Green Hornet's Black Beauty

[cOO7rgi]

Recently three different resin prepros of the Black Beauty were sold on ebay, in gloss black, matt black and dark green.

Does anyone here know more about this model? When and where (England, Macao, Thailand, China?) were these prepros made? Vectis has sold one in 2009 but without a year indicated. And how many of such resin samples are usually made? There seem to be quite a few around, I have also found pictures of a gloss grey example, and I think I have seen another in matt unpainted grey.

http://www.vectis.co.uk/Page/ViewLot.as ... ection=169

Matchbox Superfast
Tuesday 10th February 2009 2:00pm
Lot 705
Matchbox Superfast "The Green Hornet" Black Beauty resin made, finished in black with grey windows (never made into full production as licence was not secured).

Not sure if the wheels on the Vectis example are the original as all the other samples have a different wheel design.

[GHOSTHUNTER]

This was a proposal model to be added to the Matchbox 'Star Cars' range for the late 1990's. I am guessing it is Mattel or Tyco who held the license for making 'Green Hornet' models at this time but this was dropped from the range.

As it was intended for the Matchbox brand, the wheels are original on the model in the first picture and would have come from a parts bin and I would expect the finished models to be fitted with the 'Hot Wheels' design shown on the other models.

Quantities are purely speculative, but a Dozen is quite normal.

Here is another example.

green hornet proto.jpg (16.64 KiB) Viewed 2434 times

GHOSTHUNTER.

[nearlymint]

My one came from either Vectis or from the matchbox auctions around that time, must have missed the ones on ebay.

BB

black b.jpg (47.04 KiB) Viewed 2426 times

J

[GHOSTHUNTER]

I pretty much know what the underneath looks like on these Resins, but any chance of a picture of your's Jason, thank's.

GHOSTHUNTER.

[nearlymint]

Model is currently stored away Ghosty, if I come across it I will take a picture of the base.
J

[GHOSTHUNTER]

Model is currently stored away Ghosty, if I come across it I will take a picture of the base.
J

OK 'J' not a problem, thank's for the reply.

GHOSTHUNTER.

[jimgallegos]

I have a gray one. Blank base. Came out about the same time as the proposed GTO model in resin. I think there must be at least 2 dozen.

[numi]

The ones shown by 007 & Jason with dot-dash wheels seems to be the later England trials up to 1996 as they are professionally done and the others incl which PC recently advertised seems to be the recent Chinese or other Eastern specimens.
Some of these seems to have been painted by amateurs or modellers.Alan Wank had quite of good few of these unpainted specimens.
numi

[ChFalkensteiner]

Just to add some details for the correct dating of this model: it was allocated a MAN number of MB 355, which is immediately behind the Caterpillar models which had been re-tooled from former Hot Wheels and which were the very first Matchbox models with the Mattel name cast on their bases, introduced in 1998.

This indicates that it was conceived in 1998 and would have been issued in 1999.

As far as I remember it did not reach production because Mattel failed to secure the licence which was obtained by Playing Mantis (Johnny Lightning) around that time.

[ritchie]

Worth to mention the Black Beauty was originally a 1966 Chrysler Imperial. Shall we be seeing all the 2 dozens resin Green Hornet Black Beauty in this thread? Let's keep it up.... Below is mine, resin, black painted, on the right. To the left is the Johnny Lightning. The Matchbox interpretation is more interesting as it's an armored Black Beauty, with machine guns/bullets ready to shoot at the front and back of car.

DSC_1469sss.jpg (29.51 KiB) Viewed 2347 times

Below is Johnny Lightning's on its own.

DSC_1475ss.jpg (29.43 KiB) Viewed 2347 times

Below is example of Matchbox's fully decorated Black Beauty, in plastic tyres. I think this image was from Vectis.

matchbox prepro green hornet.jpg (15.92 KiB) Viewed 2347 times