It can get confusing when it comes to all of the different castings of the Matchbox Caterpillar Bulldozer. There are four separate early models that were all assigned the number 18, and later models with different numbers.
The Matchbox wiki gives each #18 Caterpillar Bulldozer a letter designation to help keep them straight:
• Caterpillar Bulldozer #18-A was produced from 1955 to 1957. It has a yellow body with a red blade and a driver cast in the seat.
• Caterpillar Bulldozer #18-B was produced from 1958 to 1960. It has a yellow body and blade and a cast-in driver. My Dana Johnson book describes this one as having no blade braces, though the photo on the Matchbox wiki shows something otherwise.
• Caterpillar Bulldozer #18-C was produced from 1961 to 1963. It has a yellow body and blade, a cast-in driver and braces on the blade.
• Caterpillar Bulldozer #18-D was produced from 1964 to 1968. It has a yellow body and yellow blade with braces but no driver. It has either silver plastic or black plastic rollers.
The Matchbox Caterpillar Bulldozer you see here – another nice score from my Wichita eBay friend – is the #18-D with black plastic rollers and intact rubber tracks.
Click here to compare to the Matchbox Big Bull Bulldozer from my childhood.
Matchbox | 1964 | #18 | Caterpillar Bulldozer | yellow with blade braces, green rubber tracks | England | black plastic rollers
The Race Case MBX 