S&L DK Starburst Colours

[Nigel N]

Hi Guys!!
I don't know if this has been discussed before, but i'd like to hear your thoughts on the different colours S&L used on their DKiG & DKiS starbursts!!
I know of at least 4 different colours, Black, Grey, Copper & Gold, Are there any others???
The Black colour seems to be normally found on the earliest examples of both DKiG and DKiS, with coke bottle pin and inset catchplates under hinge and catch!
But what of the other colours, are some earlier than others, and if so, do we have a timeline for them??
I would love to hear your thoughts on this please!!
-Nigel

[Tony T-S]

Copper and Gold!!?? Wow. Very interesting question.

[Seewolf]

For sure interesting but IMO hard to say if a timeline could exist. I´ve seen early DKiG with black starburst but the small pin, so not only on very early ones.

I have a grey one in my collection with wide pin but the heavy version of the backplate. Never saw one in early version.

The copper tone on very early and early pieces, the gold ones only on early ones.

Hope that help´s a little bit

[Nigel N]

Thanks Rudiger!!
It is a great help!!
If we look at enough DK's, what period they are from, and which colour starburst they have, some pattern may emerge!!!
-Nigel

[Patrick08/15]

I am with Rüdiger.It´s hard to date a timeline.
Here are my DK´s. All very early S&L and they have all other colors.

[Nigel N]

Thanks Patrick! All yours have wide pin?
Maybe there is no pattern, and the colours are random?
I wonder why they used different colours, I think I have seen less of the gold than the other colours??
-Nigel

[Patrick08/15]

Yes they all have the widepin.
I can´t answer your question.But I ask it myself a couple of times.

[Nigel N]

No worries Patrick....its a mystery for now it seems!!
-Nigel

[Seewolf]

There are differences we have to make at the very early ones ......... the light version and the heavy version. Both have the wide pin but IMO the heavy version is slightly later. Only these, heavy ones, can be found with the grey starburst.

Patrick, is your grey starburst the heavy version?

Here´s the avers and reverse of my grey coloured heavy version, note that the catch is directly soldered onto the backplate at these.

[Patrick08/15]

Yes, the grey one is the heavy version.

[Nigel N]

Heres a great photo Nick sent me of his DK's.........
DKIG variants.jpg
-Thanks Nick

[Tony T-S]

Back a few years ago when I collected the 60s TV vehicles (Thunderbirds etc) made by Dinky toys, it was very interesting to follow the production dates for various vehicles and the changes in colour that occurred as one colour ran out and another was tried. Dinky loved to use a wide variety of colour and sometimes only for a very short run. This produced for the collecting world a whole scale of rarity which makes for fun and sometimes very expensive collecting.

I wonder if S&L did the same at various points with these, simply using the paint that was available at the time for particular runs rather than particular periods (years) in the whole production life. Just as Dinky chopped and changed, so S&L may have done something similar with the four colours.

[Steve 5]

Nicks DKiG collection is outstanding !............especially the early Stu L and Deschler pieces.............
Here are my two, both early 60's production pieces, one with an outstanding copper sunburst the other grey........
Prost ! Steve.

[Tony T-S]

Beautiful uniform there Steve