Model Collector – August 2019

august 2019 | http://www.modelcollector.com 75

Model Collector, MyTimeMedia Ltd, Eden House, Enterprise Way, Edenbridge, Kent TN8 6HF email: [email protected]

During a short holiday in Eastbourne recently,

I was able to obtain Model Collector’s June

issue. Page 77 interested me greatly, because

of the Kellogg’s models shown and described.

In 1976 I bought a real Wolseley 1500 from

its first owner in Dunstable, and so,

naturally, as a lifelong collector, I am always

on hunt for models of that car. I try to visit

the Sandown Park Toy & Train Fair every

year in May. On one of those occasions I saw

a Kellogg’s model on a table and I asked the

owner if he possibly had the Wolseley

somewhere, too. Alas, no. During my final

stroll I passed this table again. The seller

called out to me, pointing toward another

Kellogg’s car. It was a Wolseley! It had just

been swapped for the other model. What a

stroke of good luck! I’ve haven’t come across

another example since.

ROBERT VAN DER KLUGT

EMAIL

What a lovely story! That Wolseley was clearly

meant for you, Robert. Interestingly, the

understanding that models in this series came

free with Kellogg’s

Cornflakes appears

to be a common

misconception,

as another of

our readers/

contributors, John

Harrison, has since (in the July issue) pointed out

that they were actually give-aways in boxes of

Sugar Puffs. For most of us who grew up in the

‘pre-Health & Safety’ generation/s, though,

I guess a little confusion is understandable, as

we were bombarded (in a good way) with a whole

variety of cereal thrillers. By the way, thanks for

the fantastic photos. I absolutely love all the

extra little touches you’ve incorporated into

your Lesney Matchbox Wolseley 1500 conversion,

and the way you’ve staged/accessorized the

models on display in the photo you’ve sent. Ed.

Part of former 1:1 Wolseley 1500 owner Robert van der Klugt’s charmingly presented display, including his clever conversion of the

Matchbox Wolseley 1500 into the gorgeous police car seen left.

A better business model

In these days of internet buying, the concept of a model shop, into which one can enter and browse

before buying is becoming a thing of the past. So, what is the current retail model? By illustrating

models via the computer screen and using large warehousing stock control techniques, many

manufacturers and suppliers are able to minimise their costs while also helping to keep buyers’ costs

to a reasonable level. This is all well and good, but imagine if a manufacturer did not use a third party

to distribute its own goods and, instead, attempted to maintain some kind of personal contact with

its customers? What if the same manufacturer kept its customer base abreast of new developments

with a regular newsletter/magazine and followed this up with really good after sales service?

That we have such a situation with Oxford Models is remarkable. I recently took delivery of a

couple of its 1:43 models, to which Dom had awarded 10/10 in his review section. He was right

• the paintwork, level of detail and quality for the price were all terrific. However, one of the cars
  must have slipped through quality control and was missing its front seats. Upon contacting
  Oxford to see if it had some spares that I could fit, I was sent a completely new model, along with
  a requesting to return the incomplete one using the pre-paid label also included. I have no axe to
  grind in praising the company in this way and would hope, though might not hold my breath,
  that all such problems across the spectrum of our hobby might be dealt with as efficiently as this.
  DENNIS TREBBLE
  EMAIL

end of the highline, but it has

the longer rubbing strip and

revised dashboard of the

lowline. It has the wide

stainless-steel windscreen

surround of the lowline

painted on and the longer

rubbing strip of the lowline

moulded in. Strangest of all,

it has a forward-sloping

version of the lowline’s very

distinctive rear-sloping

tail-light cluster, with its huge

round reflector. It has what

I suspect is a generic hubcap

but is a good representation

of the type used on both types

of Mk 2 Consul. Its generic

perforated disc wheels don’t

match either version of the

real car, though.

Viewed from the front

the model is good, but from

the back it doesn’t look right

at all, and that’s not just

down to the rear wing/tail

light faux pas. I’ve traced

the problem to the huge

wrap-round rear window,

which isn’t huge enough and

is actually positioned too low

• look at my sketches and
  you’ll see what I mean.
  I know I shouldn’t be so
  picky – at last I’ve got my
  Mk 2 Consul, and since
  it’s a cross between the
  two different versions
  we had in our family,
  I’ve got a compromise
  model which can serve
  as either. What have I got
  to be grumpy about?
  GEORGE MACDONALD
  EMAIL

I’ve got to say that

I am wildly impressed

by how you’ve, quite

literally, turned feeling

grumpy into an art form,

George! Thanks so

much for providing

these incredible line

drawings to illustrate

your points. Ed.

Along came a Wolseley...

Robert’s little green

plastic Wolseley, a

very lucky find

during a visit to the

Sandown Toyfair.