Matchbox Superfast MB3-c Mercedes Benz Binz Ambulance

The Mercedes Benz ´Binz´ ambulance was converted to SuperFast wheels in 1970 and stayed in the range for 2 years. It was packaged in ´G´boxes as well as blisterpacks with copyright dates 1969 to 1972.
This casting was always painted off white in this period and always fitted with the larger sized red cross paper stickers that were also used on the 54 Cadillac ambulance produced at the same time.
The no 3 Binz was always fitted with 10mm 5 slot wheels, initially the thin 2mm variety but most commonly the 4mm wide variety. The body casting was soon altered with cut out wheel arches to enable 4mm wide tyres to be fitted without impairing the suspension, and very rare crossovers exist both ways, thin wheels with wide arches and wide wheels with original lipped arches.
The baseplate tooling evidences the fact that Lesney modified the original RW baseplate tool rather than make a new one because the famous upside down text is carried on from the RW issues. Cars exist in 50:50 proportions with the whole ´Matchbox Series´ wording either reading correctly with the front pointing left or the front pointing right (see photo).
The famous 3 pointed star which was cast on top of the grille of all RW issues was deleted on conversion to SF wheels.
The amount of blue tint in the glazing can vary significantly and the removable stretcher and opening tailgate featured on all no3 issues of the Mercedes.

The tooling was revived in 1977 for the two pack range, both as an off-white ambulance and an olive green military ambulance.
The original baseplate tooling was again modified, with the rear rivit holes being cast closed and a stepped tongue added to slot into the rear of the body casting, also the headlamps were removed from the baseplate casting.
A new body mould was made from the original master mould which re-instated wheel arch lips and now included a cast shut rear door and cast in headlamps and indicators. Original glazing and interior moulds remained in production so the rear window was now open, although the plastic patient on a stretcher was no longer supplied. These two pack and twin pack issues came with 10 x 4 mm dot dash wheels, chromed on the off white issues and a tiny minority of olive green issues, unchromed all black on most military releases.
Colour trials and pre-pros exist in black, showing Lesney considered making this as a hearse and hot rod hearse back in 1971-72.