K94 Airport Fire Tender (never released)

[charliep]

The most decorated example of the K94 Airport Fire Tender finally came up for auction at Vectis. The price realized is nothing short of incredible.


Matchbox Super Kings Saval Kronenburg B.V
Matchbox Super Kings Saval Kronenburg B.V. MAC 12 Airport Crash Tender Pre-production trial model - red body with City Airport Authority Airport Fire Rescue labels, silver roof sections, bare metal roof foam monitor, turquoise green roof-lights, clear windows, black rear roof mounted exhausts, silver painted base with incomplete copyright date and without model number cast, black plastic wheels with red hubs, rear roof can be opened to reveal internal water tank & hose running from tank to roof monitor but we are unable to confirm if an electric motor is fitted to this model but certainly there is no electrical wiring or battery terminal within the body cavity. This is the actual trial model illustrated on Page 57 of "Collecting Matchbox Diecast Toys the First 40 Years" book by Kevin McGimpsey and Stewart Orr - Excellent Plus with some black flaking from monitor retaining clip and central right hand body label stating to peel away from body (see extra photo). Impressive large scale model that was never put into production by the factory, this being the first we have offered for sale complete with the intended labels applied.

Estimate: £2000 - £2400

Price Realised: £9000

[matchboxmarcel]

there was a similar one on Ebay some while ago, not this one.

see:
viewtopic.php?f=21&t=8551&p=89987&hilit=k94#p89987

and

viewtopic.php?f=43&t=1781&p=15566&hilit=k94#p15566

marcel

[kay]

A member ofthe german Matchboxmania forum seems to have quite a lot of versions of this prepro model - he states he has 20 different ones in his collection, and he shows pictures of 14 different ones in the forum (12 complete ones, and two painted body castings)!

But he did not buy the last one auctioned by Vectis.......

Kay

[antoinecalleja]

Hello,
I am the new owner of this model and it shall be delivered to me in Malta soon!
Last March I missed out on the silver one sold by Roger on eBay, but this was THE ONE that I really wanted as it is the only one known that is complete with labels and decorations. I had been hoping that it turns up for sale for many years, and when it did I made sure that I won it! Now I hope that it stays with me for many many years!
I had to pay a lot of money for it, but this was a once-in-a-life-time, 'now or never' opportunity.
I am so happy that finally my dream came true!
Antoine

[matchboxmarcel]

congratulations Antoine !

marcel

[antoinecalleja]

Thank you!

On a different note, I had read somewhere that a total of 36 of these were made in different stages of completion (but I can't remember where I've seen it).
Could someone confirm this please?

Thank you!

Antoine

[charliep]

Hi Antoine,
Congrats on winning the most decorated K94. Regarding how many were completed, I think the number is about 50.
In front of me I have Bruce & Diane Stoneback book "Matchbox Toys" and on page 32 there is a picture of a
K94 Airport Fire Tender. This is what is written underneath the picture:
"This enormous Fire Engine was abandoned after only 50 models had been completed. It was to have featured a
working pump and lights, but was considered too expensive to manufacture".
Below is the model pictured in the book.
Charlie

[roger the dodger]

Well done Antoine, At last you have got the one you want. Probably the most famous one too. Fantastic price. I remember my Silver boxed version going to Germany.

[Moyboy]

This is the story of this model from designer Jim Yates and posted on Matchboxmemories in the Prepro section - hope this information of his helps with the start of this model for you.
This is an interesting one as I was contacted by Jim Yates after he saw this model here and here is his story
"I was at the Lesney, Chingford development site until it closed in 1982 and was involved in the development of this particular model, the biggest ever made and the first (and last) of what was to be a new range of models even larger than Super Kings. The model was close to 300 mm long and around 100 mm high. It had a siren, flashing lights and a functional water pump fed by an internal water tank filled via the cylindrical cap on the roof. The photograph is of the prototype. The body was made from soldered brass sheet and the base from plasticard. The exhausts were made from brass tube and the nozzle from many bits of plastic. The seats were also made from plasticard. The walkways on the roof were made from fine metal mesh fixed in place with double sided tape. The wheels had substantial suspension to carry the weight. On the side facing the camera is a statement in German - on the other side was a similar statement in English.
Diecast tooling was made for this model in early 1982 and a few hundred shots were produced. I still have one somewhere in my loft. I do not believe any other tooling was produced as the development was discontinued due to Lesney Products ceasing trading shortly after"
Regards, Jim Yates

And to a further enquiry Jim kindly replied

"Do you mean the prototype Airport Crash Tender in the picture or other pre-production models - I was only aware of the one, the one in the picture, which is definitely the brass and plasticard prototype - I can even see my fingerprints on it.

Then - I remembered seeing a picture of one in a book - but I could not remember which book it was - so I did a bit of digging and found it on page 32 of "Matchbox Toys" by Bruce and Diane Stoneback. Sure enough, there it was, not the brass and plasticard prototype but one made from a diecast body and what appears to be an injection moulded roof, windows, and other fittings. I was not aware that this much tooling had been completed. The book suggests that 50 were completed. See attached and compare the detail with the one on your site.

I was with Lesney UK Operations Ltd. from late 1979 to early 1984 as Senior Control Systems Engineer, initially at the machinery and toy development site in Waterden Road. When that closed most of my engineering team and most of the toy development group moved to the Chingford site - which is where I became involved with the Crash Tender. I also became heavily involved with the sad work of decommissioning and closure of the Lee Conservancy Road site and then the Chingford site. In early 1983 I moved to the Matchbox site at Rochford for almost a year and then left Matchbox "

A fascinating piece of Lesney history again and many thanks for this information Jim. I will try and show the finished version in the book but do not want to broach copyright laws so will try and find out before I post it here.

[Squid]

In front of me I have Bruce & Diane Stoneback book "Matchbox Toys" and on page 32 there is a picture of a K94 Airport Fire Tender.

I knew I'd seen a photo of the K94 somewhere, a few years ago. That was a great book; I regret letting go of my copy.

If the gentleman mentioned by Kay does indeed have 20 of them, and the Stonebacks' production number is correct, the K94 enjoys a nice survival rate. Congratulations to Antoine on the acquisition of that amazing piece!