[REVIEW] Lesney Matchbox MG MGA

Lesney Matchbox time is here again. Today we examine a vehicle shown by bttfdmc1984 a few days ago. This is Lesney Matchbox 19b, the MG MGA Sports Car. This casting entered the range in 1958, and remained until 1962 (which was also the final year of the 1:1 vehicle). As one can see, this is a charming example of the state of the Matchbox line in the late 50s:

This is a cute casting, and is somewhat dainty, like the real car. Scale is hard to estimate, I would guess in the 1:65 area. As one can see, this model features a driver, held in by a piece in the base of the driver casting fitting into a hole in the car. This method was not the most secure, and many of these are missing the driver, even models in excellent condition. The windshield simulation is unusual, this is how the company made do before the advent of plastic glazing, as I suppose cast-in pillars would be too thin without roof support. Like the real car, this casting does not have a lot of fussy details, but does have some quite fine casting lines, mostly on horizontal surfaces. From all angles, it is a sweet little car:

The front and rear have similar details. Here you can see the very fine casting lines for hood and trunk/bonnet and boot, with a nice MG emblem at rear and vents on the front beside the hood, and a nice grille. Also notice the dashboard as gauge and glovebox details, a nice touch:

The base is basic, with ample identifying detail, as was standard by this time. One can see the hole for placing the driver:

This model is lucky enough to live in an original Type B box. One will notice this is a box for 19a. This is typical for early releases of 19b, which can be found in late run 19a boxes. With this box, along with metal wheels and crimped axle ends, I can say with some certainty that this casting was made in 1958:

This is definitely a casting I am glad to have in my collection. This and 19a are some of my favorites, and I have a few of each. It is a nice piece of 1950s sports car culture:

A few 1:1s from carpicker.net, mgexp.com and bringatrailer: