Matchbox is releasing a toy version of the King's Gold State Coach to celebrate the coronation. The diecast model is a 1:64 replica of the 261-year-old carriage.
The tiny coach will measure 23cm and feature figures of the King and Camilla sitting inside. It will also include eight horses, which are used in real life to pull the four-tonne carriage.
The decision to make a toy coach takes inspiration from the company's history. Seventy years ago diecasting business Lesney sold more than one million 11.8cm coaches ahead of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation in 1953. The success of the toy led Lesney to fund the launch of the popular Matchbox brand.
Giles Chapman, author of Britain’s Toy Car Wars, said of the original coach: “It was the forerunner to the phenomenally successful Matchbox 1-75 series launched in 1953 that put toy cars and trucks into the eager hands of all children, not just those lucky enough to have wealthy parents. The little coach was the blockbuster product that started it all.”
Matchbox creators visited the Royal Mews to take photos of the coach. They also viewed hours of archive footage of it, the eight Windsor Grey horses and its four coachmen so they could produce a detailed replica.
Designing the model took four months and saw the team use old design practices as well as new ones including 3d scanners to capture the form of the horses and riders from the original Lesney model. Prototype parts were made using 3D printing.
The 2023 Matchbox Gold State Coach will be available until May 18. It will be made to order from mattelcreations.com and costs £60.
