MATCHBOX REGULAR WHEELS - COMMER TV SERVICE VAN

In July 1963 another Commer Q25 van was added to the line as a derivative of the 47b Ice Cream Van. The TV Series Van (62b) was replacement for the general service truck and it came complete with three with three plastic television sets, a ladder, an aerial and a working rear roller shutter door.

During most of its five year life it advertised ‘Rentaset’ in red script lettering but just before it was replaced, green ‘RADIO RENTALS’ advertisements were substituted. The windows were always of green plastic but whereas earlier models had the black painted baseplate connected to the body by means of base clips, front and rear, later releases included a river at the front.

There are also minor casting changes concerning the ladder rests. Though most vans had black wheels, both variations were available with grey wheels in very small numbers. This is sometimes a difficult model to find complete because the small parts were originally part of one plastic red moulding on a sprue. As soon as they were separated, it was easy for the small television in particular to be lost as they were carried loose in the black of the van whereas the ladder and aerial could be clipped to the roof of the van.--Model Collector

MATCHBOX REGULAR WHEELS - ALVIS CRASH TENDER

In April 1963 the Military Ambulance was replaced by an Alvis Salamander ‘Foamite’ Airport Crash Tender (63b), although it was not until November that it was released in the USA. It was an attempted reproduction of a typical airport crash tender which would have been used to spray an aircraft fire with foam. Whereas 9a and 9b fire engines had been faithful replicas of real vehicles, this model was rather spoiled for fire vehicle collectors because it was a compromise between two actual vehicles.

Unfortunately for the connoisseur, Lesney wished to maximize play value and this led to the main body being derived from a Pyrene vehicle and the roof detail originating from the Foamite tender. Of course, this did not affect the huge demand for this new variation of fire appliance. It came with a white plastic accessory kit which included a ladder, horse and two plastic nameplates which could be removed from the sprue and fitted with silver hoses.

The front and rear pair of the six wheels were sprung by green or white plastic springs although this idea of suspension was abandoned on later versions. Base braces were strengthened during the life or the model and a hole was apparent on some later versions.—Model Collector

MATCHBOX NO.12 LAND ROVER

Prior to 1956 the range consisted of comercial and construction models. The Land Rover was the closest Lesney came to producing "car" before 1956. The original Land Rover was produced in dark green with silver trim and a tan driver. See more

MATCHBOX: JEEP GLADIATOR

In January the first release for the year appeared in the form of a Jeep Gladiator Pick-up (71b) with suspension. This was the first of many Jeeps to be included in the miniature range and was obviously to boost sales in the US, although it was not the most appealing of models. It was paintd red all over and had opening doors with either a plastic or metal door spring.
It had black wheels and a black base which came with and without a patent number. A green interior was fairly common in Europe but soon all models had white interiors. The early European versions with green interiors are quite sought after in the US.

MATCHBOX: FORD CUSTOMLINE STATION WAGON

The model release testified to the magnitude of the USA market as it was an American Ford Customline Station Wagon which became 31a. A colour trial model has been found in red but the release colour was yellow. Red tail-lights featured on early examples and the usual change involving axles common to other vehicles also occurred with this model. Grey plastic wheels replaced metal wheels during 1958.

MATCHBOX: DENNIS TIPPAX

The final issue of 1963 was a Dennis Tippax refuse truck (15c) with opening tail-gate, which replaced the Rotinoff Super Atlantic tractor at No.15 to become 15c in November. It was a considerable improvement on the first refuse truck in that it featured not only a tipping container but also an opening loading door.

The cab, base and chassis were always painted blue whilst the container and door was painted grey. Side decals advertising ‘Cleansing Service’ were fitted, originally shaped to match the lines of the container in that they were rounded off at the front and angled to the rear. Later these were replaced by rectangular decals with squarely cut ends. The final models had labels affixed.
The base of the chassis originally terminated behind the rivet but this was soon altered such that a brace connected both fuel tanks. The container is usually found with a hole in the front but some of the earliest models did not have this hole. All models were fitted with black plastic wheels but earlier models had knobby wheels whereas later versions had fine or very fine tread wheels.

The Tippax Refuse Truck remained in the range for five years until it was replaced in November 1968 by the Volkswagen 1500 Saloon. By that time the Ford Refuse Truck had been included in the Matchbox series for almost two years.--Model Collector

MATCHBOX: FORD FAIRLANE

The Ford Fairlane first seen as a police car was also used as the base for a Fire Chief's car. It was released in June to replace the Singer Van. This model had not previously been announced and so it is presumed that it was a sudden decision to use the same vehicle as 55b in a change of colour and guise in that it was now a red Fire Chief's car (59b), instead of the police car. At the same time a large Matchbox Fire Station was manufactured and so this car complemented the release.

The red Fairlane came with door and bonnet decals in two sizes. Though the interior was ivory, the roof light was white. Black plastic wheels were normally fitted but grey plastic wheels have also been found. Silver wheels have also been reported but not authenticated.

MATCHBOX: PERSONNEL CARRIER

The six-wheel M3 Personnel Carrier (49a) was the first of ten military vehicles to be issued in the ‘1-75’ range. It was painted in the traditional olive green and the rear pairs of wheels were rollers inside grey trucks, though some of the final issues were found with green tracks. The front wheels changed from metal to grey plastic in 1959, and finally to black plastic. There was usually a correlation between the wheels and the rollers, but examples exist of grey wheels with metal rollers and grey wheels with silver plastic rollers. The wheels and the rollers may be found in different sizes. A bonnet decal featuring a white star in a circle was included on all variants, though models with metal wheels are known to exist without decals. Originally the body was crimped to the base but later a river was used instead. Several minor variations exist around the bogie wheels. The model is comparatively easy to find today, for in the 1960s it proved to be very popular and sold for more than nine years.

MATCHBOX: SCAMMELL MOUTAINEER SNOWPLOUGH

In September 1963 a Scammel Mouantaineer Snowplough (16c) entered the range where it remained for six years. It replaced the Rotinoff Super Atlantic Trailer and though originally shown in the 1963 catalogue in yellow with a grey blade and a Scammell decal, it was released with a grey cab and an orange tipper with either orange and white or red and white stripes on the blade.

The base came with or without a hole and the steps to the cab could be open or closed. A model with grey plastic wheels is a rear variant for these were only fitted in small quantities towards the end of this model’s life. Black plastic wheels are usually associated with the Scammell Snowplough.

MATCHBOX: BEDFORD 'EVENING NEWS' VAN

The Bedford 12cwt appeared with the ‘Evening News’ van, no.42a. The yellow body had a signboard with ‘First With The NEWS’ on the roof and front door decals proclaiming ‘Football Results’ and ‘Evening News’ on both sides. Metal, grey and black plastic wheels were all applied as well as silver trim to the grille and headlights. It was a popular model as it lasted in the range for almost eight years.

MATCHBOX: WEATHERILL HYDRAULIC EXCAVATOR

Construction vehicles always featured strongly in the ‘1-75’ range and the Weatherill Hydraulic Excavator (24a), in its two forms, remained for eleven years. It appear either with an orange-yellow or a plain yellow body, with a ‘Weatherill Hydraulic’ rear decal. The bucket could be raised or lowered. This model was the first to include model numbers cast on to the metal wheels and also the first model to have its number cast on the base. This numbering technique occurred because it was part of a ‘family mould’. In the manufacturing process a body, base and wheels would all be derived from one small mould. When plastic wheels were introduced in 1958-59, these could all be of a common type, and it was no longer necessary to number the wheels. Although most models were fitted with the appropriate wheels, there were inevitably some mistakes. Perhaps the most odd detail was that a model numbered as 24 was fitted with wheels which had ‘23’ cast upon them.

MATCHBOX: EUCLID QUARRY TRUCK

In August a 6-wheel Euclid Quarry Truck (6c) replaced the earlier version. In fact, the model looked as though it had ten wheels but the heavy duty rear wheels were of a single moulding. Later ten individual wheels were fitted. All were of black plastic though there are variations in design, particularly with the front wheels.

The tipper could be fixed in any position. The model was originally decorated with silver trim but this was dropped before the model’s of minor casting variations with this truck affecting the body, chassis and base.

MATCHBOX: THE AVELING BARFORD ROAD ROLLER

The first miniature model was the Aveling Barford Road Roller. It may be distinguished from the three subsequent Road Rollers by its full length canopy. This first Road Rollers was descended from the early Lesney toy which had its own origins in the Dinky model already available at this time. In 1958; Lesney enlarged the size of the model and box. The third version of the Aveling Barford Road Roller (1c) was painted either with a light or a dark green body. The rollers continued to be red metal but the towing hook of the preceding models was replaced by a flat towbar.

MATCHBOX: AMPHIBIOUS D.U.K.W

The DUKW (55a) was base upon a military vehicle which had been built in the USA, but which was used extensively by the British army in World War Two. The real vehicle was a 2.5 ton GMC Amphibian Truck which had been a secret weapon until June 1943. Its purpose was to transport supplies and soldiers from ships to the coast. It proved to be of great benefit during the Normandy landings and featured prominently in D-Day Commemorative television programmes. After the war it was put to good use in a variety of circumstances, not least for rescues in times of flood.

The phototype actual vehicle took just 38 days to complete and 'DUKW' were its code letters. It was known as a 'DUCK' works in the USA and by the soliders who used it in action during the invasion of Sicily. The Matchbox model had a smaller scale body when compared with the rest of the army vehicles in the '1-75' range and perhaps because of this it did not sell as well as the larger scale military vehicles.

Metal wheels were fitted to the first released to the first releases but subsequently either grey or black plastic wheels were used. It was the last Matchbox military model to be fitted with metal wheels. There are no casting variations with the DUKW and the only three recorded variations centre upon the three types of wheels. Only the black plastic wheels were fitted with rounded axles. The matal and grey plastic wheels always featured crimped axles. --Model Collector

MATCHBOX: SARACEN PERSONNEL CARRIER

The Saracen Personnel Carrier (54a) was a model of the standard armoured carrier used by the Royal Armoured Corps and the infantry. To enhance play value, the model featured a revolving turret. The only body variation involved the antenna base on the upper left side of the body, which looks like astep. Because of a damaged die it is missing on later models.

MATCHBOX: FORD CORSAIR

The Ford Corsair (45b), complete with green plastic roof rack and boat, was release in February 1965 to replace the rather outdated Vauxhall Victor saloon. The real Corsair had been released by Ford at the end of 1963 as a mid-range car slotting between the Cortina and Zephyr in the British Ford range. The model was advertised as being 1/71st scale and highlighted the fact that the plastic boat actually floated! The Corsair was simultaneously released with the no.23d Caravan, which was supposed to have been of a similar scale, although the caravan seems to dwarf the Corsair.

MATCHBOX: VAUXHALL VICTOR ESTATE CAR

To accompany the Zephyr, a Vauxhall Victor Estate Car was released at the same time to replace the Refuse Truck. Though shown on the box, in the catalogue and in advance USA publicity material in blue, this Estate Car was only available in yellow, with initially a red and latterly a green interior. Silver trim was applied but it diminished with time. Both interior variations were fitted with the three wheel variations which had progressively more treads. The opening rear door was another new play feature.

MATCHBOX: GENERAL SERVICE LORRY

This is the miniature Matchbox number 62 General Service lorry, which is a model of the 1952 AEC Militant fitted with a cargo body. The small but charming model of a troop/cargo carries is undeniably an AEC. These large six wheel drive trucks were incredibly powerful and were capable of pulling almost anything. Various bodies were fitted to the chassis and tankers were a common sight as were lorry-mounted Coles cranes.

MATCHBOX: THE 5A BUS

It was not until the London bus, 5a, was added to the range in mid-1954, the sales of the newly-launched Matchbox Toys expanded rapidly. The 5a bus initially advertised ‘Matchbox series’ but later models featured ‘Player Please’ for a comparatively short time and for a long time ‘BP Viscostatic’. The BP company was one of a number which paid for the privilege of having its name advertised on Matchbox vehicles. The bus had paper labels advertising the ‘Matchbox series’. It was by far the smallest Lesney bus, as it measured only 52mm. The bus had paper labels advertising the ‘Matchbox series’. It comes with or without a number plate recess at the rear. The undetailed grille was decorated with gold trim.

MATCHBOX: FORD ZODIAC MARK IV

The first release for 1968 was the Ford Zodiac Mark IV (53C). this model featured an opening bonnet which included a spare wheel next to the engine. The body was in a light metallic blue with a cream interior. A tiny rear view mirror had been moulded into the plastic windscreen for the first time. A rare version of this Zodiac with regular wheels may be found in mettalic light green, a cross-over with the Superfast colour change which occurred in 1970. The standard regular wheel release is shown together with the three Superfast versions, the rarest of which is the mettalic blue model fitted with Superfast wheels.

There were two casting alterations associated with this car. The engine blocks are located under the dashboard such that they hold the engine in place. The wide blocks are 3.5 mm wide and the narrow ones are 2.5 mm wide. When present, a small tab is to be found between these blocks. Two base castings were used for this model with slightly different tow slot sizes at 5.5 mm and 6 mm respectively.