Lesney Matchbox time is here once more. Today we examine Lesney Matchbox 55b, the Ford Fairlane Police Car. This casting entered the range in 1963, remaining until 1968, and shows where the Matchbox line was headed at the time:
By this time Lesney knew the US market was the key to success, and was making many models to cater to the huge amount of baby boomer kids who were potential customers. A model of a police car was a natural addition, as this would no doubt attract buyers. This was also a time of increasingly detailed vehicles entering the Matchbox line, and this casting shows it, having plenty of fine line casting detail, along with accurate proportion and realistic decals that have withstood the past 60+ years in fine style. The paint is a pleasing metallic variety that adds to the appeal of this model, and the plastic bubble light on top adds realism. Glazing and interiors were still modern features in 1963. Scale is again marginally smaller than the standard of small scale, the casting has slightly small feel in hand and this is a model of a full size car, I estimate in the low 1:70s. From all angles, one can this workhorse out on patrol doing duty and racking up the miles:
Front and rear views show ample detail, with finely detailed mask painted grille and detail at rear being nice touches:
The base contains maker and model data, showing the black knobby tread wheels:
This model is fortunate to live its original Type D1 "new model" box, likely indicating production in 1963:
I'm more than happy to have this model in my collection, I have a liking for early 60s Fords, and this is a quality casting. One may also recall a similar car (Galaxie) used in American Graffiti where a police car is pranked by attaching a chain to the rear axle, causing the car to be spectacularly demobilized when trying to drive away. Pictured with an old dime for scale:
Image of a similar 1:1 from barrett-jackson.com:
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