Battle of Britain Ground Crew Support Set

Manufactured by 'Leddo' to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain back in 1990 against model No. BB1003. This was a brand of die cast toys, founded in 1982 by Matchbox co-founder Jack Odell and Burt Russell and they produced diecast vehicles in Enfield, England from 1983 to 1999. The name was created by the founder by a reversal of his Odell's surname, a mnemonic device from when he served in WWII in the African desert and he used it then to avoid forgetting his wireless call sign! The company, like so many, could not however compete against low cost producers in the Far East and 'Lledo' went bankrupt in 1999 and Jack Odell died 2007. The demise of his 'Lledo' range saw the end of die cast manufacturing here in the UK or for that matter in Europe.

The three models in this set carry the 'Days Gone' range sub branding which was launched in 1983. The models are a Refuelling Bowser, a Balloon Barrage Tender and a Mobile Airfield Workshop Tender, that enabled the ground crew to bring the repair facilities to the fighters they were charged with maintaining. They are made in a scale that varied according to the model but they are in the range of 1:50 / 1:64 but are generally classified as about 1:60. Finished in RAF blue they are all finely detailed and remain in excellent condition despite being 20 years old. What makes this set stand out from the crowd is that as well as the internal display box it also comes with the original external card posting box that has a label with the address 250, Southampton, S09 7YG and a postage paid stamp. Whist these sets still turn up quite frequently this is the only example we have seen with the full packaging included. The boxes show evidence of minor age wear but generally reflect the models themselves, that appear never to have been played with.

Modestly prices but clearly never to be repeated so grab this set whilst you can!