[REVIEW] Lesney Matchbox 1 Ton Trojan Van

Lesney Matchbox time is here again. The last Matchbox review featured a passenger car, now it’s time for a commercial vehicle. Today we examine Lesney Matchbox 47a, the 1 Ton Trojan Van. This casting entered the range in 1958, remaining until early 1963, and is another one of those eye-catching models representative of the era:

Welcome to 1958. No glazing, no moving parts, no interiors. This was the era of mellow charming castings that combine a nice amount of fine line casting detail with a gentleness that has made these models desirable for some time. This little van is probably in the 1:60 range, and offers ample detail for something of its age and original price point. The very British decals are well-done, and actually cover the entire side of the van and the doors. Due to size and age, these are known show just a little edge flaking, one can see it in this model. but it doesn’t detract. From all angles, it is the definition of a sweet period piece:

Front and rear have similar quality. The mask sprayed silver grille detail marks this as a mildly scarce variant, and the hardware detail on the rear doors is a nice touch:

The base is basic, as was the style of the time, and features identifying data while showing off the grey plastic wheels:

This example is lucky enough to live in its nice original Type B box. Nick Jones links this variant to a Type C box, but I have little doubt this model is in its original box, as I bought it from an estate collection. I suspect this dates from around 1960:

A fun artifact, the original price tag:

Without a doubt I am pleased to have this model in my collection. This is another one that belongs in any representative collection of early Matchbox, as it has a lot of visual appeal, and the condition of this example makes it hard to resist. Lesney knew what they were doing:

A couple of similar 1:1s - one made to look like the Lesney Matchbox from mistermotormouth.wordpress.com, and another from svvs.org: