[REVIEW] Lesney Matchbox Bedford Wreck Truck

Merry Christmas! As my family did most of the Christmas extravaganza yesterday, there’s time for a review today (no hawl for me, I’m kind of hard to shop for). Once again it is Lesney Matchbox time. I reviewed a similar truck a few months ago:

and it was well-received, so here is its predecessor. Today we examine Matchbox 13a, the Bedford Wreck Truck. This was the 13th model to join the 1-75 series, entering the range in 1955, and remaining until 1958, when it was replaced by the slightly different model I reviewed earlier. It is exactly what one expects for a Lesney Matchbox car of this period:

As one can see, this is very similar to 13b, the key differences being the design of the body near the towing apparatus, the attachment of the towing apparatus, and the marking. Scale on this is somewhat small, probably a little smaller than 1:64, but there is plenty of detail, especially for something of this age. No luxuries like glazing or interior, of course, as these were something for the future, and it was only made with metal wheels and no variations. Even without the fancy stuff, this model packs plenty of period charm:

Front and rear are finished similarly - tons of play value to be had with the tow hook (I neglected to take a pic of it in action):

The base is quite basic, as was the style at the time - only a minimum of identifying data:

This one is lucky enough to live in its earlier Type B box. These earlier boxes often suffer from a little bit of paper degradation, perhaps via acidity. Still, it has survived and suits the style of the model:

Definitely a piece of history I am glad to have in my collection. If one has a 13b, they should have a 13a to compare and contrast:

And a 1:1 via car-from-uk.com: