steam loco

[fixer]

I think I put this on befora but i'll try it here as there seems to be some new members that might know about it
picked up at Sandown about 18 months ago in a colour I hadn't seen before the only other one I can find is an out of focus vectis picture on Christians site saying that its a pre pro
any thoughts

[GHOSTHUNTER]

Interesting to note both the model's catalogue number and the 'Superfast' logo have been removed.

If it is a 'Pre-Pro', what is it pre-proing for I wonder and do other Macau made Locos share the same baseplate?

Ghosthunter.

[fixer]

absolutely no idea i'm only thinking it's a pre pro from the picture on Chistian's site

[GHOSTHUNTER]

I wonder if the 'Tampo' design has any significance. Is or was there a 'National Garden Festival'.

Ghosthunter.

P.S. According to this there is/was...https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Garden_Festival

[GHOSTHUNTER]

You are in luck Reg...

Group of Three 'Pre-Pro' models.jpg (27.62 KiB) Viewed 2542 times

The Three models in the above picture are, according to VECTIS, 'Pre-Pro' models.

Ghosthunter.

[shockwavediecast]

Well I know Lledo did the DG6 Ford Model T van for the Liverpool Festival.

Did Matchbox loose out on a merchandising deal? and this pre-pro was the 'sales model'??

[fixer]

thanks Kev that picture is much clearer than when I use Christian's site
SWT i suppose that is possible I wonder if this is the Vectis one or would several have made

[ChFalkensteiner]

Interesting to note both the model's catalogue number and the 'Superfast' logo have been removed.

If it is a 'Pre-Pro', what is it pre-proing for I wonder and do other Macau made Locos share the same baseplate?

Ghosthunter.

The casting is standard; it is only the livery that makes this model a pre-production.

I do not know the background of this model. Most probably it was intended to be issued for/at one of those festivals but eventually was not for whatever reason.

Matchbox did issue a gift set for the 1992 Garden Festival at Ebbw Vale (as mentioned in the Wikipedia article), so I presume the loco was intended for one of the earlier ones. (The 1992 set is numbered MC-806 and contains a CY-25 DAF Box Truck, a MB 165 Ford Transit and a MB 180 Land Rover 90.)

I do not know the quantity made either, but surely more than one.

[GHOSTHUNTER]

Toy or model companies would be offered the chance to produce promotional items for such an event as a major motoring festival or as we now know a garden festival and whoever has made some test items would offer them to that event's promotion team for appraisal and acceptance. If several companies have taken up the offer only one is likely to be given the rights to make the items as official promotional items for the event and the non accepted companies just go away and carry on making their normal product lines, but what happens to those odd few models we don't know, but luckily for a few of us, they do seep out into the collecting community.

If we could find the official National Garden Festival promotional models from whoever made them, this would help to date the Loco Reg has (unless Reg already knows this), but I would imagine it is a little while after the production of Lesney '1-75 series' went to Macau.

Anybody want to take up the offer of finding official Garden Festival models?

Ghosthunter.

[johnboy]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Garden_Festival

Unless I'm on the wrong track with this link, there seems to have been only 5 festivals in the UK, starting in 1984 and running every two years. What were the Macau production dates? I wonder if a train is significant to the location of the festival?