April 1959 brought a second Mercedes model to the toy shop shelves, #304. It is the 303 chassis with the interior element and screen removed and a hardtop with windows fitted instead.
Most of these models were a creamy-yellow colour with a bright red hard top. There are all yellow examples out there, however, and these command quite a significantly higher price.
I believe they all have smooth, fixed wheels.
It was a long-lasting model, getting a strange form of suspension a couple of years later in 1961 - but no interior throughout its life. It was never as popular as the open roadster 303 model, always seeming a bit basic but nonetheless, an attractive and well-made casting.
The second release in April 1959 was something quite different; an American Jeep FC-150 Pick-up truck issued as #409. All were in pale blue or a slightly darker shade with a tin hook and these were not supplied with a canopy. The grille is painted red. Still no interior on Corgi models.
It is an odd model. Firstly, I do not know how you are supposed to replace a tyre on the spare wheel if it ever gets worn. Secondly, it appears to have been manufactured quite differently from all the models issued to date. The door outlines are proud of the main surface whereas all other models have them engraved into the body. Underneath, too, the construction looks quite different to other models. Maybe another chap took over that part of the process for a while.
The Jeep may not have been the most exciting model but it lasted a long time and the casting was to be used in a wide variety of ways right up until the last release in 1968. It certainly seems to cause a great deal of confusion with sellers often advertising one version as another but, as far as I am aware, there was only one colour #409 (allowing for shades). It can be found with shaped wheels and these are not uncommon. I would also imagine that there could be a free spinning wheel version as this remained until the mid-1960s. That would be a pretty nice find, though.
The third item for this month is another use for the Bedford S cab, now pulling a Mobilgas branded tanker unit, Corgi Majors catalogue number 1110. This can be found with either fixed smooth or fixed shaped wheels but that is the only variation I am aware of. It was quite a good seller and the rear section lasts for ages, getting attached to a very odd-looking later Bedford TK cab in 1965!
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