Eagle Transporter Green

(1st release)

Eagle Transporter.
Version 1 (1st release).

No. 359. Die cast metal model, 22 cm long. Green metal nose cone & fuel pods, white metal pod (detachable using catch button) with opening red plastic doors (hinge open to form steps), red engine bottles and silver nozzles. Side jets yellow plastic, spine moulded white plastic over metal. Legs with spring suspension. Red strips for pod supplied as water decals. This model, and the Freighter, were still in production when Dinky-Meccano went into liquidation in 1980.


The original Dinky Eagle Transporter, note the unapplied decals that could be used to give the pod the 'medical' livery The first issue model has yellow side thrusters and chromed engine bells with red engines. The 2nd issue transporter has red thrusters and unpainted metal engines with red plastic engine bells. There are various colours of the four small plastic windows in the top of the transporter pod - some are clear, some orange, and some red as in the example above. The centre transporter pod is removeable and can be interchanged with the nuclear container pod on the #360 Eagle Freighter - this has given rise to 'fake' variations in models, most notably is the 'all-white' Eagle Transporter which is made from a white transporter pod fitted to the white body of the (rarer) white Eagle 360 Freighter. I have seen several of these boxed and for sale as 'rare' all-white issues, and although they do look very nice, this is not how they left the factory. Apparantly Dinky thought that children would find a white model rather boring, so they painted them in the metallic bright colours instead.