Benbros Mighty Midgets

No.45 Articulated Timber Lorry

At first sight, Benbros Mighty Midget No.45 Articulated Timber Lorry looked much like the second version of No.44 Low Loader and there were similarities but it was in fact a new casting. It also had a load in the form of a wooden dowel which was a simple way to improve the play value. It always had a Bedford cab which could be in a variety of colours.

Unlike its predesessor, there were not many changes to the Timber Lorry except for variations to the trailer floor. The first version of the trailer was a one-piece casting with a smooth load-bed floor and two low cradles on which the log rested. The wheels were unpainted metal on flat-or round-head & crimped axles. As with most other Benbros articulated models, there was no identification on the trailer

This first variation of the trailer was issued in two colours, beige (usually with a green cab) and blue (usually with a red cab). The blue version had a dark-blue underside. With the Bedford cab, the whole model measured about 62mm in length.

It wasn't long before Benbros made a second casting of the trailer, this time with a ribbed load-bed floor. This was coloured blue like the first version (some with darker blue underside), had metal wheels and a log dowel and it was made brighter by often being coupled to a dark-yellow cab which had unusual red trim.

Another variation of the ribbed trailer was coloured a rich yellow, had unpainted metal wheels, and the usual log dowel. This colour seems to have been sold with a red Bedford cab.

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To continue the colour variations, Benbros next painted the trailer dark-red and coupled it to a green cab with both cab and trailer having metal wheels on flat-head and crimped axles. 

The red trailer coincided with the switch to black plastic wheels and became the standard colour although there was a small run of beige trailers with black plastic wheels.

The final version of No.45 trailer was also red but fitted with silver plastic wheels which were rare for Benbros. It came with a pale-blue Bedford cab with similar wheels.

No.45 Articulated Timber Lorry is not too hard to find although some variations are scarce and the first two issues with the smooth floor and the last one with silver plastic wheels are rare. 

Variation 2 : blue trailer with smooth floor, umw, red cab

Variation 3 : blue trailer with ribbed floor, umw, yellow cab with red trim

Blue trailers : ribbed floor (left), smooth floor (right)

No.45 Articulated Timber Lorry

Trailer variations (with usual cab colour)

All models had a wooden dowel and Mighty Midget boxes

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(1) BEIGE            smooth floor   umw    green cab

(2) BLUE             smooth floor   umw     red cab

(3) BLUE              ribbed floor    umw     yellow cab (red trim)

(4) YELLOW        ribbed floor    umw     dark-red cab

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(5) DARK-RED    ribbed floor     umw    yellow or green cab

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(6) DARK-RED    ribbed floor     bpw     beige or green cab

(7) BEIGE            ribbed floor     bpw     red cab

(8) DARK-RED    ribbed floor     spw      pale-blue cab (spw)

Variation 4 : yellow trailer, umw, dark-red cab

Variation 6 : dark-red trailer, bpw, green cab

Benbros No.45 : some colour variations of ribbed trailers

Cab & trailer coupling system

Blue underside colours : 

smooth-floored trailer (left), ribbed trailer (right)