EARLY MATCHBOX (Moko/Lesney/Matchbox)

Posted by: @chris

One of my favorites as a kid but I do not remember the red version.

I have the red one MB.  It is fairly hard to find.

57-A, Wolseley 1500,  1/70 scale. Introduced 1958, discontinued 1960.

Pale yellow green body. Grey plastic tires which are much darker on early issues.

...just another fantastic looking vintage Matchbox that I don't remember. I was certainly more part of the "Hotwheels generation" than the Matchbox crowd but we had dozens of "old Matchbox hand-me-down" cars and YOUR MB series has shown me that we really missed out. 

So many great little cars/vehicles I simply never even knew existed. I'll say it again....   I REALLY enjoy your continued effort, showing us the world of vintage Matchbox! 😀 😀 😀 

I guess 6,500 + views says it all, right?

57-B, 1959 Chevrolet Impala Sports Coupe,  1/80 scale. Introduced 1961, discontinued 1965.

Very popular in North America, this model came in metallic blue with a pale blue roof. A very nice two tone.

First models had knobbly grey wheels followed by smoother grey wheels later. Most bases were painted black but a blue base showed up in 1964 which is rarer.

That is a nice model. I am amazed I did not buy one of these back then.  It would have been a nice addition to the HO train layout I had.

One I never saw as a kid but discovered later. Love it!

@david-green I have this Wolseley in my collection.  The taillights are painted incorrectly of course (many were) but I like it a lot just the same.

@david-green This Chevy was in my top 3 American car theme Matchbox Toys favorites as a kid.  The other 2 were the '56 & '59 Ford station wagons.  I have them all in my collection and still really enjoy them.  Nostalgia based no doubt.

57-C, Land Rover Fire Truck,  1/77 scale. Introduced 1966, discontinued 1970.

Red, blue windows, white ladder on top. Grey plastic base and pump mechanism in rear of truck.  Shield and Kent Fire Brigade decal.

Black regular wheels.

Well I'll be darned....I have never had this one.  Time to start searching.  Thanks David!

Actually, I kind-of-sort-of remember this one but as a kid I thought it was a funny looking firetruck. 🙄 

58-A, AEC Coach in British European Airways colours,  1/139 scale. Introduced 1958, discontinued 1961.

Two decal variations on this one. Shown in order here.

Yet, another MB I've never seen before...   unreal. 🙄 🙄 

58-B , International Crawler Tractor with Drott Shovel,  1/60 scale. Introduced 1962, discontinued 1967.

1962-65 Red with silver base. Green crawler tracks on rollers.

1966-67 Orange. Orange painted base. Green crawler tracks on rollers.

I vaguely remember this one, because it was easy to remove (and lose) those rubber tracks. 😔 😕