I was searching eBay the other day for a Matchbox boat to go with my Speed Kings Boat Trailer when I spotted this Police Launch for a low starting bid. Not what I was looking for, but a nice model, so I put it on my watchlist. Later, when I went back to check out the other items the seller had to offer, I found a really nice selection of Superfast Matchbox mixed in with scraps of fabric and craft supplies. After I landed a few of the Matchbox, I messaged the seller about combined shipping and was told she was selling off her son’s childhood collection of cars. While I did miss out on a few of the cars, I was able to score quite a few of these lightly playworn toys, and I’m very happy to add models from the Crafter’s Son’s childhood collection to my own.
The Matchbox Police Launch was first released in 1976 and can be found in about 18 different variations. It rolls smoothly on small black wheels that barely protrude from the flat bottom of the hull. This nice example with a white deck, blue hull and Police labels is unique in that it has separately cast metal horns on top of the boat; this feature was removed from later releases. This is the first of this casting that I’ve added to my collection, but it makes a nice companion to my Matchbox Swamp Rat.
Matchbox | 1976 | 80 | Police Launch | white deck, blue hull, Police labels, light blue figures, cast horns | England
The Race Case MBX 