Corgi Model Club Mini Magnifique again

 

The Corgi Model Club issued another Mini 'Magnifique' recently, this time in metallic green and with wide bands on the sliding roof.

It always struck me as a remarkably sold model, bearing in mind how many things opened or moved, and the Club edition has that same feeling of strength, with a high quality finish, inside and out.

The axle ends, as for the blue one, of course, look a bit large but not big enough to be hub caps and just look slightly odd. This is the case with several Club models.

Both the box and the certificate indicate that this is a different model to the blue edition issued in late 2023.

The blurb on the reverse of the Certificate reminds us that the first Mini had been issued in 1960 and remarks that this model had disappointing sales. The 237,000 that I have seen as recorded sales does not seem too bad, pretty much on par with many other models released in 1969 and 1970, if one ignores the favourites like police cars and racing cars. It was actually not issued until December 1968 so a withdrawal in 1970 would imply this model being available for dealers over a rather shorter period than two years, in which case the sales were not that bad. Indeed, they were four times the figures for the Monkeemobile. Read into that what you will!

It is a nice addition to the Model Club collection and might spice up interest in collectors now looking for the original in the many forms I discussed in a previous article.

2³ Magnifque variations

 

An update on future Corgi Model Club issues:

It looks like the green #334 Mini will have the wider stripes. For many collectors, I suspect this will be the first they knew about there being two versions of the sliding roof. However, I have to admit to learning for the first time that their blue issue with a silver steering wheel and green one with a gold steering wheel reflect the different components in the original.

Despite my passion for 'variations' in the original models, I have tended not to be too concerned to date with the colour of a steering wheel. This one is a little interesting, though, so now I need to establish whether each colour can have each colour of steering wheel. I have already established that there are both green and blue models with each type of sliding roof. If there is no correlation between colour, roof and steering wheel (and I have no reason to think there should be) then we'll have 2³ different models, that's 8 in plain English, to find! Oh dear!

Back in Model Club land, the models I will be adding to my collection will be the silver grille #270 which, although not marked as a 'member's only' edition was announced as such originally, with the plebs only getting the gold-coloured grille on an order from the shop. I am wondering now whether both might, in fact, be sold via the shop? I shall also get the MGA, suitably clad in Reform Party colours, as I quite like these 'different' models. (OK, I know that all the Club issues are different in one way or another - I am referring here to a totally new colour).

The Aston Martin could be worth getting for the packaging alone, especially if the printer switches to a matt ink (I assume it is the ink that has to change or is it the card's coating?)

Update on Corgi Model Club issue plans

 Here are the next few months' models, as proposed by the Club:

492		VW 1200 European Police Car (Dutch edition)
107		Batboat + Trailer
334		BMC Mini Magnifique (green)
430		Bermuda Taxi
348		Ford Mustang Flower Power
1126		Ecurie Ecosse Racing Car Transporter
270		James Bond's Aston Martin (silver grille)
270		James Bond's Aston Martin (gold grille)
233		Heinkel Economy Car
248		Chevrolet Impala

and here are two further issues to be added to the list:

268 The Green Hornet's 'Black Beauty'

416 RAC Radio Rescue Land Rover

The earliest dates that anyone will have received the #406 Land Rover in yellow with a black roof will have been mid-June so add a month for each row and that'll give you an idea of the when you should see these first appear.

So there may be some lucky people getting an Ecurie Ecosse Racing Car Transporter for Christmas!

With the Batboat will be the device issued originally to connect to the first issue of the Batmobile, fitting over the flame-thrower at the back. These devices are very hard to find as originals as you can imagine how easily they can get lost so expect sales for this little boat to soar. It will, of course, also attach as normal to the second issue which is also available from the Corgi Store.

The two silver Aston Martins are expected to be issued at the same time in January, members getting the one with a silver grille and the other version being available for anyone to buy from the Club Store. As for the matt black Batmobile, expect to see several appear at high prices for the member editions as they will be in comparatively short supply, certainly at first. The matt black Batmobile still sells quite easily at £100.

The Mini will be a green edition of the blue one issued in November 2023. I rather suspect that it will be no more than a fresh coat of paint at the factory with the sliding roof remaining with narrow bars and not the wider variety, so you'll still have to search for an original of that one!

The Dutch edition of the VW Police Car is all white and a good-looking model that is hard to find and usually expensive if you do. It's a model I have never had myself so I won't be able to do a side by side comparison. It will, no doubt, be just the May 2023 issue with different paint and decals.

The Bermuda Taxi will be the November 2021 issue with some fresh paint, a change of driver and a funny roof. That could be a useful addition as many collectors will have lost the driver and roof from the original or may even need the roof for a Ghia Jolly. There appear to be two different drivers for the Thunderbird in its Bermuda Taxi guise so it will be interesting to see which survives through to 2025.

The little 'Bubble' car was issued in a few colours: red, shades of mostly pale lilac, metallic blue and orange with either fixed smooth wheels or free spinning cast wheels. I have only seen the orange edition with both types, the other colours having only the fixed smooth type. I wonder what the model club will provide us with? 

I am a big fan of the coffee and cream Impala so look forward to that one. The Club are certainly making the most out of the split casting but one can hardly blame them. I just hope the price reflects the fact that they have had a lot less work to pay for in its production (although I would be delighted if they changed the wheels for some cast ones). In contrast, however, the Ecurie Ecosse Transporter, their first Corgi Major, will have cost a veritable fortune, even in Chinese yuan. So that's not going to be cheap but perhaps by charging the 'normal' £30 or so for the Impala and some other relatively cheap variations the price of the Transporter will be reasonable. Needless to say, I see it being extremely popular and is typical of a model which many of my generation will have had on their Christmas lists for a few years but not received.

There are many variations of that model too but these are early days. There will be some previews in a while but my money is on the darker shade of metallic blue with yellow lettering and a lemon interior. As for the extent of silver paint around the front, I have no idea and can hardly recall the different editions as I write! My guess is that the precise silver paintwork will be like none of the originals at all.

Update 5 July:

I have just noticed two more proposed issues that I have now added to the text above.

Black Beauty is probably one I shall not be too concerned with although I can see it will be poplar amongst the Film and TV-related model collectors, especially if the grille stays closed!

The Land Rover casting gets another outing with what appears to be the early edition of the RAC Radio Rescue Truck. Now, will it have a headboard? Smooth wheels or will we finally get to see some fixed shaped wheels? A clean and well-shaped tin canopy will be useful to replace a worn one, or more often missing) on an original!

New arrivals last month

I am pleased to have available another all original Gift Set 40 for The Avengers. Apart from the brollies. The outer box is missing a small flap but is otherwise good and with little damage.

Acquired for a friend, this Fiat 1800 in mustard was thought by the seller to have been a repaint! It's actually one of the best examples of this harder to find colour that I've seen.

The Mustang with a red stripe on the sills is quite scarce. Someone with a red felt tip pen can make a pretty good effort at replicating it but this one is genuine.

  

Again something acquired for a friend, the little blue Mini Magnifique looks lovely when it has all its paint and chrome intact. This one is also the edition with a wider bands on the  sliding roof section. From my observations, the narrow bands are the far more common.

Another late edition Citroen with fog lamps in the casting but also another with poor paintwork. This also has the free-spinning shaped wheels, the model being one of only a few which can be found with all three of the earlier types of wheel - smooth fixed, shaped fixed and the free-spinning type.

The scarce Whizzwheels Rover does look glorious in its deep purple finish but the paint seems to chip off so easily that examples like this one are really few and far between. I have some others in stock but all have a chunk of paint missing at some place or another which does spoil the overall appearance considerably. This one, however, is the first I've seen outside auction web sites with no damage at all. 

A VW Military Personnel Carrier came along in really bad condition so it got the same treatment as an International Truck did earlier last month. This one isn't finished, though. The flowers around the headlights need more definition and I've just noticed that the interior has not been fitted correctly.

Another wreck got the white paint treatment but I decided against covering this one with flowers and just added transfers instead.