Lesney Matchbox MG1 Service Stations See also our price guide for the Garages on our GIFTSET + GARAGE pages.

The BP garage was also released in 1963 as part of the "G-10 Service Station Gift Set" which came with the A1 Petrol pumps and a 25b Volkswagen 1200, a 31b Ford Customline and a 13c Thames Trader Wreck Truck, My example was made from cream and very dark green with only the ramp at the back being white plastic, The cream garages are very rare and seldom seen. The box was a D type and for some reason the garage roof sign in the illustration says "Matchbox Service Station" wheras the actual sign reads "Matchbox Sales and Service Station" but what really amazes me with this set is that the Lesney packing staff managed to squeeze all this in a regular garage sized box, Unpack it and you will never get it all back in!. >

I believe the MF-1 Fire Station dates from 1963, It consists of a grey plastic base with a white plastic Fire Station that has two opening doors and roof that are made from red plastic, A sticker on the front says "Matchbox Fire Station" and two other stickers display bricks and a Fire Brigade badge, motto and fire alarm button, There is just one small piece of metal and that is the traditional firemans pole that connects the upper floor with the garage area below that is used by Firemen as a faster alternative to stairs. Rumor has it that an Ambulance Station was planned to compliment the Fire Station but never got into production and as a result some of the Fire Stations have green Ambulance Station roofs which is a fine theory except that all of the early D type MF-1 boxes show a Fire Station with a green roof, The green roof stations are a little rarer and will fetch a premium. My Fire Station came in an E type box which has a red roofed Fire Station illustrated, The MF-1 was also released in the 1963 G-10 gift Set when it was teamed up with the 14c Lomas Ambulance, a 59b Fairlane Fire Chief and two 9c Merryweather Fire Tenders. Later it appeared again in the G-5d 1965 Fire Station set along with a 54b Cadillac Ambulance, 29c Fire Pumper and a 59c Galaxie Fire Chief.