G is for Guiterman

This toy was issued by Lucky as the Beford Fire Engine, but as with yesterday's - both the base-plate and the box, fail to match that antecedence! Around 1:48th scale it was also copied in smaller scale for the Fire Station (12 pieces) set we looked at back in April/May.

Hinged, extending ladder and chrome-plated parts, siren and 'fast friction motor' are the main selling points, but really; it's a bright-red, fire engine and cheaper than Dinky; that's what mattered on a damp, grey Saturday in September, back in the day!

The two little mounting holes at the back of the base-plate are a bit of a mystery, but may well be for another motor housing, they tended to be manufactured by third parties and do differ from batch-to-batch or brand-to-brand (or: branding-to-branding is more accurate!), even companies like Japan's Marusan apparently moving away from branded toys to the supply of sub-assemblies.

Box branded to Guiterman, another of the old-school importers ('well-old' in this case!) like Fairylite, like Clifford, while the base-plate is branded to NFIC, who are better known for smaller-scale copies of Dinky including the London Taxi, Daimler Ambulance, Quad tractor and a range of different bodied Humber 1-ton trucks.

You may have noticed (I forgot to mention!) the difference between Brian's Canadian and the earlier - posted - Telsalda buses motor-housings; the axles, wheels and tyres were the same, but the housings were quite different with the Ottawa one having rounded ends, the Telsalda more box-like, although both fitting the same tab-slots.

Previously seen, for the hell of it and with a couple of comparisons; these are the 'war games' size from NFIC and I cropped the Marx gun out as it would be its third outing here and I try to keep duplication to a minimum.

Don't forget - it's Potter's Sandown Park Toy Fair today!