2/12/20 47/100 Combine Harvester

In addition to bringing back little used castings, like the previous MB Trac, Matchbox also brought back some of the vintage Lesney castings for another run like this Combine Harvester.  Matchbox has made plenty of them and this version dates back to the 1970’s with a front wheel that spins when moved across the floor thanks to slots in the shovel that allow the edges of the wheel to contact the ground, thus creating movement, and the output shaft on the roof that swivels in 360 degree fashion.  The rest of the casting uses a simple metal body with no base, black disc wheels with smaller units at the rear, and a nice green color with yellow rotating parts with corn cob shown on the sides.  Simple, yet very effective with lots of play value and since then the combine harvester has not changed much, including operation that involves the grain getting cut off from the front wheels before being fed into the auger to transport the grain to the conveyor towards the threshing drum.  As the drum spins it separates the grain from the straw, sending the grain to the bottom to be collected inside of a drum, while the straw goes up to a conveyer belt to the outlet pipe for use in hay.  The powertrain is similar to a tractor with turbodiesel I-4 and a 4-speed manual, later to hydraulic CVT transmissions to vary the speed of the machine.  This is a very simple and functional casting from Matchbox that can still be in use today if the casting was still around.

Specifications:

· Engine: Turbodiesel I-4 est.

· Transmission: 4-speed manual.

· 0-60 mph: Limited to 5 mph.

· Real vehicle price: #100,000 est. 1975

Rating:  3.5 out of 5 stars