[REVIEW] Lesney Matchbox Pontiac Convertible

Lesney Matchbox time is here again. The last installment featured an early model, this installment is a very late model for my collection. This is Matchbox 39b, the Pontiac convertible. This casting entered the range in 1962, and had a long run, remaining until 1967. This example shows the influence of the earlier era, and the later high production era:

One may recall I reviewed another variant of this model some time ago:

That one was an early example, this is from the final run of the casting. As before, this is not a large model, I estimate scale to be around 1:70. Nothing opens, but the interior adds interest, and the tow hitch adds play value. The casting is based on a 1960 model year Pontiac, and as before, I can’t tell if this is a Bonneville or Catalina, but as they are nearly identical, it’s not a big deal. It’s a big American convertible, that was the point, and no doubt it was made to cater to the NA market. Detail and proportion are quite good, as the early 60s were a golden time for the Matchbox line, and this casting received no physical changes during the production run. From all angles, it is a nice model:

Front and rear have similar detail, fairly fine casting lines for something of this size and era. In my experience, the windshields of these later examples tend to hold up better than earlier cars, which are often cracked even in mint boxed examples. Unpainted front bumper shows it is from the end of production:

The base is basic as typical for Regular Wheels models, and has sufficient identifying data. The fine tread black plastic wheels also mark this as a later run example - earlier models would have grey or silver wheels, and the first run was the pretty metallic violet in my first review:

This example is lucky enough to live in a nice original Type E3 box, which dates to 1966-67:

I am definitely glad to have this in my collection. This is one of the first older Matchbox vehicles I had in my collection, I got this when I was a teenager over 20 years ago. These aren’t too hard to find, black wheel models being the most affordable, but as they are a period American car, there is demand, so this is not the most inexpensive casting. This is also my last review from home for a few weeks, as I am off to Europe soon - but I already have pics made for reviews from the road:

And a few 1:1s - a Bonneville from Schmitt.com and a Catalina from Youtube: