is back from Council of Five Nations.
I thought I'd look at this toy car as representative of Mattel's Matchbox Ready for Action 1-75 MBX Metal line. The nice thing about this line is that the cars are die-cast metal - they have a nice "heft" about them.
According to the company's website, this is the 1-75 line - which I would think meant 1/75th scale. However, the chassis is inscribed "1:63."
The manufacturer categorizes this line into three groups: City, Real and Action. I was a bit surprised to find that their Austin FX4 London Taxi is classed as "action" - along with a double-decker bus, a tow truck, a trash truck and a forklift!
This vehicle is greenish-grey with silvery speckles, and amber windows.
Painted markings include "TAXI - All town service - Friendly, Safe, Quick!", fare charts, taxi and fender lights, door handles, and the humorous "Driver carries only Matchbox cars." On our sample, both fare charts were slightly misaligned, and the door handles are incompletely painted (and on one side, there are paint marks above the handles).
Surprisingly, the headlights, taillights, grill and license plate area are left unpainted.
Interior details in white plastic include dashboard, front seats, and headrests in the back window. Our sample has a mark or scar on the inside of the windshield.
The chassis (including both bumpers) is gray plastic.
Although 1:63rd scale is approximately 25mm scale, the taxi is definitely under-size for these "heroic scale" 28mm figures. The model measures 72mm long, 29mm wide, and 29mm from wheel-bottom to top of car.