Matchbox Superfast MB21-d Foden Concrete Truck

The Foden cement mixer because of its wonderful revolving barrel mechanism was one of the very last couple of regular wheels to join the SuperFast range in 1971 for just 2 years.
It was always packaged in ´G´ boxes or blisterpacks with copyright 1970-72 dates.
The Foden kept its regular wheels colours, with the cab appearing in either standard construction yellow or the orange-yellow shades used on the #4 and #37 Dodge trucks. The red chassis comes in the same pair of shades applied to the cabs of #26 GMC tippers.

The body and chassis feature the same casting variations between left and right hand sides of the tool as on the regular wheels issue that featured so prominently in Lesney´s ´Mike and the Modelmakers´ book. Initially the yellow cab unit was unchanged, however with the baseplate now being rivited in more places the assembley for the bulk of all SF21d made was simplified by removing the tongue from the cab where it had slotted into the front numberplate holder.
On the baseplate,this slot in the front numberplate was removed. Crossover issues exist without the tongue on the cab but with the slot in the front numberplate but these are scarce.

With the wire axles becoming so thin, and track performance regarded as desirable, the revolving barrel mechanism was removed and it was up to the child´s fingers to move the barrels on SF issues.
Lesney had identified the removable axle clips as undesirable so this model had all 4 SuperFast wheelsets retained by a full size plastic baseplate always moulded in light or dark emerald green, the same colour used for plastic to be chrome plated although none were on this toy.
Preproduction baseplates and barrels were made in black plastic.
Standard thin hollow 11.2mm x 2mm 5 slot wheels were fitted to all axles on these Fodens.