Matchbox Superfast 57-d Eccles Caravan

The #57-d (perhaps intended to be #23e) Eccles Caravan was designed in 1969 as a regular wheels replacement for the #23d Caravan utilising just one pair of the same sized wheels mounted in the same way as on the #23d. Un-numbered preproduction examples survive today in both the cream and lemon shades with emerald interior and orange roof that we know so well from the 10 years of SuperFast issues so colour preferences were set in stone at a very early stage.
The 1969 SuperFast program plus the excessive low rider look (compared to available SuperFast tow cars) of the pre-pro Eccles Caravan prompted a redesign to incorporate twin SuperFast axles retained by a standard double axle clip as used on other toys including the SF#66 Greyhound.
All Eccles caravans were packaged in ´G´ boxes or USA or Canada blisterpacks with copyright dates between 1969 and 1972 as well as TP4 and TP28 Two-packs from 1976 to 1982.

The very hard to find earliest production Eccles bodies featured undersides which lacked the '®' after Matchbox which indicated the name was a ´registered´ trademark - a modification applied to just a handful of new castings early in 1970 like the Eccles and the SF#68 Porsche 910. These bodies also featured ´No.57´ cast on the same line as "Matchbox" series however when the ® was added , 'No.57' was removed and recut just above the green tongue that holds the interior to the bodyshell.
All those Eccles caravans made as SF#57 during its short 3 year stay in the 1-75 series featured metal bodies numbered 1 to 4, they were quads not twins unlike most 1960s castings !, The vast majority were painted cream however the final run was in lemon yellow, a shade that matched the #19 Fieldcars.

The first run had a brown sticker stripe applied at waist level however all re-orders of this sticker incorporated a red & yellow flower intended to be applied at the rearmost lower corner however these handed labels could be applied the wrong way around!.
All had emerald green interiors (with mould numbers 1 to 6),orange plastic roofs (with mould numbers 1 to 6), and 4 hot foiled 9.5x2mm 5 slot wheels on 2 wire axles retained by commonly black (or one short run red) double axle clips.

The Eccles caravan was revived in 1976 to join the new Two-Pack range as TP4 and from 1979 as TP28 - all bodyshells made for this feature ´857´ cast inside but ´No 57 ´removed from the underside. Different runs were painted painted pale lemon yellow, mustard yellow, various shades of cream or plain off white. They were fitted with various shades of orange plastic roof and white interiors marked ´857´.
All featured 4 hot foiled 9.5x2mm 5 slot 'cut-out' hollow wheels on 2 wire axles retained by a double rivited black double axle clip. Initially brown stripe flower stickers left over from the deleted #57 were applied however once they ran out sailboat stickers leftover from the deleted #23e VW camper were fitted as were newly made black with the same yellow & red flower design stripes.

The last TP issues with stickers featured either orange dots on yellow stripes or orange stripes with one white seagull at one end .Once tampo production began in the 1980s a yellow & orange sunset design was created.
Factory errors or post factory removal can account for toys which exist today without any stickers fitted at all! Post Lesney late 1980s plans to use the tooling with ´Circus´ tampos went no further than colour trials and catalogue photographs however this does prove that the tooling did get to China!