Matchbox made promotional models for many other companies and attractions. But this particular MB38 was made to promote Matchbox itself. The first regular issue MB38 rolled down a Matchbox assembly line in 1982. This vehicle, for the 1-75 line, was the Champion Spark Plugs van. It came with royal blue cab, black base, white roof and shining chrome bumpers, headlights and grille, along with the company’s familiar red and black logo incorporating a sketch of a sparkplug.
Matchbox itself has used the vehicle for sale and advertising messages such as the last model was suspended production in 1992 later on it was produced in Macau, China and Thailand. It is a Model A Ford Van, a yellow colour that advertised itself.
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Matchbox,
Promotional Model,
Superfast
Models produced to promote a product or event. Examples include items provided as a result of 'on-pack' offers which usually involve collecting a number of tokens as proof of purchase of the product concerned.
Other promotionals are used to raise funds for an event or charity, or simply to provide publicity.
A number of companies have been prepared to offer special runs of models for promotional purposed, often in fairly limited quantities.
The key players in this market have tended to be Lledo (who used their Models of Days Gone dies for a series called Promotionals - later know as ProMotors), Corgi (who developed a range initially called Cameos and later titled Motoring Memories for such purposes) and Oxford Die-Cast Ltd (whose main output has so far been for the promotional market).
Over the years many other manufactures have also undertaken similar ventures, but for many low production runs are not financially viable, and so requests are refused.
By their very nature, it is not always easy for collectors to keep up to date with information relating to such promotional models. - Encyclopedia Model Collecting
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Promotional Model
