MUNCLE MIKES · CASTING GUIDE
Paddy WagonThe roof is only part of the story
Paddy Wagon has plenty to catch your eye: the tall police-wagon body, exposed engine and gold lettering. When two blue examples look alike, the windshield and underside can tell you more than the paint.
The early blue wagon
Paddy Wagon first appeared in 1970. Early production came from the United States and Hong Kong, with a dark-blue body and plastic roof. Silver and gold roof lettering are documented, along with a brown-painted interior.
The removable top deserves a careful look. Great Getaway set versions sold in Canada and Australia had a different roof treatment, and replacement tops exist. A loose roof that fits neatly is not proof that it left the factory with that particular body.
Later blue cars are different underneath
The 1973–75 Hong Kong version has an unpainted interior and no windshield. Other changes include through-hole wheels and two notches near the front of the base. The grille no longer has the earlier black paint treatment, and the oil-pan detail was simplified. A notch in the rear step is recorded for 1976.
Those changes are worth preserving in a description. A later car with no windshield should not automatically be listed as missing a part. Equally, an early example with damaged glazing should not be explained away as a later variation.
Give the roof its own photograph
Ask for a side view of the lettering and a clear underside picture. If the roof is already off, a photograph of its underside can help with comparison; there is no reason to force a tight or brittle part loose.
Describe chips, worn lettering and replacement parts separately. They affect how the wagon presents on a shelf, but none of them changes its casting identity.
Use the collector encyclopedia to compare other early castings.
