Toy Car Scale Comparison. Matchbox "Ocean Works" 5-Pack Vehicles: Deep Diver, Ground Breaker, Ford F-Series Truck, Tilt 'n' Tip, Excavator

A quintet of comparisons today.  This is the Matchbox "Ocean Works" 5-Pack. It is #3 of the 2018 5-packs.

Many of these packs are filled with cars that are clearly not HO-compatible but at only $5 I find them a worthwhile purchase if even 2 look HO-possible.  Let's have a closer look and see how this pack stacks up.

Model: Deep Diver

Model #: MB891

Produced: 2013 to Present

Matchbox doesn't always provide a scale, but it calls this 1/64.  That is odd, because the drivers seat inside (which I found impossible to photograph) looks absolutely perfect for HO scale.  No one would call this a notably useful vehicle for the HO modeler, but the size is perfect and detail is good, making it an excellent possibility for truck or flatcar load. 

Model: Ground Breaker

Model #: MB707/MB948 

Produced: 2007 to Present 

The size of the drivers seat suggests that this is a smidge on the small size, but it is redeemed by the fact that bulldozers come in many sizes.  Generic in design, but I could see it looking great on a layout, especially with some paint touchup.   This is also one of the easiest Matchbox construction vehicles to find, having been released in a whopping 19 versions in the past 11 years!

Model: Ford F-Series Truck

Model #'s: MB499/MB581/MB870

Produced: 2001 to Present 

This was the truck that I was most interested in of the whole lot.  Matchbox lists it as 1/79 (almost perfect for OO scale) which is probably accurate for an F-150 pickup.  If however, one considers it to be the larger F-350 or F-550 models it looks perfectly sized for HO scale. The boat launch piece is a bit limiting, however the nice side detail means that it might well be worth popping that bit off and using it as a contractors truck.  An identical vehicle with a dump bed instead of a boat launch was sold from 2000-2005 as "Dump/Utility Truck"

Model: Tilt 'n' Tip

Model #'s: MB1008

Produced: 2016 to Present

This truck annoys me.  Its perfectly sized for an HO dump or refuse truck but the design is a silly futuristic fantasy.  So, if you're working on a sci-fi layout, this could be just the thing.   This one is going to get set aside and someday it might get a different cab or I may pop the dump onto a more era-appropriate truck.

Model Excavator (aka Atlas Excavator )
Model # MB32/MB032
Produced 1981 to present.

A charming little digger. This sizes well for a small excavator.  This is an interesting case in that it was made every year from 1981-2000 and then was unavailable for nearly two decades until this year.  The bucket is now immobile (formerly it could rotate) but it's still a good vehicle and it well might end up mounted on a flat car in my Amtrak maintenance of way train. 

So, all-in we have a good result for "Ocean Works". A very nice Ford, a couple of useful construction vehicles and a fun option for a load (submarine), leaving only one relatively useless vehicle.  Not bad for $5!  If you like this selection I recommend checking your local toy shop soon.  2019 is nearly upon us and then there will be a new selection of 5-packs.