Presenting another Dinky made vintage British military die cast that’s quite long. About 295 mm or 11.64 inches long.
Made between 1956 - 1964, this was available as a gift set 698 (shown here) which contains both the transporter and tank and individually with just the tank transporter 660 and centurion tank 651. Like most early released Dinky models it includes a driver but no clear plastic window.
This model is based on the Mighty Antar, a heavy-duty 6×4 tractor unit built by Thornycroft from the 1940s onwards. For some decades it was the standard tank transporter of the British Army and was also used by other nations.
According to Wikipedia the name “Antar” was a reference to Antar Ibn Shadded, a pre-Islamic Arab poet-warrior. The intended lead customer for the “Mighty Antar” was the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company and this was an intentional ploy to flatter the customer.
Since Iranians are not Arabs, I’m not sure if this info or reason is correct or accurate.
Unlike toys or replicas these days, the tractor and trailer are all die cast except for the tires.
So let’s now look at the play value of this model.
The ramp on the trailer can be lowered and the tank can be rolled out. There are working tracks on the tank.
This is based on the Centurion, introduced in 1945, and was the primary British main battle tank of the post-Second World War period.
Besides working tracks, it comes with a rotating turret. However the tank does not come with any firing mechanism.
The transporter does not come with opening doors or hood. I give this a 4.8 out of 5 for play value.
I got this at a good condition on ebay and is one of my cherish collection.
