Benbros Qualitoys
224 Articulated Petrol Lorry
Dating from 1947 as one of the original Timpo Toys models, Benbros re-issued the Articulated Petrol Tanker without change except to the wheels. Timpo did not include id. on either the cab or trailer so there was nothing to blank out. Benbros called it 'Articulator Petrol Lorry'.
The cab was the same as that used on other articulated Qualitoys and could be coloured red (various shades), orange, green or pale green with silver trim on the front bumper, grille, and sometimes on the headlights. Early models had all-metal wheels painted black but fairly soon they were replaced by painted 6-bolt metal in yellow, red, orange, green or blue with black tyres.
The tanker trailer was a solid one-piece hollow casting painted inside and out onto which the axle was directly clipped. An internal cylinder at the front provided the coupling method.
As with the cab, wheels were all-metal painted black to start with but most trailers had painted metal wheels with black tyres. The colours of the trailer wheels were often different from those on the cabs.
Benbros produced several variations of the trailer using different colours and decals. The green variations seem to have been unadorned but the red trailers had either 'United Dairies' or 'Shell' decals, and the yellow and metallic green trailers carried an 'Esso' decal. The was only one applied to each model and it could be on either side although the left side was more usual.
No.224 Articluated Petrol Lorry shared two types of multi-model boxes with other numbered models, the first with large pictures on the sides, the second a yellow box with various models illustrated and given name and number, the only reference there is to numbers (see Qualitoys Petrol Tanker). The red end-flaps carried the Benbros Qualitoys 'crest' and at one end a blank panel for the model name to be added.
The Articulated Tanker is quite scarce and good examples with undamaged decals are rare.
New
Variation 2: Green cab, red trailer, 'United Dairies' decal on left side, black pmw
Benbros Qualitoys 224 Articulated Petrol Lorry
Variations
All models were sold in multi-model 'Qualitoy' boxes
1) RED cab GREEN trailer no decal BLACK all-metal wheels
2) GREEN cab RED trailer 'UNITED DAIRIES' decal BLACK all-metal wheels
3) GREEN cab RED trailer 'UNITED DAIRIES' decal coloured pmw/black tyres
4) RED or ORANGE cab GREEN trailer no decal coloured pmw/black tyres
5) RED or ORANGE cab YELLOW trailer 'ESSO' decal coloured pmw/black tyres
6) RED cab METALLIC GREEN trailer 'ESSO' decal coloured pmw/black tyres
7) GREEN cab RED trailer 'SHELL' decal coloured pmw/black tyres
Variation 5: Red cab, yellow trailer, 'Esso' decal on left side, painted 6-bolt metal wheels
photos David Elliott
Variation 6: Red cab, metallic green trailer, 'Esso' decal on right side, painted metal wheels
Variation 6 with type 2 box showing id.stamp on end-flap
