The appearance of the Matchbox Crash Tender in various guises prompted another search in the Wotan archive to reveal the 1964 Matchbox cattalogue. Two years after I was born, my dad had started buying me Matchbox cars and this continued for many years as he dutifully collected every one of the small models, apart from the army ones! He also religiously collected the catalogues too and I inherited the collection of booklets after he passed away. Apart from a battered 1958 edition, the collection begins here and its at this point that the Crash Tender appears as a new model. Also in the same year is the Police Car No.55, which im sure found its way onto the Glenn Field tarmac at some point too.
The amazing BP Autotanker appears too with a lovely articulated low loader which never made it into my collection. My dad acquired a second Autotanker, probably from a jumble sale and painted it red and yellow for me. I can see where I got the 'customisation' bug from now!
The other Supermarionation staple is the Inter State Double Freighter, frequenty seen hi-tailing it off screen before a memorable plane crash.
Finally, a leap forward three years and a page from the 1967 catalogue showing the Crash tender still in place, this time with the gold foam cannon as pointed out by Mike. But this page is here mainly because of the large illustration of the Alvis Stalwart, a wonderful space age addition to the range, which is still a firm favourite with me today.
Fabulous stuff, Wote. Really nice pictures. It does prompt me to seek out a few more old matchbox toys.
ReplyDeleteThe Stalwart was a favourite of mine too. Smashing illustration.
I remember seeing a real one a few years ago at the local Woodvale airfield classic car rally, you might have seen it yourself. It was impressivly big, but I wouldn't like to change a wheel on it!
Thanks Wote, what a trip down memory lane those pictures are!
ReplyDeleteDon't suppose you have a picture of, or remember another truck from the range. It was a tanker, deep blue in colour (I think) and I am sure it was meant to be carrying sugar...something like that was written on the tank.
I am sure I had a coal lorry too...high sided and with a high load of coal which could be removed (it was only a thin coal textured plastic insert) and then the lorry could be filled with whatever you liked!
Thanks again for the pictures.
Eviled - sounds like the Husky (Metoy/Corgi Juniors), did it have quite 'high' sides?
ReplyDeleteWotan - we only had the military ones!!!
Anyone - was the Stalwart ever used by the Oil Industry, or did Matchbox use civi markings so Wote's dad would buy one!!!!
I asked a friend, eviled. Dunno if this is the one, but here's a picture from the Corgi Juniors Collectors Album which might be the one Mav mentions.
ReplyDeletehttp://tinyurl.com/5uyhe4x
I can scan the rest of the album if anyone wants to see it all.
Thanks Mav and Toad.
ReplyDeleteI am not 100% certain that is it Toad, that looks a little more "American" looking than the one I had if that makes any sense.
However, the mention of "coke" as a load makes me think it could be. I think the one I had might have been called a "coke lorry" now, instead of a "coal lorry".
Yes Mav, the sides were high, just like the ones in the link Toad supplied.
I'd like to see the rest of the album Toad.
I did have quite a few Corgi vehicles at one time. I only recently tracked down one online that I had been looking for for ages...a Corgi digger called The Priestman Club Shovel. It was a treat to see it again!
A nice site, probably already known to Swordies!
ReplyDelete"A searchable database of over 10,000 pages of diecast models"
http://www.diecast.plus.com/
diecast.plus.com has moved to diecastplus.info so please update your bookmarks and address book.
DeleteDear god thats an evening well spent on those links!
ReplyDeleteThe Corgi Juniors Collectors Album, for anyone who is interested:
ReplyDeletehttp://tinyurl.com/5r9kxrf
I'm not clear about this: did the cars come with cards to stick in this album?
Ive got one of these, but its much slimmer. The cards came as part of the pack and had to be cut off the header card and stuck in.
ReplyDeleteAhh, thanks Wote.
ReplyDeleteThis one is quite slim. About 3.5 inches by 8 inches.