Lesney Matchbox is here again. Today we examine Lesney Matchbox 20b, the ERF 686 "Ever Ready" truck. This model entered the range in 1959, remaining until 1965, and is an attractive period piece:
Back to a commercial vehicle, as many of these occupied space in the 1-75 range - this one is more of something one might actually see on the road vs a piece of construction equipment. This model shows the movement towards the more detailed castings seen in the 60s- not a lot of the mellow soft 50s style casting remains, while there is ample fine line casting detail, and proportion appears accurate. The "Ever Ready" decals have weathered the past 60+ years in fine style, and add much visual appeal. I suspect scale is in the upper 1:80s, this is not a small truck in real life, and the model is not especially large. From all angles, one can imagine this big hauler making the rounds and delivering product:
Front and rear have ample detail, with the silver mask painted grille being a nice touch:
The base identifies the maker and model and shows off the 8 grey plastic wheels:
This model is fortunate to live its clean original Type B5 box, indicating production around 1960:
I'm more than happy to have this model in my collection, as it has a pleasing aesthetic. Pictured with an old dime for scale:
A 1:1 of a similar cab truck from mathewsons.co.uk - these have a very unique grille design:
I have this one as well. This is a nice detail casting. Wished they had released this as a King Size.