This rare example of the Leyland Octopus Flat Truck with Chains is in baltic blue cab & chassis, lemon yellow coachwork trim to the cab, very pale grey flat bed [with the chain correctly linked behind the cab] and grey plastic wheels. Made around 1965, but how many were produced in that time is unclear, but out of the two main body colours, the other being green cab & chassis, this is the rarest. With the condition as good as the day it was made this has to be one of the best examples around today. The ‘picture’ box, again is one of the best examples, being clean, strong and bright. It is also correctly colour coded on the end with the correct and original colour coded adhesive spot. (The original Dinky colour code adhesive spots are easily identified as they are 6mm in diameter and are centrally colour coded, surrounded with a white border).
Rare model and very hard to find in such fine condition, exceptional.

"If you want the best, then this is it".

(this model is not for sale)

A point of interest: This Leyland Octopus in the baltic blue & pale grey colour way was never produced with red plastic wheels. But, we had recently seen for sale [date of sale 25 July 2013] on the internet auction site an example being sold with red plastic wheels and pale grey coachwork trim to the cab instead of lemon yellow [see pictures 7 and 8].

This model, which was described as rare and original and for sale at £2,500 was in fact a faked up example using the cab and chassis from the number 934 Leyland Octopus Wagon in baltic blue & lemon lellow with the lemon yellow coachwork trim to the cab. But, the lemon yellow coachwork trim to the cab had been removed and a pale grey over painted  by hand to the very extremes of the bumpers edge and the moulding line around the cab so as to cover up all traces of there ever being yellow paint there in the first place. There is one way to tell if the coachwork trim to the cab has been repainted and that is by it being painted by hand. It was NEVER painted by hand. The trim around the cab was sprayed in three sections, the front and each side were mask sprayed individually. The bumper also was mask sprayed and that never covered the whole length of the bumper, it was always short at both ends. Sometimes, the ends of the spray area of the bumper had a ‘flick’ of paint applied by hand using a brush, but you can still make out the original line of the masking for the spraying [see picture 9 showing the cabs from two original Leyland Octopus]. The spraying will leave an over spray haze at the edges rather than a neat line as found when painted by hand. The steel rivet which holds the back to the cab and chassis had also been reworked and it sat very proud of the flatbed. The box in which the model was sold was a reproduction, even though, it again, was described as original. The one give away is a school boy error, the oval, in which the number 935 sits on the face of the box should be in red, the reproduction has black!
All can be clear to see by comparing the box and the coachwork trim on the cab with the original from DINKY WORLD.

Please visit the archive for a selection of fine Dinky Toy models for your viewing pleasure.

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