315 European Taxie
General Information
The following information has been collected from original newspapers, catalogs, and magazines, some of which are freely available for reference below. The rest can be found in the site’s gallery. No aggregate catalogs (BrickLink, Brickset, etc.) were used.
Instructions: H-2305
Advertised Part Count(s): 48 pieces
First Year Confirmed Available: 1967 (USA)
All 1967 Model Makers are incredibly hard to track as they were not typically advertised like the larger assortments/models. However, the 315 is even more so difficult as it never appears in Samsonite catalogs or idea books. Given that this set's format is in line with other drawer/sleeve Model Maker sets, that Model Makers released in 1968 only ever have tabbed boxes, and the form number for the set's instructions places it between other sets known to have released in 1967, the 315 had to have released in 1967.
I will return here later for Canadian Model Makers, but as of now I have no indication the 315 released in Canada. This is likely a problem of a lack of sources rather than a reflection of Canada's production/distribution.
Most Likely Retirement Date: 1968 (USA)
Unless other evidence arises, the set might've continued production until 1969. However, the 315 is a bit more rare than other 1967 Model Makers and doesn't appear to have a tabbed box variant. It may have been retired around 1968, hence the lack of the updated box which other 1967 Model Makers got in 1969. That would also explain why it is the only one absent from the 1969 idea book.
Last Year Seen Available: 1971
Greeley Daily Tribune, October 28th, 1971
Aliases: European Taxie, Taxi Set
Retail Price(s): 77c - $2.50 (USA)
Note: Samsonite discontinued listing RRPs for sets in 1967. As a result, Model Maker sets' prices can vary. I've theorized this to be a reason 1968+ Model Makers include a secondary number, you can read about it here.
Rarity Score (Index): 4/7
Known Box/Packing Variants
The 315 is curiously exempt from the 1969 update that changed the drawer/sleeve box to a tabbed box. There is a possibility that a tabbed box variant of the 315 exists, but none have been identified to date.
There may also exist a Canadian variant, though the short lived US life of the set may have influenced Samsonite of Canada when they got around to releasing the set(as the first appearance of Model Makers in Canada I have is in 1969, which is corroborated by all known Canadian Model Maker boxes being tabbed(see here), which is after the US retirement).
Box/Overview
Besides the 1964 Model Maker blister packs, the 315 Taxi is the smallest of the 1967-1971 Model Maker line. Like all sets in the new line, it is not an original Samsonite creation but instead was already a set in Europe.
The 315's box features the same image as present on European versions of the set:
Then the side of the box(notice two patents):
Somehow the '3' in this image got mirrored:
Exclusive to 1967 Model Makers, alternative models are featured on the back with a green background:
Contents
The set contained enough elements to build the taxi model. It should be noted that while European versions of this set were relatively consistent with the number plate matching the box, the Samsonite version used a variable number/letter combination.
Both my examples were most likely purchased at the same time (as they came from the same family and each have a different name written on them), and they both have the same license plate. It at least shows the plate combination wasn't completely randomly chosen, as getting the same number (0-9) and letter (A-Z) combination twice is highly unlikely. Impossibly so when you also factor in Samsonite's variability with LEGO assortments. That isn't to say all examples will be the same either, but I digress.
My example comes with the half size plastic tray. Whether or not all examples had one is up for debate:
Intended Model
As the set fits well into the box with minimal disassembly, it was convenient enough to put together two as an example of the plates:
