TOY FIT FOR A KING

Matchbox recreates iconic Gold State Coach model for coronation

Forget about that Matchbox 70th anniversary Jaguar D-Type you were going to buy; the diecast toy maker has produced a specialedition version of its 1:64 Gold State Coach model for tonight’s coronation of King Charles III.

The coach is NZ$120 (£60 in old money) and “strictly produced to order” until May 18.

It’s more than just a coronation novelty. This is the fourth iteration of the coach; the original was pretty much responsible for funding Matchbox in the first place.

For the 1951 Festival of Britain, Lesney wanted to produce a scale model of the Gold State Coach.

Shortages of zinc meant very few of the 400mm coach were produced, but the casting was resurrected when King

George VI died and Queen Elizabeth II’s 1953 coronation was imminent.

Just a few hundred were produced when the makers noted the casting still included the figures of the late King and heir to the throne, Elizabeth. The King’s figure was unceremoniously cut off at the knees. After 33,000 examples, a smaller 118mm version was created in 1953. More than one million were sold to mark the coronation and it was instrumental in establishing the Matchbox brand.

Designers used hundreds of images taken by Julian Payne, senior manager of Matchbox Product Design, during a visit to the Royal Mews, and footage of royal celebrations. Scanners captured the form of the horses and riders from the original Lesney model.

Detail includes “tampo printed” reins on the horses, rolling wheels with a front turning axle, windows — a first for a Matchbox Coronation Coach — and inside, metal figures of King Charles III and the Queen.

The real coach has featured in every coronation since King George V’s in 1821.