Lesney Matchbox time has returned. Today we examine Lesney Matchbox 4c, the Triumph T110 motorcycle and sidecar. This model entered the range in 1960, remaining until 1966, and is something seldom seen in the 1:75 lineup:
That being a motorcycle. During the entire regular wheels 1:75 series era, there were only a few bikes in the lineup - a couple of motorcycles and a scooter. All of these castings are relatively uncommon today. All of these castings also have a sidecar, likely to allow the model to have balance when in play or display. This model shows how the brand was attaining high quality by 1960 - fine line casting detail is everywhere, more precise than models from just a few years prior. This new era of casting quality would set the stage for a decade where Matchbox products lived in both the toy and scale model world. The wheels on this model are also laudable pieces of diecast precision, and the fender mounted license plate adds realism. Scale is not easy to determine, I guess maybe in the 1:50s, a bike is smaller than a car, but this fits similarly in a standard box, so probably a larger scale than a typical car or truck model. From all angles, one can imagine this "Tiger" touring around the scenic countryside with a rider and passenger:
Front and rear have ample detail to match the rest of the model, the finely cast almost delicate handlebars being a nice detail (and sometimes found broken on playworn examples) on this model:
The base identifies the vehicle and maker, and shows where the sidecar is attached:
This model is fortunate to live its nice original type B5 "new model" box, dating from 1960:
I'm more than happy to have this in my collection, as I like this type of sidecar rig, and I like the color of this model. Pictured with an old dime for scale:
Image of a 1:1 (I couldn't find an image with a similar sidecar) from mecum.com:
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