rw64+variation

[porub1]

Hi from Hungary. Please look at these 2 Mg 1100 variations ( I have not found them in your catalogue): RW64 blue colour and SF64 wide wheels. Thank you

[matchboxkiwi]

Hi Porub 1,
Thanks for showing us your two very interesting MB 64 variations.
The first one in blue with regular wheels is very interesting as from the photo the base rivet looks good, how ever what's called the time line for this model is completely wrong as there appears to be quite a good over lap of the regular wheel green body models with superfast wheels. Thus it is highly unlikely that blue super fast bodies would have been assembled with regular wheels as all the machinery for wheel assembly at the time had been redesigned for the new superfast wheels. In my opinion the only possible way this might have come out of the factory is by what they call ""a lunch time model!"

Your second model with the wide superfast wheels looks a little more dubious to me as the front rivet from what can be seen from the photo doesn't look spun properly making the base easy to prise of the body. It is then just an easy wheel swap from a latter superfast donor model.

I'd be highly surprised if either model is genuine as with all the knowledge particularly on this forum I'm sure if genuine they would have been listed by now.
However with Matchbox models over the years you can never say never as the odd new variation remains some how undiscovered for years so may be your first one falls in to this bracket. It would be nice if it did but lets see what other members have to say.

Cheers, Steve
Matchboxkiwi.

[porub1]

Dear Matchboxkiwi! Thank you very much for your reply ! Would you please look at this Ferrari wide wheels(I ve never seen like this) ? Thanks Zsolt

[matchboxkiwi]

WOW Zsolt !
What a fantastic model. I've never seen a wide wheel version before.
At first glance at the model everything looks good. Rivets are good. Body and base look good, both obviously the same condition as each other. You would be surprised how many of these sort of models have a mint base and chipped up body or mint body and chipped up base!
The wheels themselves look good too. The same standard condition as the body.

For this model the wheels are the main focus.
First of all wide superfast wheels were bought in after this model was deleted from the range. Generally the wheel arches on models such as this model still in the range had their wheel arches cut higher to take the new wider wheels.
From the photo the rear wheel axle looks bent. Particularly in the base photo top right wheel or rear wheel. This could indicate a wheel swap. The pressure of fitting the new rear wheel tightly bending the axle. You have a dilemma here. Do you try and pull the wheels off to see if it's a wheel swap or do you leave it alone as it could be a genuine model! I don't know! Have a good look at the wheel hub centres and axle ends under a magnifying glass and compare side by side with a narrow wheeled Ferrari is all I can suggest.
Check to see if the wheels run freely.

You need to remember at this time in Matchbox's history was the transitional era and then as now various unscrupulous people were trying to make a quick buck even the Lesney employees themselves with the so called lunch time models.

In my opinion more then one of these models should have surfaced by now after 40 odd years. As you say no lists have it listed. Now a days with the internet we should have also seen a few around as information is easier shared.
Unfortunately I'd have say it's fake but I very much hope you can prove me wrong as would the other collectors here as that would give another variation to hunt for. Hope this helps and your not to disappointed.

Just foot note on this model: When the model went from regular wheels to superfast the tow hook was eliminated. I don't know why. May be some member can answer that. As a kid I had a couple of the regular wheel models with the tow hook. I'd never had a superfast version and in the 1970 collectors catalogue you only saw the front of the model. I spent years looking a complete mint version with a tow hook never knowing it was never issued with one. I'd just assumed it had broken off!!!

Cheers, Steve
Matchboxkiwi

[Squid]

Just foot note on this model: When the model went from regular wheels to superfast the tow hook was eliminated. I don't know why. May be some member can answer that. As a kid I had a couple of the regular wheel models with the tow hook. I'd never had a superfast version and in the 1970 collectors catalogue you only saw the front of the model. I spent years looking a complete mint version with a tow hook never knowing it was never issued with one. I'd just assumed it had broken off!!!

I believe I can answer that, with a little help from VBD's page on the Superfast 75B:

The tow hook fitted to the regular wheels issues was removed from the seat mouldings, as were the quartet of cast exhaust pipes on the base at the same time to improve track performance on loops.

As regards Zsolt's wide-wheel 75B, I cannot add much, as I'm far from expert. Assuming the rivets and axle ends look good, then I'd say the wide-wheel 75B could well be a lunch-box special. A lack of other such models, plus the 75B missing out on the reworking of its wheel-wells, seems to indicate that a wide-wheel version was never intended as a production model.

[porub1]

Thank you Matchboxkiwi and Squid for all your information, i ll be cleverer and cleverer at this forum. I d like to present this Ambulance for you( i ve never met this).What do you think about it? Thanks again Zsolt

[Idris]

I'm not fully convinced by either of the 64b MGs. On my laptop, both model's base rivets look iffy. The RW model's rivet appears to cast a shadow, suggesting that it is not flush with the baseplate, whilst the SF model's appears to be smaller than the baseplate hole.
I cannot immediately see anything amiss with the SF75b baseplate rivets.

[matchboxkiwi]

The ambulance is a US issue from 1981 or 1982 going by the dot dash wheel's. It was part of a set of ten models only released in the US market.
Not overly common outside of the US unless your a collector. Plenty in the US and regularly available in the blister pack as at about this time everyone was starting to save the models in their boxes or blister packs hopping they would increase in value like the earlier models, when no one thought about keeping the boxes.

Nice example, by the way.

Cheers, Steve
Matchboxkiwi

[porub1]

Dear Matchboxkiwi! It s very kind of you to answer and evaluate my cars so i dare to introduce more cars.Please send your thoughts about them! Thank you in advance Zsolt

[matchboxkiwi]

Wow that's a great selection of odd ball models!
I've collected quite a few of these over the years too.
I like the Slingshot dragster with balloon wheels back and front. I need a photo of the base to be sure it's what's know as an error model and it's genuine. It is quite plausible as a run of front wheels would have run out on the production line so to keep things going, back wheels could have used on the front as a substitute while more front wheels were being found.

The blister packs of the Rod Roller are good. Never seen anything like them before! Generally so called error pieces are best if they are in the blister packs like yours as it's easier to determine if they are genuine or not. I have a few of these my self ie a racing car with no wheels at all and a mobile home with no wheels at all. Also a few missing windows or seats!

What screams out at me about these not being right is that the rear wheels have nothing what so ever to do with the model! Yes they are or look sealed but genuine error models usually have related parts in the wrong position, as with your dragster or are missing parts altogether like my examples.
Unfortunately for you at the time these models were produced by employees, producing many lunch time models and flogging them off as trial or preproduction models. Quite likely they came from the factory but were not official models

Still very interesting. What do other forum members think?

Cheers, Steve
Matchbokiwi