Scale Autos

When I think of a Winnebago I visualise an enormous multi-berth self-propelled motorhome, most likely with slide-out rooms, canopies and all the modern luxuries. I was therefore pleasantly surprised when I found Greenlight Collectibles’ Winnebago Travel Trailer, (caravan), dating from 1965. It’s a neat little model in 1:64 scale with a cream body, white ‘W’ logo and stripes. The silver printed window frames replicate what I presume to be aluminiummouldings and the tiny orange marker lights stand out against the cream body. There’s a white roof vent and a hinged cover over the front window. Previous releases of this model included a clip-on canopy supported by a pair of legs, but it’s not included in this version. The trailer sits on a gloss black, single-axle frame, complete with tow hitch and twin gas bottles.

The history of Winnebago, named after the county in Iowa, is interesting. Starting as a community project in 1958, a local businessman persuaded a Californian travel trailer manufacturer, Modernistic Industries, to open a factory there to create jobs. Soon, the whole operation was bought out by local investors and the name changed to Winnebago Industries. Although initially only offering caravans, in 1966 the company produced its first motorhome built on a Ford Chassis, following this up with models on Dodge chassis. Priced at half the cost of competitors’ similar products, the company effectively kick-started the RV hobby and the rest, as they say, is history. Greenlight’s cute model sells for £8.99.