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Morris J Type - are there any kits out there?


Quiet Mike

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Just thinking out load here, but are there any kits of the Morris j Type? I've just have a very quick google and not come up with anything.

 

I ask, not just becuase they are a much loved part of our automotive heritage, but also my grandfather drove one for Lowmans Bakery here in Southampton, when they moved here in the 1950s. I'd love to recreate his wagon!

Lowmans had a fleet of them I think. I've just had a chat with my dad who remembers them vividly as a small child.

 

52029372809_3c179cee60_z.jpg

Morris J Type reference by Mike, on Flickr

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Hi Mike,

                     It's very unlikely. Only found a Corgi diecast intended for model railway enthusiasts. Scale is about 1/43rd to suit model railways. Would take a re-paint with custom decals to represent a specific colour scheme. Seems to be the only likely course. Ebay might be the easiest way to get one.

 

Dave

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4 hours ago, richellis said:

I’ve got a 1:24 resin kit from Parts Box in Australia

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About £70 shipped to the UK, for a handmade resin 1/24. I'll need to give that some serious thought, thanks for the heads up Rich!

 

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I've seen a Parts Box J Van made up - it builds into a nice model, but the bloke who built it (a very talented modeller) said that it was (expletive deleted) hard work. My interest stems from the fact that one of my uncles was a PMG linesman and drove a J van, which he used to call his "pie van", on the job.

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  • 4 months later...

To update, I've just this second bought an old 50's Dinky J Type, (The Royal Mail one) which I plan to restore in Lowmans livery. It's my dads birthday in a couple of months and I think it'll be a nice trip down memory lane for him, as he has such fond memories of his dads.

 

Plans are to recreate the livery in adobe illustrator and make my own transfers, I got some decal paper a couple of days ago and we have a laser jet printer here at work.

 

While I'm at it I may as well have a go at reproducing the Dinky packaging!

 

s-l500.jpg

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If that is the original paint and box on the Dinky Toy, you would probably be better leaving it and using a Corgi or Oxford diecast to repaint, or starting with a battered Dinky. Of course if its already a repaint then no such worries. Nice idea to replicate the box style if you can.

Matt

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4 hours ago, Farmer matt said:

If that is the original paint and box on the Dinky Toy, you would probably be better leaving it and using a Corgi or Oxford diecast to repaint, or starting with a battered Dinky. Of course if its already a repaint then no such worries. Nice idea to replicate the box style if you can.

Matt

 

I just ripped that image off the net Matt, my £10 Dinky is much more battered with a lot of paint loss! It's still original though, and I may yet decide to preserve it ...

I did see the more modern Corgi examples, and they knock the socks off the original Dinky ones. For this exercise though, I wanted it to reflect my old mans childhood, even though it's a cheaper, crudely made toy.

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Giving the battered one a new lease of life is the way I would go, the Dinkys do have far more charm. I spent many years re-finishing various diecasts as a sideline, and I was always a bit loathe to interfere with anything that was in really good nick.

I do like these personal connection projects, they give a bit more emotion to the model.

 

Matt

 

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On 07/09/2022 at 23:34, Quiet Mike said:

 

I just ripped that image off the net Matt, my £10 Dinky is much more battered with a lot of paint loss! It's still original though, and I may yet decide to preserve it ...

I did see the more modern Corgi examples, and they knock the socks off the original Dinky ones. For this exercise though, I wanted it to reflect my old mans childhood, even though it's a cheaper, crudely made toy.

I think that's a lovely idea.

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Thanks to ebay, and helping my mucka stall at Beaulieu Autojumble, I now have a couple of candidates. Over the 3 days of the largest autojumble in the UK, I managed to find just one J Type! Only £5 though so  won't complain.

Interesting to compare them. The Corgi is a little larger than the Dinky, has window glass, more detail, but less definition in the moulding. Also, a common fault with Corgis I have found, the suspension is too sloppy. It leans to one side too! The tyres are still rubber, but the wheels are plastic, which looks cheap. The Dinky is a much simpler construction, no suspension, metal wheels, good definition in the casting. Rubber tyres are all good, which was a concern. The rear windows on 260 Post Van are wire mesh, which I may remove.

I'm not sure I'll do a WIP thread, it doesn't seem quite right on Britmodeller? Happy to corrected on that front! I will document progress somewhere though.

 

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Donor vehicles, the venerable Dinky and it's modern Corgi counterpart by Mike, on Flickr

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  • 3 weeks later...

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