To bring you up-to-date with the Corgi Model Club issues, I have just received the Oldsmobile Super 88 #235. This is a super version, very well reproduced and, whilst I notice that some people have been unsure about the colour, I find it pretty much identical to my original.
As always with the Club issues, the detail is far more accurate than Corgi could have achieved in the 1960s. I think someone does need to have a word with the Chinese, though, about the wheels which have never looked quite right on all the 'shaped wheel' models. You'd think that getting the profile right would have been relatively easy compared to all the bits that they have matched perfectly.
I have always been a fan of this very simple model that has no special features but was great to play with a reliable in that it didn't have anything to go wrong. I only had the metallic silver-blue model myself and was delighted to find this colour many decades later!
Last month we had another use of the Impala casting, this time in Police Patrol finish. Again, it is a lovely version and just like my original.
The second edition Impalas have also been a favourite of mine and I am always on the look-out for the saloon and taxi editions with cast wheels, considerably scarcer than the shaped wheels which are themselves not that easy to find as production of the originals was very short. The Police and Fire editions, however, did last rather longer and in those cases it is the shaped wheel editions that are less common.
Two months ago saw the arrival of another use of the Mini casting.
The RAC International Rally edition #333 is reproduced in its later 'Morris' badged form with cast wheels. The axle ends are a little big, I feel. As always, the detail is super but those plastic 'jewels' are simply not 'jewels' and let things down a bit.
We get a fortunately peelable label across the ends of a 225 Austin Seven box, reflecting well what was on the shelves at the time of the original issue.
Another favourite - there are so many interesting variations of the Mini-Cooper (never mind the Minis generally!) - so this group has been nice to receive and briefly review.
I wrote about the previous issue - the #276 Oldsmobile Toronado some time ago. The next models due to come our way are as follows:
- #224 Bentley Continental in black over silver
- #803 Yellow Submarine (red hatch edition)
- #436 Citroen Safari ID19
- #266 Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
- #406 Land Rover in yellow with black cab roof
- #492 VW European Police Car (Dutch export edition in white)
- #107 Bat Boat & Trailer (incl. connector piece)
- #334 BMC Mini-Cooper Manifique in green
I detect a considerable amount of influence on production by those fans of TV/Film-related issues! I guess that's also where the profits are with a wider audience than just those of us happy with fairly 'normal' vehicles. This particular group has no really new issues other than the Yellow Submarine, Chitty Chitty and the Bat Boat which must have meant a good saving on production costs, especially with the Bentley, Citroen, VW and Mini which required merely some fresh paint and a decal or two.
These also follow, as I am sure you will have noticed, three models that are re-workings of a previous release in each case.
I continue to receive these models but only now keep one or two of particular interest. I have several of the releases over the last few months available should anyone wish to have these at not a great deal more than cost price, including some matt black Batmobiles which will be more expensive although not as much as some seem to go for on Ebay at the moment.
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