Those are really classic. I have some, too, but of some newer Matchbox models....and not all of them are the same scale....so not all of mine are really "copies"...

Take, for example, this pair:

The big "copy" is by Lucky Toys, and it's a "pull-back" or "friction motor" self-propelled toy. It could be said it's not a copy since the inspiration/1:1 is a real thing and might be configured the same way in different parts of the country, different cities....but come on....it's a COPY of the Matchbox original....

I mean, look at THIS:

pretty copy-cattish if you ask me...

Then there's this one, one of my favorites:

Budgie in the middle (and it's not a "Foamite"-equipped Salamander, but rather the Canadian Pyrene variant), but the granddaddy is by NFIC (Hong Kong), and if I had the original ladders and plug-in suction tubes, it would be most definitely an exact COPY of the Matchbox original, except blown up in the "Honey I enlarged the kids" movie genre... don't know why I grabbed the bare Matchbox, other than it's one of the MIB with accessories still on sprue I've been hoarding...

I'm sure I have some that are the same size/scale as their Matchbox inspiration somewhere....

I always enjoy seeing those old Blue Box Matchbox regular wheels copies - have a number of them in my collection. Blair - thanks for sharing that one with the Land Rover - not the first time either that a copy has been made in a larger scale!

I have ran across some of the same things in the past. I remember seeing a play set at a dollar store with the vintage MB Jaguar copies in plastic. Three different colors and I should have bought it...



I also seen plastic copies of this Jag...

This is such a fun thread. Thanks for all of the posts, Guys!

I think you mean the Jaguar XK 140 No.32a from Matchbox



In fact, you would have better bought the Hong Kong copies





Jörg

Here's another one with ONE plastic (larger, again) copy of a classic Matchbox No. 9 Merryweather Marquis III (and a Fun Ho from NZ):


Matchbox No. 9:


Empress/NFIC (Hong Kong)

But remember, the Empress/NFIC is quite a bit larger than the others (ref pic uno)....

Daimler ambulances got their share of loving too:

Also an Empress/NFIC ambulance, with Matchbox and an unknown almost-slushmold smaller copy. Again, when is a copy not a copy of a toy? The ambulances existed in the real 1:1 world, so any toy maker could make a replica of an existing 1:1 and/or say that's what they did. But then those copycats go and copy the deco, too....sheesh!

I couldn't find my lone Matchbox London cab (the original black one?), but this Empress/NFIC ambulance, the Merryweather No. 9 copy above, and a blue/white London cab came in a 10¢ variety-store plastic bag that had never been opened since the likely early 60s when it would have been found at any number of 'five and dime' stores in most downtowns. I opened it, against my preservationist instinct, to take the photos of the models. I re-used the same staples (simpler times...they stapled the folded header card to the baggie's open end and hung it on a peg) in the original holes in the card, but if ever sold, will confess it's been opened once in 60 years....for pictures (the seller didn't open it....the baggie is clear enough to get good group pics for an auction).

Ooh, ooh, I sorta did a same-size magic trick photo of the individual models where they appear almost the same size:


well....almost....I did say "almost"...


The Empress model didn't include the raised "AMBULANCE" lettering....so that makes it even less of a copy...of the toy, that is.

This (logically) happened with other brands, too. I have copies of Maisto's diehard generic fire engine (the blobby thing with unrealistic everything...) (but not in plastic....rather PLASTER!), and a group of 4 different scales by different manufacturers of the Dinky #555 Commer fire appliance (a tiny one in plastic....3 diecast metal).

I also have "graphite" sculpts of the more recent Matchbox Dennis Sabre, Lledo's (later Corgi) Dennis F8, and then various copies of Oxford's Dennis F12 pump-escapes.....or just releases in two or more different scales by same company....way off the topic....

This is/was a great thread and fun. If I find more pics of any copies in my collection, I'll be back with them.

But it is even smaller, on the right Fun H0, on the left Polythene miniatures



Jörg

Here is my share:







The next ones are probably off-topic - not 100% plastic, but neither diecast, so I will call them... half-topic:

The blue Ford station wagon and trailer is awesome! Had not seen that set before.