The Lesney model of the 8d Caterpillar tractor joined the Matchbox 1-75 series in 1964,
Unlike the three earlier Caterpillar tractors at the number 8 spot this one was different because it had no driver cast in making it much easier to identify,
It was only painted in the one colour scheme which was yellow all over and there was no silver trim,
It was a very simple casting having two main parts, the body and base which were attached by a tongue on the front of the base that located into a slot in the grille and a single central rivet through the base,
It had 9.5mm black plastic rollers on dome head rounded axles with 25 tread green rubber tracks which will perish with age but replacements are available,
There were a few casting variations,
Firstly the ridge that runs along inside of the rear body panel was rounded off probably to ease it's ejection from the mold during casting,
Then the exhaust pipe (stack) was reduced in size and the area below the exhaust silencer (muffler) was filled, Also the engine fittings on the right hand side were enlarged slightly,
The baseplate was next for attention when the hole in it was filled and the lettering rearranged,
Finally the area between the radiator and engine was filled in on the left side of the engine bay,
The 8d is a fairly common toy and there are no rare variations, It was packaged in 'E' type boxes and was replaced by the 8a Ford Mustang in 1966.
Although the model was only in production for two years and it is still a fairly common piece today so it must have been a popular toy in its day.
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