Matchbox Superfast MB12c Land Rover Safari

In 1970 the Land Rover Safari was converted to Superfast wheels early enough in the program to be issued in an ´F´box. The initial blue Regular Wheels bodies fitted with Superfast baseplates are in the lightest and brightest shade of blue carried by this casting, perhaps due to the use of white rather than pale blue primer under the blue tinted laquer.
It was only fitted with solid thin 11x2mm tyres and red brown luggage, and was packed with the F box into the very sought after USA 1969 blister design as well as being available in just the normal box. This is perhaps the most easily and most often faked transitional Superfast due to the ease with which the baseplates can be swapped and its scarcity reflected in very high auction prices.
The gold re-colour became available in time for the introduction of the no 12 G box design , it can be fitted with hollow or solid 11x2mm tyres and comes in 2 significant minor shade variations, gold and green gold, with red-brown luggage. Some collectors have swapped on the dark brown luggage produced in the first couple of years of regular wheel production onto these and swapped the wide wheels from the no 13 wrecker to produce new millenium variations which were never found in sealed blister packs. The gold clear coat was applied over a silver or gold basecoat and certainly the odd example escaped from the production line still in primer although these errors are not regarded as legitimate variations but are eagerly sought by collectors.
This casting can be fitted with standard or short black axle covers, or the rare maroon ones, but as these are all easily swapped there is no premium attatched to any axle cover variation. There were no casting variations to the body or baseplate but the white plastic interior can be found with or without a transmission tunnel, Both types are equally common and it is believed that both types were produced at the same time and could possibly be from the same die set.