Lesney Matchbox time has returned. Today we take a look at Lesney Matchbox 10b, the Scammell Mechanical Horse. This model entered the range in 1957,remaining until 1961, and like the prior Matchbox review represents a trait seen in some early Matchbox vehicles:
That trait being a casting that is a slightly scaled up version of the one it replaced. 10a is a similar "mechanical horse", but fractionally smaller - Lesney did this with several castings around this point in time. Although the revised version of #10, this model is still an example of a 50s Lesney casting, it contains some fine line detailing, and there is still a soft mellowness about it. Scale is again quite small, I would estimate in the 1:70s range. These three wheeled utility vehicles appear to have been popular in at least the UK and Germany in the prewar era up into the late 50s. From all angles, one can imagine this unique little hauler putting in hours at work on city streets or at a worksite:
Front and rear have detail to match the rest of the model, with the gold painted front trim at front being a nice period touch:
The base identifies the maker and model, and shows off the metal wheels:
This model is articulated and the cab detaches from the trailer, which likely added to play value:
This model is lucky enough to live its crisp original Type B2 box, dating from 1958:
I'm more than pleased to have this model in my collection, as it is in as-new condition. Pictured with an old dime for scale:
Image of a similar 1:1 from wikimedia commons and nodum.org:
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