If there was one vehicle that I absolutely love from the Matchbox 70th Anniversary mainline releases, it has to be the 70th anniversary Road Roller.
Some people may bypass it because of its green and red livery and because it’s not a luxury sedan or sportscar, but many people may not know is that the Road Roller pays homage to the very first Matchbox ever released.
Back in the 1950’s, British die-casting company Lesney Products courtesy of moulders John W. “Jack” Odell, Leslie Charles Smith and Rodney Smith. For Odell, he wanted to create a toy for his daughter that could fit inside a matchbox (as her school would only allow toys that fit the size of a matchbox). So, he crafted a scaled-down version of a green and red diesel road roller. And so, the very first Matchbox die-cast mini vehicle was created.
One that is smaller that featured a person in yellow behind the wheel (there was a 1-A, 1-B, 1-C and so on version with different painted drivers and extra paint on the vehicles). Back in the day, Lesney would experiment on scale sizes so the 1-A was 50mm, 1-B was 56mm, 1-C was 64mm and the 1D was 69mm.
But the King Sized K-9 version featured a person in gray behind the wheel but a logo showing “Aveling Harford Diesel Roller” is displayed.
One of the few variations of the road roller for Matchbox
And while Matcbox would followup with a 40th anniversary release in 1993 with an orange and blue version that came in a box, personally I just wanted to see a green and red diesel road roller, that would pay homage to those 1953-1955 releases. And now we have it!
And with the Matchbox 70th anniversary, we literally have the best looking road roller that pays homage to the very first Matchbox and given the modern design that it deserves!
And with countries focusing on infrastructure, one vehicle that got the bump up to play an important role in road construction and ground compaction and are instrumental in construction sites.
First, let’s discuss the logo. The lion is retained, with an updated logo and instead of “AVELING HARFORD DIESEL ROLLER” in red and white, we now have the “STREET WORKS DIESEL ROLLER” in metallic red and right on top is LOWER EAST SMITHFIELD *LONDON*. Also, you have No. 05 and Step and MATCHBOX CITY on the vehicle.
While there is no driver, yo do get the red seat and dash.
The original 1950’s version depicts red metal drums in the wheel section and the roller section, which is a style of road roller still used as they don’t leave marks when compacting. But this version is similar to a vibratory road roller that are used for those who want choices in compaction and utilizing the best in technology for today’s roadways and construction sites.
The green and red of course, harkens back to the early ’50s release and the touch of gold on the handles (as the original 1A had gold on the vents, handles and front portion.
The red step ladders is a nice touch, as well.
While collectors will no doubt want the original road roller for their collection, the 70th anniversary is the phenomenal. It’s one of those vehicles that really shouldn’t be a peg warmer, but considering more and more people in today’s diecast metal minicar collecting age have bought into the “Super Treasure Hunt” mentality and buying die-cast cars for the sake of making quick buck, many of these wonderful designed vehicles are getting bypassed.
This is one of the better ones that actually pays homage to the very first Matchbox vehicle (and not green or red for the sake of being regarded as a fantasy or Christmas vehicle, which it is not). The modern moulding and overall look is simply magnificent and is a true 70th anniversary release (not to say the 1993 40th anniversary’s were bad, but the 70th anniversary is so much better).
This is possibly one of the best modern Matchbox releases that should be in a true collector’s die-cast vehicle collection.
The “Matchbox 70th Anniversary: Road Roller” is highly recommended!
