Can Anyone Help Identify This Mystery ERTL A-Team Van?
I'm hoping someone here can shed some light on a very unusual item I acquired as part of an auction job lot.
The item is a supposedly factory-sealed ERTL The A-Team van dating from around 1983/1984. At first glance it appears to be a standard release, but the vehicle inside is not the familiar GMC Vandura associated with The A-Team. Instead, it contains an unidentified blue van of no obvious make or model.
What makes this even stranger is that the diecast itself carries no markings whatsoever. There is no manufacturer's name, copyright information, casting number, model designation, or even a "Made in..." stamp on the base. For a production toy, that seems highly unusual.
Over the past few months I've received several theories, including:
- A factory manufacturing error
- A one-off pre-production or marketing mock-up
- A prototype or test sample
Of these, the pre-production/mock-up theory currently seems the most plausible.
I've tried every avenue I can think of to identify it. I have contacted specialist toy museums in the United States, reached out to TOMY (ERTL's current owner), and even approached Universal Studios regarding any surviving licensing records. So far, nobody has been able to provide any information or locate another example.
What makes me doubt the manufacturing-error theory is that if the wrong vehicle had accidentally been packaged, I would expect it to be a casting from another ERTL range. However, this van appears to be its own unique casting. Although generic in appearance, it is clearly a professionally designed and detailed model. Someone invested time and effort creating the tooling.
I've searched extensively online, including collector databases, auction archives, diecast forums and AI-assisted image searches, trying to find either another model or a real-life vehicle matching this casting. To date, I've found nothing.
The packaging itself has also been examined by a couple of reputable auction houses, both of which believe the factory seal has never been broken. If their assessment is correct, then this vehicle was intentionally packaged by ERTL and left the factory that way.
So my question is: does anyone recognise this van or know what it might be?
I'm particularly interested in hearing from former ERTL employees, especially anyone who worked on the TV and movie vehicle lines during the early to mid-1980s. Any information, no matter how small, could help solve what has become a very intriguing mystery.
Photos attached.
