The miniature motor company was founded in 1953. It was inspired by a co-worker Jack Odell, who used to create hand-made tiny steamrollers for his daughter. This was because of the school rule that students can only bring toys which can fit inside a matchbox. By 1965, Matchbox was creating dozens of highly-detailed miniatures. Creating these miniatures was a very intensive process. A British Pathe film from the Hackney, London plant also showed where these miniatures were made in 1965.
This film takes us through the full process of creating a new Matchbox model. From designing to prototyping, to mass production. The process of creating a model is similar to creating a real-life car. The only difference is that the size is shrunk down to 1:87 scale. Watch this video to see how these Matchbox models were created.
