P is for Perfect Polymer Perambulation

So, to the Ambulance and crew, I rather took too-many shots of these over two sessions, but I've hacked through them, deleted a load, and collaged the rest, so it's boiled down to it's over-shot essence! Brian Carrick caught me, at Sandown Park, while I was indisposed to go and find the items myself, and a version of the following conversation took place,

 

B - I've just seen something round the corner which I think you'd be interested in?

 

Me - Oh really, what is it?

 

B - An early-British plastic Ambulance, and stretcher team I haven't seen before, he doesn't want a lot for it?

 

Me - Could you grab it for me, and if it's nice I'll have it?

 

B - Yes, I'll pop-back now, he's only round the corner!

 

Which he kindly did! 

 

Two minutes later, he was back with what we're looking at here, and I quickly said "yes" and sorted him out with the dosh. Conversations ensued, between Brian and myself, and subsequently, with a few other people as they passed through the day, and the general consensus was that it was probably Triang-Minic or Mettoy-Playcraft, with me favouring the former (for the similarity of the wheels), but arguing equally for the latter because of both the big Hospital play set, and the Ward 10 stuff they did?

 

You can see both are covered in those orange-brown smuts you associate with smoker's homes and damp, whether tobacco, coal-fired boilers, or open-fires, and how they look like they go together! I also pointed out to Brain, that the figures were the ones "Blue Box Copied..." in small scale - as seen here;

 

https://smallscaleworld.blogspot.com/2023/08/e-is-for-emergency-empire-or-emson.html

 

The Ambulance, after cleaning, is a Daimler, and there were several toy versions around at the time, it seems to have been one of the commoner chassis used by Ambulance coachworks, before the invention of the long-wheelbase Ford Transit van, in my childhood!

 

There is the slight warping you get with the older Minic's, I think they must have been using a 'styrene-like polymer, which was not as stable as actual polystyrene? The contemporary model trains were polystyrene, and don't warp!

 

Clear marking of Made in England, I'm sure the 'red' crosses are from an old Airfix (or Revell?) version of the Junkers 52 'Aunty Ju', in Swiss airline markings, as used in the filum The Battle of Britain, and seen in both Swiss and German versions, parked-up at Blackbush Airfield, by yours truly, when I was a small boy! So they'll need to be removed! But the 'Ambulance' board, over the windscreen, is original.

 

The wheels were reminiscent of the Tri-Ang stuff we looked at here;

 

https://smallscaleworld.blogspot.com/2018/06/afv-is-for-among-my-favorite-vehicles.html

https://smallscaleworld.blogspot.com/2009/03/t-is-for-triang-minic-part-1-military.html

https://smallscaleworld.blogspot.com/2009/03/t-is-for-triang-minic-part-2-civilian.html

 

And it's now been confirmed to be Tri-Ang Minic, we actually looked at the Mettoy one a while back, which I'd totally forgotten, until preparing this article!

 

https://smallscaleworld.blogspot.com/2016/09/t-is-for-two-toy-ambulances.html

 

Front and back shots!

 

But . . . these aren't the figures copied by Blue Box, I think they ARE Blue Box! When I got them home, and first, put my glasses on, then got out the jeweller's loupe, it became obvious, very quickly, that the stretcher is marked on the underside;

 

Made In Hong Kong, in a nice, neat, rounded, DIN typeface, as found on all sorts of Blue Box (and Redbox) animals and other toys/accessories. Albeit hard to photograph, in white plastic!

 

And, while I haven't found a Blue Box Ambulance in large-scale, yet, nor a medic set with the military figures, the fact that the small-scale versions are Blue Box, means I'd put money on these being so, too. You can see the similarities with the 5mm GI's sculpting as well!

 

And it's almost neater to discover that what we thought Brian had found wasn't quite what it seemed to be, as instead we've box-ticked a Triang niceness (I've since obtained a bag of the military trucks, in addition to those shot on Adrian's stall, or my previous few, as seen in the above links), and added a probable missing brick in the Blue Box wall!

 

All cleaned-up!

 

I managed to find the guy who'd sold it, had a chat, and bought something else from him, but I can't remember what, it might have been the animal transporter, which may get a post of its own, or it may be one of the racing-cars, which will also get a separate post, I think?

Confirmatory shot, from an old Vectis auction, of a shop-stock box of Tri-Ang ambulances, note how the red-cross fitted between the windows, not over them, and the LCC on the doors could be London County Council? Did councils run Ambulances before the NHS Ambulance Service took them over?