My Benbros

[DrJeep]

I'm going to use this to gather together pictures of my small collection of Benbros. Benbros aren't really common but there are always a few at any toy show, and they're often priced very reasonably. I think they're under-rated - while some of the castings are quite crude, some are really good (the Centurion tank is really impressive), and they seem to last pretty well.

Anyway, here's one of my favourites - number 18, the Hudson tourer, and number 41, the military staff car. There are lots of colours to collect, two different bases, and many different types of wheel. It started with a clip-on base with delicate bumpers (the blue one here) but the bumpers were soon strengthened and the base riveted in place. The military staff car was the same model painted green.

Benbros Hudson tourers

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On the back row, from left to right:
- staff car in gloss green with black plastic wheels
- orange with black plastic wheels (this is the one you see most frequently)
- final issue orange with silver plastic wheels (quite scarce)
- staff car in olive green with green painted base and green painted metal wheels
- cream with silver trim and unpainted metal wheels
- metallic blue with white painted base and white painted metal wheels

This is only the start - there are at least 11 more body colours to look for, always with the possibility of finding more that are so far unlisted (I think the cream one here is a new find).

[DrJeep]

This must be one of the best Benbros castings - the Centurion tank. I think these are quite hard to find in this condition, as the turrets seem to come loose quite readily, and the barrel is easy to break. The tracks on this are perfect too. The unpainted area in front of the turret shows how it was painted after assembly, with the gun facing the other way.

Benbros tank

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[Sebastian10]

Very nice - in my example the unpainted area is to the rear of the turret just in front of the rear deck 'ribbing'

My favourite Benbros is the larger scale Ruston Bucyrus digger/excavator

Do you have any of the Benbros Zebra toys? - these are quite difficult to find - I gave up a few years ago after only getting five of them

There was a Zebra toys AA minivan on eBay recently for about £4000 BIN - now that is a real rarity!!

Sebastian

[Idris]

- while some of the castings are quite crude, some are really good

I have always found that extremely odd since it implies that at least two toolmakers - one good, one bad - were involved. I do sometimes wonder whether Jack Odell might not have popped over now and again to lend a helping hand. (It would explain both the strong similarities between some Lesney and Benbros castings, and the lack of any consequent legal action on Lesney's part.)

[DrJeep]

Do you have any of the Benbros Zebra toys? - these are quite difficult to find - I gave up a few years ago after only getting five of them

There was a Zebra toys AA minivan on eBay recently for about £4000 BIN - now that is a real rarity!!

I'm reasonably strict about only collecting miniatures - mainly because of space, but also because it's a slippery slope... I've a few old Dinkys and Corgis that I had as a child, but nothing very exciting, and definitely no Zebra toys.

I have always found that extremely odd since it implies that at least two toolmakers - one good, one bad - were involved. I do sometimes wonder whether Jack Odell might not have popped over now and again to lend a helping hand. (It would explain both the strong similarities between some Lesney and Benbros castings, and the lack of any consequent legal action on Lesney's part.)

It's strange, because many of the Benbros have good detail - the Hudson has many of the features of the real car but somehow the shape isn't quite right. The quality of the casting itself is also often very poor, and the bases don't really ever fit the body. As you say, there are some exceptions - the Bedford milk float, the Centurion tank, the Karrier Coca Cola lorry - and they're also at a markedly different scale from the rest of the range. Would Jack Odell have helped out? I'd like to think so!

[Idris]

Would Jack Odell have helped out? I'd like to think so!

I've no evidence for this whatsoever, but I'm sure that the people behind all these small, east London-based, post-war, diecast toy company start-ups knew each other and, when necessary, worked together and helped each other out. After all, in the early days they were all small fish in a very big pond, so what harm could it do?

[GHOSTHUNTER]

Were'nt the Horses for the 1st Coronation coach cast by Benbros. If yes then there was some sort of shaking of hands collaboration!

Ghosthunter.

[Idris]

Were'nt the Horses for the 1st Coronation coach cast by Benbros.

Good memory, Ghosty! Yes, they were, the reason being that they are a lead alloy and Jack Odell refused to have any lead at Lesney because of the fatigue issue (although Rob Newson once showed me a 1a with clear fatigue cracking).

[MOKOSEX]

I think early lesney and benbros were diecasters,they may have designed the product but a toolmaker would have made the dies,some toolmakers were obviously better than others,i will concede later lesney may have made their own dies,but early on i think it would have been contracted out.
dave

[MOKOSEX]

Some great models shown at the start of this thread, the interest in benbros minitures i think has increased as the prices seem to be climbing,i also like the rb excavator,also the guy mounted crane and excavator,the guy cab and chassis were originally a timpo model,a brewers drey,also some of the artics and the petrol tanker were originally timpo,usually ex timpo benbros have dots on the wheels.
dave
(old photo)a benbros rb,a lesney rb,and a budgie (large one)rb which is the same as the moko one,and no we don,t still have the quilt