Matchbox Superfast MB1-e Mercedes Truck

The #1 Mercedes truck was the final new Lesney casting that featured a model also chosen by Dinky Toys (917). It joined the SuperFast 1-75 series for just over one year, packaged either in a ´G´ box or any USA or Canada blisterpacks with 1969 or 1970 copyright dates.
All were painted metallic gold, with the initial release featuring leftover orange canopies from the regular wheels issue, and one of these early issues features in the 1971 collector catalogue on the Matchbox motorway. The bulk of production featured the intended yellow canopy, with most having standard thin 12.5x2mm thin 4 slot truck wheels fitted although the earliest releases and most of the orange canopy versions had the short run 11x2mm thin 5 slots.

Unusually,this toy departed from previous standard practice of just using removable axle clips, instead featuring a rivited black plastic axle clip on the back axle with the normal clip in black or dark red on the front axle - this may have been the model where Lesney realised that removable axles were a danger to small children.
Canopies carry mould segment numbers between 1 and 6 and exist in equal numbers while the chassis cab is from a twin mould numbered 1 & 2.This mould appears to have worn out or been damaged and been retooled substantially or completely from the original master model circa 1977 so there are some subtle casting differences like the front towing eye which are apparent when comparing early with late SuperFast issues.

The tooling spent 5 years in storage before being revived for the introduction of two-packs in 1976. The initial red release , the very first , TP1 , featured lemon yellow canopies with smart green ´INTERNATIONAL HAULAGE ´ stickers and the 4mm wide version of the previous pattern 4 slot truck tyres.
For 1981, the TP1 truck was recoloured powder blue and the yellow canopy´s sticker changed to read ´IMS International Haulage´.

From 1977, military TP15 followed with the earliest run being painted in a rather dark but typical British Army matt olive drab without hot foiling on the standard 4 slot wheels and a tan canopy with one of 2 different sticker designs. About half of these were fitted with a newer type of 5 slot 12.5x4mm wheels. Subsequent runs of this very successful two-pack were made over 5 years in a noticeably lighter satin dark olive with the same two types of wheels both being used in large numbers but rarely mixed on the same toy as well as the same two canopy sticker designs.
In 1979 a code 1 promotional was made for Lesneys paint suppliers Porter Paints Ltd to celebrate their 50th anniversary. it was painted orange, had blue tinted windows and was fitted with 12.5x4mm 4 slot wheels with a chrome center, it is believed that only 500 were made

Beyond the scope of this site , the casting continued in production in Macau and China until 1994. There was also a good unbranded Chinese copy with a 3rd axle added that was sold in large quantities in the 1990s.