1975 Hess Box Truck

1975

1975 Hess Box Truck w/3 Oil Barrels
(No Hess label on barrels)

Original Cost:  $1.99
Manufactured:  500,000

The truck is a newly designed cab and box trailer. It comes with three small oil barrels with no labels.  Note the unique sliding doors on each side of the trailer, rear doors that open and close, and working headlights and taillights operated by a switch underneath the trailer. This truck had a one-piece cab. (The cab and fenders are one piece.) This is the first non-split window truck in the Hess line. Also, the 1975 Box Truck was made of a lighter color green plastic than the 1976.

There were 4 versions of the 1975 Hess Truck which can be seen on the front part of the trucks trailer and underneath.

  • Version #1 has the candy canes on the front of the trailer with the small writing underneath that says “AMERADA HESS CORPORATION MADE IN HONG KONG”.
  • Version #2 has the candy canes on the front of the trailer with the large writing underneath that says “AMERADA HESS COPRRATION MADE IN HONG KONG”.
  • Version #3 has the 7s on the front of the  trailer with the small writing underneath that says “AMERADA HESS CORPORATION MADE IN HONG KONG”.
  • Version #4 has the 7s on the front of the trailer with the large writing underneath that says “AMERADA HESS COPRRATION MADE IN HONG KONG”.

On the versions with the large writing underneath the trailer part of the truck you will notice that the “O” is missing in CORPORATION. This design was purposely done due to lack of space (see pic).

SMALL WRITING VARIATION UNDER TRAILER (see pic below)

LARGE WRITING VARIATION UNDER TRAILER – Notice the “O” missing in CORPORATION for space (see pic below)

 

Candy Cane & 7s on Front of Box Trailer Versions

Just recently found on the front end of the trailer are what can be described as 2 small inverted “candy canes (see pic below).

Also just recently found on the front end of the trailer are what can be described as looking like two #7s (see pic below).

 

 

There were two types of barrels that were shipped with these trucks. First were barrels with 4 rings around them and second there were barrels with 5 rings around them. The 5-ring barrels had an extra ring close to the bottom ring on one end (see pic below).

 

 

The most significant variation of the 1975 Hess truck was “Made in the USA.”

This rare truck was actually the first run produced in the USA by the Marx Toy Company in Glen Dale VA. The 1975 Hess truck actually started to be designed in 1972. This is not odd as all of the Hess trucks take years to design. There are several differences in this truck from the common trucks that were made in Hong Kong. Here are the differences between the two:

  • A) The tires do not say Hess on them.
  • B) It does not have paper labels on the trailer; it has a painted white stripe with real decals (see pic below).
  • C) The battery card is completely different in looks and wording (see pic below).
  • D) The battery compartment does not say, “battery compartment” on the outside.
  • E) The smoke stack on the cab attaches to both the cab and the red base, as it did with the early tanker.
  • F) The Box has “Made in USA” on the end, and is both longer & taller than the common box (see pic below).
  • G) The Box has an oval “Caution” sticker affixed to it (see pic below).  THIS TRUCK IS EXTREAMELY RARE!!

 

Here are some pictures of this gem that are rarely seen!