roof variants is in a "new model" box.