The first version Foden trucks were an important part of the new Dinky Supertoys range, introduced by Meccano Ltd in 1947. (See my previous article The Birth of Dinky Supertoys and the First Foden Trucks). These new Supertoys were made in the same scale as the automobiles, so they appeared much more realistic than the previous commercial vehicles, that had been made in a smaller scale, so as to be a similar size as the cars.
Even though they were more expensive, these proved to be popular, and the Supertoys range increased over the years. The first Foden models were based on the Foden DG model of truck, which dated back to pre-war days. While certainly handsome, by the early 1950’s they were quite dated, and Foden had already designed a successor truck: the FG model, introduced in 1947.
(Source: internet search)
Meccano was aware of changing designs, and knew their Foden models were due for an update, so in later 1952, the new, second version Foden models were made available.
(Source: Dinky Toys 1952 catalog)
The newly designed cab had a striking and impressive appearance, which was very recognizable, and also matched many of the commercial trucks then in use in the British Isles. Meccano first cataloged these new Foden trucks in the 1952 Dinky Toys catalog, and they remained in the lineup for most of the 1950’s.
When they were introduced in 1952 they were assigned numbers in the 500 series, which were re-numbered in 1954 to the 900 series. Over time, Meccano replaced most of these with the newer design of the Leyland Octopus trucks.
A closeup of the cab, showing the wonderful detail that is quite visible. But many would likely never look close enough to notice the almost hidden detail lurking behind the silver grill; if you look closely, you will see that the master die makers from Meccano managed to show the vertical tubes of the radiator. How intricate that work must have been, and since it is barely visible, my guess is they did it because they could.
Here is a look at each version:
501/901 Foden Diesel 8‑Wheel Wagon; Made from 1952 through 1957, when it was replaced by the Leyland Octopus Wagon. This was also my very first Foden truck, which I received around 1957. Replaced by the 934 Leyland Octopus Wagon.
502/902 Foden Flat Truck; Made from 1952 through 1960, it was not replaced by a Leyland version.
503/903 Foden Flat Truck with Tailboard; Made from 1952 through 1960, it was also not replaced by a Leyland Octopus version.
504 Foden 14-Ton Tanker; Made from 1952 through 1953; The early version was made without any livery, and only for a couple of years. Pictured below are the plain Foden Tankers in both early and later design. if you look closely, you will see that these both have different wheels. The early one on the right has the older ridged wheels, while on the left, the newer one sports the brand new Supertoys style wheels. Tires were also different: black on the older, then grey on this particular newer one. Another change not apparent in these photos was the axles were changed to a thicker design.
505/905 Foden Flat Truck with Chains; Made 1952 through 1964, when it was replaced by the Leyland Octopus version.
504/941 Foden 14-Ton Tanker ‘Mobilgas’; made 1953 through 1956, eventually superseded by the Regent livery version.
942 Foden 14-Ton Tanker ‘Regent’; made 1955 through 1957, when it was replaced by the Leyland Octopus Tanker ‘Esso’.
