Franklin Mint released these in 1992 or 1993 and I jumped at the chance to get one. I was searching an auction site for an unrelated truck and found this with an incredible buy it now price. There is a small area of chipping on the sleeper roof, otherwise it\'s in excellent condition.

At first glance the rig reminded me of those Matchbox Collectibles heavy commercials 1/58 scale KS series ones that came out about the same time. Nice rig.

Here\'s the Franklin Mint 32nd scale and the matchbox 58th scale Peterbilts side by side. The matchbox version is a 359 second generation from 1975 or about, and the Franklin Mint is a 379 from about 1990 more or less. Quite a difference in size between the two, and detail from the Franklin Mint truck is much higher. Lots of opening parts and fine details that couldn\'t be done in 58th scale at the time the Matchbox was released. Nowadays, the detail that Franklin Mint did in 32nd scale can be found in 64th scale.

Very nice examples of the same model in different scales. I do notice that the Matchbox has the exhaust further back on the sleeper than the Franklin. Is that a year difference or is it incorrect for the truck. Just wondering? I always thought that the pipes came up right behind the cab. At least that is what I see here on the highways in BC. Hey, I am off to Kelowna later this week and should take my camera and get you some local livery\'s for your trucks. I will see what I can find.

There is a difference in both year and model with these two. Peterbilt has had several design changes over the years, yet have kept the classic long hood that began with the model 350 in 1948 through the current model 389. The green Matchbox is a model 359, second generation with the \"high cab\" or \"big window\" cab that was released in 1975. The 359 was replaced by the 379 in 1986 and featured a gently sloping hood, more noticeable on the short 119 inch model than on the long 127 inch model featured on the Franklin Mint version. Matchbox has made several very nice diecast Peterbilts in the line over the years, my favorite being the model 334 in 50th scale, and the 90th scale 334 is also an excellent example. The Hartoy 260 is a great casting in 64th scale, sold under the American Highway Legends line, and the Franklin Mint 334 is fantastic in 32nd scale. I\'ll be posting pics of the Franklin Mint 334 in a couple days, I have one on the table, and another that I have to photograph when I dig it out of storage. I\'ve added a pic of one of the Hartoy Peterbilt 260s, a Hersheys Chocolate version. Hartoy got a lot of mileage out of the 260, using it in several liveries and truck bodies, a tanker, the box truck pictured, an open body stake truck, and a tractor trailer.

Yes, Jim I would love some pics of Canadian liveries! The Canadian rigs differ from the US rigs, even though most are made by the same manufacturers.