| Benbros "TV Series" and "Mighty Midgets" 13-16 |
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Number 13 was the Austin Champ which was once again a very accurate model of a real vehicle, It was a one piece casting which had the axles and die cast wheels fitted before it was painted, Being a military vehicle it did not have silver trim, Early issues featured a seperate die cast driver which was painted brown, Later issues had the driver cast in which was of course painted military green, Like the no 12 Scout Car the seperately cast driver often came loose and got mislaid. (see picture) Value approximately £25-£35 |
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Number 14 is simply listed as "Tank" on the box but was in fact a very accurate model of the Centurion tank. The turret was riveted to the body casting but was able to revolve adding to the play value of the toy. Four metal rollers mounted on steel axles were fitted with flexible rubber tracks and were held in place by the die cast baseplate, Being a military vehicle it was painted the same military green as the earlier army vehicles and it was not enhanced with silver trim. Although it was a very small and rather plain model it is highly regarded by military vehicle enthusiasts. Value approximately £30-£40 |
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Number 15 was the Vespa Scooter. It was a one piece casting with a seperate rider which was attached by a hook on the riders left foot locating into a hole in the footwell. Early issues had die cast metal wheels which were usually painted in the same colour as the scooter, Later issues had red plastic wheels with black rubber tyres. The rider was painted red with a flesh coloured face and black goggles, The scooter has been seen in pale metallic green, pale blue, pale metallic blue, mid metallic blue, dark metallic blue and finally in bronze. Value approximately (depending on colour) £30-£80 |
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Number 16a was the "Streamlined Express Locomotive" which was a simple one piece casting with four die cast wheels mounted on steel axles which were concealed underneath, The wheels and running gear were silver trimmed as was the emblem on the side of the tender. It has been seen in red, dark green and pale metallic blue and no doubt other colours probably exist, Maybe this one was not a good seller because it was soon replaced by the 16b Chevrolet Nomad Station Wagon. Value approximately £20-£30 |
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Number 16b was the American Chevrolet Nomad Station Wagon which was the first regular car type vehicle in the series, It was a one piece body casting with a seperate baseplate which had the wheels & axles attached, It has been seen in pale green, red and in chrome plated finish, The painted versions have varying amounts of silver trim, The chrome plated version usually has red painted roof or other trim in red, The wheels are usually silver plastic but other types may have been used. Value approximately £20-£30 |
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