Description
Here is nice example of one of Corgi’s earliest Gift Sets, the RAF Land Rover towing a Thunderbird Missile on a trolley in Gift Set 3.
This is a particularly early one with the Land Rover having smooth wheels and handles at the rear, missing in later editions. It is in good condition with few signs of playwear but there is a flaw in the paintwork on one side resulting in an area appearing unpainted. The windows are all clean and clear, good tyres and shiny wheels and the base is very clean, free of rust and intact.
The missile is the silver one and has had what I believe is a replacement cone. The original cones have now nearly all disintegrated, the material used not being of a very permanent nature, often appearing to have melted like wax. It sits on a trolley and neither appears to have any wear and the retaining clip is in place and works well.
The Land Rover canopy, I think, may have been repainted as the finish is not smooth. However, it may just be how the canopy has aged and it is all original after all.
What makes this item particularly worth buying is the fact that it has a scarce original box. Now this is not complete, with clear signs of ageing, but it looks pretty good none the less. The two remaining end flaps explain how to attach the missile and also show that the tow bar can be removed from one end of the trolley and re-attached to the other, as was the case for the real trolley used to transport this missile.
Other than some fading, the 64-year-old box is clean and makes a good display.
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