Well, a big thank you to James who's put his up on ebay! It's not cheap but it does represent a fabulous addition to anyones collection doesn't it?
If you look back at my PP-4000 suggestions I did write how adamant I was that the Silver Vette and New Police Car were supposed to feature in a Powertrack Plus set.
I also possess a pair of 12v throttles with the U-turn facility, but I was unsure whether Dapol had made this modification or Matchbox had.
Well now we know! By way of explanation comes this excellent PP-6000, which not only includes my predictions but also a few surprises. No, there is not my much anticipated crossroads but instead there is a single y-junction!
The concept is brilliant, it creates a siding for our Cop car to lay in wait. However, in practice the cars have to slow to negotiate the curve and accelerate to enter the dead end and effectively crash into the barrier. Hmm, you might think you reverse into the siding but that would mean you were going too slow and hence go round the bend.
No matter, look at the box art! So dramatic and exciting again. The artist who does these images is a class apart and clearly is distinguished in his field. As a graphics guy myself I can vouch for his talent and if anyone can tell me more about this illustrator or his work I would love to hear from you.
The PP-6000 is billed as Race & Chase 2, which is a slight surprise but clearly Matchbox thought Race & Chase was a strong brand too. For the life of me I never saw any of these sets in the shops, at exhibitions, in Catalogues or on ebay (until now) but James assures me he bought it on ebay not too long ago and has fixed it. It had been a lane down owing to a faulty terminal track which he has replaced.
The inclusion of the single Y junction is a limitation to the set layout and Matchbox had one obvious exclusion to the sets layouts (see below).
Other than that this is a class piece of kit. As I say, it's not cheap but I would say it is very rare. If anyone else has seen one of these (in the shops back in 81-82) please let me know.
PP-6000 Comprised:
1 x Police Car
1 x Corvette Stingray
1 x Terminal Track 9" (12v)
1 x Topple Bridge 9"
1 x Y Junction (RH) 15"
1 x 6" Straight
2 x 15" Straight
3 x 9" Straight
4 x 90 degree curve (9")
5(?) x Crash barriers
2 x 12v Hand Controllers with U-turn switches
1 x 12v (16-18v!!) Transformer
5 x Track aprons (no ends)
Bridge supports
Sticker Sheet
Retail price - unknown
