1973 Matchbox Rolamatics Turbo Fury

The Matchbox Turbo Fury was first released in the 1973 Rola-Matics series and was produced in about 4 different variations.

A reworking of the Blue Shark casting, the rear of the car has been modified to house twin jet engines and now includes a pair of fans that spin with the rolling action of the car.

This red example, which is missing a label (it might have been 69, 86, or a scorpion), is the second of two cars I picked up at the Toy Shack in Las Vegas.

Other Matchbox Rolamatics models in my collection include the Mustang Piston Popper that I still have from my childhood, the Range Rover with Police Patrol livery, the Range Rover with Sheriff livery, the metallic green Weasel Armored Vehicle, the olive green variation of the Weasel, the Badger Exploration Truck, the Stoat Armored Car, the Maxi Taxi and the Fandango.

Matchbox | 1973 Rolamatics | #69 | Turbo Fury | red, missing label, clear windshield, white interior, ivory engine fans, unpainted metal base | England | Superfast 5-spoke wheels

1981 Matchbox Rolamatics Range Rover Police Patrol

The Matchbox Range Rover Police Patrol was first released in 1975 in the Rolamatics series – vehicles with moving features that are activated by the rolling wheels. The Range Rover, which has a spinning dome light, was produced in about 30 different variations, with liveries that include Police, Ambulance and even Site Engineer duties. This white version with blue Sheriff livery is from 1981 and is another of my scores from Lamont’s Childhood Collection.

The Matchbox Rolamatics Range Rover has opaque windows to hide the interior mechanisms that activate the spinning dome.

Matchbox | 1981 Rola-matics | #20 | Range Rover Police Patrol | white with blue SHERIFF tampo on top and hood, missing COUNTY SHERIFF star labels on sides, frosted windows, blue spinner, unpainted metal base | England | maltese cross wheels

Other Matchbox Rolamatics models in my collection include the Mustang Piston Popper that I still have from my childhood, the Range Rover with Police Patrol livery, the metallic green Weasel Armored Vehicle, the olive green variation of the Weasel, the Badger Exploration Truck, the Stoat Armored Car, the Maxi Taxi and the Fandango.

1977 Matchbox Rola-matics Fandango

The Matchbox Fandango was first released in 1975 and was produced in about 21 different variations. This unlicensed model from the Rola-matics series has a fan in the rear compartment that spins as the car rolls. This England-cast red version with 35 labels, silver fan, ivory interior and unpainted metal base dates form about 1977 and is another of my finds from the Toy Shack in Las Vegas.

In 1986, Fandango was modified for the Super GT (budget) line and the fan was cast into the car so it would no longer spin.

Matchbox | 1977-1978 Rola-matics | #35 | Fandango | red with red, white, blue and black 35 label, ivory interior, clear windows, unpainted metal base, chrome and red spinning fan | England | Superfast 5-spoke wheels

Other Matchbox Rolamatics models in my collection include the Range Rover Police Patrol, the metallic green Weasel Armored Vehicle, the olive green variation of the Weasel, the Badger Exploration Truck, the Stoat Armored Car and the Maxi Taxi.

1975 Matchbox Rolamatics Range Rover Police Patrol

The Matchbox Range Rover Police Patrol was first released in 1975 in the Rolamatics series – vehicles with moving features that are activated by the rolling wheels. The Range Rover, which has a spinning dome light, was produced in about 30 different variations, with liveries that include Police, Ambulance, County Sheriff and even Site Engineer duties. This white model with Police labels and an orange spinner – another of my Wichita eBay scores – is identical to one I already have in my collection … Or is it?

The Matchbox Range Rover Police Patrol already in my collection has a partially melted dome light (which inhibits the Rolamatic action of the spinner) and a sagging Police label, so I went after this model because it’s in better shape. It was only after comparing the two side-by-side that I realized the recent acquisition is the variation that has smaller Police lettering (see photo at bottom of page).

The photo below shows the Rolamatics mechanism, which consists of a piston protruding from the rear wheel that, as the wheel rolls, makes contact with a gear hidden inside the vehicle (the orange disc that you see here). In this case, the gear drives the spinner inside the dome on top of the car. On the Range Rover, the inner workings are obscured by frosted windows.

Matchbox | 1975-1980 Rolamatics | 20 | Range Rover Police Patrol | white with orange and black small Police labels, frosted windows, clear dome, orange spinner, unpainted metal base | England | Maltese cross wheels

The photo below shows a comparison of the Police labels, with the smaller letter variation at the top and the larger letter variation at the bottom.

Other Matchbox Rolamatics models in my collection include the metallic green Weasel Armored Vehicle, the olive green variation of the Weasel, the Badger Exploration Truck, the Stoat Armored Car and the Maxi Taxi.