44a Rolls Royce Silver Cloud
Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2015 6:06 pm
Not at all an easy model to summarise, primarily because of the different interpretations of the colours, especially in terms of what is a colour and what is a shade. Nick has gone for a detailed breakdown into five distinct metallic blues, whereas Rob Newson's (U.K. Matchbox) approach is a bit more pragmatic: the first issues were in metallic mid-blue (sometimes called metallic dark blue), whilst subsequent issues were in a lighter steel blue (with some examples so pale that they approach silver grey).
The NAMC’s “Catalog of all Series Matchbox Models” (second edition), does not list any variations not already catalogued by Nick.
The AIM “1-75 Series Regular Wheels” catalogue (second printing, 1983) has a model at 44-1c which looks like a plausible 'missing link': metallic dark blue, 9 x 20 GPW, c/a, This would fit very neatly between Nick's current variation codes 10 and 11. AIM also notes that the two types of SPW (9 x 20 and 9 x 24) each come in two different widths.
Houghton and Stannard both identify the same model missing from Nick's listing. For Houghton it is variation 44a-4 and for Stannard it is 44a-3. In both cases it is dark metallic blue, 9.5 x 18 MW, d/c, thick door brace, with bonnet pips, with roof pips and rings, and type 1 trim. However, it is possible that this represents just a particularly dark example of Nick's variation code 10.
Houghton also highlights an additional bonnet variation. Early on, the ejector rings were small, but towards the end of the model's life, an alternative casting with large rings has been identified. Houghton lists both variations for Nick's variation code 13 (light metallic blue, gloss black base, 9 x 20 GPW, d/r, thick door brace, with bonnet pips, with roof pips and rings, type 2 trim), and variation code 17 (light metallic blue, gloss black base, 9 x 20 SPW, d/r, thick door brace, with bonnet pips, with roof pips and rings, type 2 trim). It seems reasonable to assume that many of the other later variation codes exhibit similar pairings.
It should be noted that Houghton appears to contain an error from variation 44a-8 onwards, with the door braces being reported as thin instead of thick. Also Nick's table appears to have variation codes 6 and 8 identical. (Should Nick's code 6 be the missing Houghton/Stannard variation perhaps?)
U.K. Matchbox examined the model in Volume 7, no. 4 (Oct. '83) p125, but did not identify any variations not already listed by Nick..
In addition, back in Lefora days, Antonin showed us a previously unrecorded casting variation to the top of the B-pillars.
The NAMC’s “Catalog of all Series Matchbox Models” (second edition), does not list any variations not already catalogued by Nick.
The AIM “1-75 Series Regular Wheels” catalogue (second printing, 1983) has a model at 44-1c which looks like a plausible 'missing link': metallic dark blue, 9 x 20 GPW, c/a, This would fit very neatly between Nick's current variation codes 10 and 11. AIM also notes that the two types of SPW (9 x 20 and 9 x 24) each come in two different widths.
Houghton and Stannard both identify the same model missing from Nick's listing. For Houghton it is variation 44a-4 and for Stannard it is 44a-3. In both cases it is dark metallic blue, 9.5 x 18 MW, d/c, thick door brace, with bonnet pips, with roof pips and rings, and type 1 trim. However, it is possible that this represents just a particularly dark example of Nick's variation code 10.
Houghton also highlights an additional bonnet variation. Early on, the ejector rings were small, but towards the end of the model's life, an alternative casting with large rings has been identified. Houghton lists both variations for Nick's variation code 13 (light metallic blue, gloss black base, 9 x 20 GPW, d/r, thick door brace, with bonnet pips, with roof pips and rings, type 2 trim), and variation code 17 (light metallic blue, gloss black base, 9 x 20 SPW, d/r, thick door brace, with bonnet pips, with roof pips and rings, type 2 trim). It seems reasonable to assume that many of the other later variation codes exhibit similar pairings.
It should be noted that Houghton appears to contain an error from variation 44a-8 onwards, with the door braces being reported as thin instead of thick. Also Nick's table appears to have variation codes 6 and 8 identical. (Should Nick's code 6 be the missing Houghton/Stannard variation perhaps?)
U.K. Matchbox examined the model in Volume 7, no. 4 (Oct. '83) p125, but did not identify any variations not already listed by Nick..
In addition, back in Lefora days, Antonin showed us a previously unrecorded casting variation to the top of the B-pillars.