Toy Car Scale Comparison: Matchbox "Food Truck" MB999
A common sight in the city and job sites, Matchbox is currently offering a model of a large food truck.
Model Name: Food Truck
Model # MB999 (MB899 for earlier versions)
Years Produced: 2014-2018
I was initially skeptical of this truck. It just looked a bit big.
However, looking at pictures of actual prototypes it turns out that the body is perfectly sized.
An exception is the wheels which are not only too large, but also of a slightly off-road style that isn't quite suitable for the type of vehicle. The quick solution to this is just to black out the rims (or perhaps just the outer silver ring) of the wheels to make them draw the eye less, but it'd also be easy to swap them for a simpler and slightly smaller matchbox wheelset.
One last drawback of this truck that must be mentioned is that the food side is on the street side. I've found a few pictures of North American food trucks configured this way, but the vast majority have the food display on the opposite side.
Don't be too put off by the wheels and food side, however, as there are some great things about this truck. The interior and exterior are nicely detailed. Sizable skylights (true to prototype) make it worthwhile to paint the interior. The front bumper/grill is a part of the interior mold and can easily be painted a contrasting color to the body.
The "current" 2018 version is painted as an ice cream truck, and has nice chrome frame. The earlier 2017 version -which I found in a shop last month- is more practically painted as a "Worksite" food truck. Despite the unrealistic yellow windows and frame, all the food items molded on the body are nicely painted!
My plan is to use the body and interior from the Blue version with the chrome frame and clear windows of the ice cream truck version. I'll probably also black out the wheels and possibly swap them out.
However you decide to use this vehicle, it's model with alot of possibilities. It's a very practical inclusion for a contemporary layout in an urban setting or on any layout which includes enough industry to support a mobile food business. As with all 2018 matchbox, I recommend getting one as soon as possible. The 2019 models have just started appearing in stores so this nifty truck will be disappearing soon.
-Karl
Model Name: Food Truck
Model # MB999 (MB899 for earlier versions)
Years Produced: 2014-2018
I was initially skeptical of this truck. It just looked a bit big.
However, looking at pictures of actual prototypes it turns out that the body is perfectly sized.
An exception is the wheels which are not only too large, but also of a slightly off-road style that isn't quite suitable for the type of vehicle. The quick solution to this is just to black out the rims (or perhaps just the outer silver ring) of the wheels to make them draw the eye less, but it'd also be easy to swap them for a simpler and slightly smaller matchbox wheelset.
One last drawback of this truck that must be mentioned is that the food side is on the street side. I've found a few pictures of North American food trucks configured this way, but the vast majority have the food display on the opposite side.
Don't be too put off by the wheels and food side, however, as there are some great things about this truck. The interior and exterior are nicely detailed. Sizable skylights (true to prototype) make it worthwhile to paint the interior. The front bumper/grill is a part of the interior mold and can easily be painted a contrasting color to the body.
The "current" 2018 version is painted as an ice cream truck, and has nice chrome frame. The earlier 2017 version -which I found in a shop last month- is more practically painted as a "Worksite" food truck. Despite the unrealistic yellow windows and frame, all the food items molded on the body are nicely painted!
My plan is to use the body and interior from the Blue version with the chrome frame and clear windows of the ice cream truck version. I'll probably also black out the wheels and possibly swap them out.
However you decide to use this vehicle, it's model with alot of possibilities. It's a very practical inclusion for a contemporary layout in an urban setting or on any layout which includes enough industry to support a mobile food business. As with all 2018 matchbox, I recommend getting one as soon as possible. The 2019 models have just started appearing in stores so this nifty truck will be disappearing soon.
-Karl
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