Benbros Mighty Midgets
Nos.43-48 Bedford Articulated Lorry Cabs
In 1957 Benbros added a range of Articulated Trucks to the Mighty Midget series forming numbers 43 to 48. All the models had interchangeable cab units based on Bedford 'S' type tractor vehicles.
The models were small scale and not unlike the early Lesney Bedfords (Matchbox No.27a) but can be told apart by the silver-trimmed fuel tank which the Benbros version did not have.
Hollow cast in one piece, the Bedford Cabs also had 'Benbros' inside the roof with 'Made in England' and 'Qualitoy' under the chassis. The axles were fitted directly to the body and all types were used, flat-head, round-head and one batch of nail-head & crimped with black plastic wheels.
To start with Benbros used unpainted metal wheels (umw) but these were later replaced by black plastic ones (bpw), some colours having both. The wheel type on the cab was always uniform with the wheels on the various trailer units of each model. There was also a very rare silver plastic wheel cab in pale blue which was issued with No.44 Low Loader and No.45 Timber Lorry.
Bedford Cabs were painted in a variety of colours with the early yellow ones being painted underneath as well but all other colours had unpainted undersides. Apart from red trim applied to the dark-yellow version, all the Bedfords had silver trim added to grille, bumper and headlights. The only exception was a late dark-red cab which had gold trim and which was issued with No.48 Flat Truck with Chains..
Some articulated models such as No.46 Petrol Tanker were issued with just one cab colour but most had more than one. The cab/trailer colour combinations listed here for each model are the most commonly found but with a wide range of colours available, Benbros often changed them..
Collecting Bedford cabs is interesting because of the range of colours, wheels and axle types and because there is the possibility of discovering a previously unknown combination.
Variation 1 : yellow, umw
Benbros No.43-48 Bedford Cabs
Variations
(1) YELLOW, SILVER trim, umw, r-h axles
(2) YELLOW, RED trim, umw, f-h axles
(3) ORANGE, silver trim, umw, r-h axles
(4) RED, silver trim, umw, f-h axles
(5) GREEN, silver trim, UNPAINTED METAL w, r-h axles
(6) PALE-BLUE, silver trim, UNPAINTED mw, r-h axles
(7) PALE-BLUE, silver trim, BLACK PLASTIC w, f-h axles
(8) PALE BLUE, silver trim, SILVER PLASTIC w
(9) GREEN, silver trim, BLACK PLASTIC w, r-h axles
(10) BEIGE, silver trim, bpw, f-h/r-h axles
(11) DARK-RED, silver trim, bpw, f-h/r-h/n-h axles
(12) DARK-RED, GOLD trim, bpw, n-h axles
(13) MID-BLUE, silver trim, bpw, f-h axles
(14) YELLOW, silver trim, bpw, r-h axles
Axle types
f-h = flat-head r-h = round-head n-h = nail-head
(2) yellow, umw, red trim
(3) orange, umw
(4) red, umw
(5) green, umw
(7) pale-blue, bpw
(9) green, bpw
(10) beige, bpw
(11) dark-red, bpw
(12) dark-red, gold trim, bpw
(13) mid-blue, bpw
(14) yellow, bpw
Bedford Cabs : painted/unpainted undersides, umw/bpw
round-head (l) & nail-head (r) axles