Changes: Police Patrol

Revision as of 21:55, 7 November 2019

Police Patrol
Debut Series	Mainline (Rolamatic)
Produced	1975 - 1985
Number	MB20
Scale	1:61

Replaced: Lamborghini Marzal Replaced by: Volvo Container Truck (1986)

Police Patrol was another new for 1975 model produced for a long time with many various colour schemes. It was based on a Range Rover. It was a Rolamatic, too, the working feature being the rotating light inside the dome ('gumball light' in the U.S.A.). The frosted windows where there to hide the lack of an interior, which was taken up by gears used to make the light turn. Pre-production models had the light's flat face plated with chrome, but production models did not have this feature as it made it harder to see the light working. Although some realism was lost in the effort made to make the light spin, it soldiered on for 11 years.

Comparison of two sticker variations - note the different letter sizes.

The first examples where white with an orange stripe label along the side to make it look like a generic U.K. police car. The base and grille went unpainted and the 'interior' was orange or sometimes yellow, a strange choice considering British police vehicles usually had blue lights. It appeared in the Construction Site gift set in 1976 in orange with a 'Site Engineer' sticker on the doors. It also appeared briefly in the Two-Pack range as a military ambulance coloured olive drab with a Red Cross label on either side.

A model was made in 1981 exclusive to France to commemorate the Paris-Dakar Rally. This example was mid-blue with a yellow label saying 'Securite - Rallye Paris - Dakar 81'. It was one of just three models exclusive to France, the others being the Holden Pickup and Ambulance (1977), which were also Paris-Dakar themed.

Further into 1981 Police Patrol had a change of livery. It remained white for the European market but with a black chassis, blue 'interior' and a new side label with red and yellow stripes over a checkerboard pattern. The U.S.A. received a blue and white model with 'County Sheriff' decals. These were later given a tampo-printed bonnet star and a blue roof. As not many County Sheriffs went about their business in costly, imported Range Rovers, the model was dropped in America in 1983 and replaced with the Jeep 4x4.

In Europe, Police Patrol was given another new look in 1983 as another Paris Dakar security vehicle, this time in metallic beige with a red 'interior'. This wasn't exclusive to France, though, and the car remained in this livery until its European demise in 1985. This was not the end though, as it was still made for Japan in black and white Tokyo Police colours with Japanese lettering on the doors and a stylised chrysanthemum on the bonnet.

The Police Patrol is known in some lists as the Range Rover Police Patrol, not surprising as it is based on a Range Rover.

Versions

Police Patrol was issued in the following "1/62 scale" versions:

Col #	Year	Series	Color	Tampo	Base Colour / Type	Window Color	Roof Light Colour	Wheel Type	Country	Notes / Variations
MB20	1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980		White	Orange stripe with Black POLICE	Unpainted / Metal	Clear Frosted	Orange		England
TP-112	1976	Two Pack	Olive Green	POLICE	Unpainted/ Metal	Smoke	Orange	Black	England
TP-12	1976	2-Pack	Olive Drab	Ambulance	Unpainted / Metal	Clear Frosted	Orange	Black	England
G-13	1976	Gift set: Construction set	Orange	Site Engineer	Unpainted/ Metal	Clear Frosted	Orange		England
G-13	1976	Gift set: Construction set	White	Site Engineer	Unpainted/ Metal	Clear Frosted	Orange		England	Recolor
MB20	1981	1-75 Superfast	White	POLICE	Black/ Metal	Smoke	Blue		England
MB20	1981 (USA)	1-75 Superfast	White & blue	County Sheriff	Unpainted/ Metal	Clear Frosted	Blue		England
MB20	1982	1-75: Superfast	Metallic Brown	020, Blue Roof, SECURITE-RALLYE PARIS-DAKKAR 83	Black/ Metal	Smoke	Red		England	ROW Edit
MB20	1983	1-75	Blue	SECURITE-RALLYE PARIS-DAKAR 81 deco	Unpainted/ Metal	Smoke	Orange		England	France only
MB20	1984	1-75: Superfast	Beige	SECURITE-RALLYE PARIS-DAKKAR 83	Black/ Metal	Smoke	Red		England	ROW Edit
MB8	1984	Matchbox	White	Black stripe, Japanese lettering tampo	Black/ Metal	Clear Frosted	Red		England	Japanese Editing

@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 |years=1975 - 1985
 |designer=
-|image=Police_Patrol_(MP).jpeg|scale = 1:62}}'''Replaced: [[Lamborghini Marzal]] Replaced by: [[Volvo Container Truck]] (1986)'''
+|image=Police_Patrol_(MP).jpeg|scale = 1:61}}'''Replaced: [[Lamborghini Marzal]] Replaced by: [[Volvo Container Truck]] (1986)'''
 '''Police Patrol''' was another new for 1975 model produced for a long time with many various colour schemes. It was based on a Range Rover. It was a [[Rolamatic]], too, the working feature being the rotating light inside the dome ('gumball light' in the U.S.A.). The frosted windows where there to hide the lack of an interior, which was taken up by gears used to make the light turn. Pre-production models had the light's flat face plated with chrome, but production models did not have this feature as it made it harder to see the light working. Although some realism was lost in the effort made to make the light spin, it soldiered on for 11 years.