Cream of The Man From U.N.C.L.E crop

Thanks to my friend Andi in Kneitlingen, Germany, I have finally managed to acquire a cream Oldsmobile Man From U.N.C.L.E car. He is particularly expert at spotting interesting items in groups of several models. This was in with a curious selection of pretty dreadful-looking things - a Fiat 1800, Ferrari Berlinetta really badly repainted and two Minis that were almost unrecognisable Corgis, a Maserati missing several parts and a couple of reasonably good blue Mercedes-Benz 350SLs.

At just 40 Euros, though, this lot was cheap and the other items were much of a bonus, really. So he kept the two Mercedes and another item and sent me the Oldsmobile and three or four wrecks.

Now, I knew these cream versions were hard to come by. Almost every one I have encountered during the last year or two has been a repainted blue one! they are quite cheap and easy to find and, of course, cream is easy to do. A glance at Toymart's price guide shows just how expensive these are.

QDT also list a few they have sold recently and they're all between £900 and £1400. OK, that's with an original box and everything is more or less immaculate but the prices seem to hold up even without the box or the Waverley ring. This one is probably in good C grade condition so could be worth well into three figures! That's quite a pleasant surprise.

Now I have to decide whether to get a reproduction box and a ring. It might be worthwhile.

Now, just for fun, let's take a look at the other items.

Here's the Fiat 1800. It doesn't look too bad in the photo but the paintwork really is rough and like orange peel all over. It's turning white now.

The Ferrari is a mess but, again, somehow looks OK in this picture. I like the white colour but it could be a lot better finished and that's now under way.

Even the Mini looks vaguely OK here. But it really isn't. At first it was a bit of a mystery with four fog lamps, cast wheels and the front bumper extension.

Once the paint had been removed it was clear. It was a 339 model with the roof rack holes filled! Luckily, I have a spare roof rack that someone supplied me in error when I had ordered one for the Austin Countryman (which has a slightly different holes and profile) so now I can put that to good use. I don't have any cast spare wheels though so I may have to find something else to go in the rack!

I don't do 'restorations' and always try to pick a new colour for a model I have to respray. I had some white left so that should do nicely. I have some transfers too which may not be strictly accurate but it should come out looking a lot smarter and, hopefully, not drooping at the rear either!

I have also been spraying a Ghia but I did promise not to write about them for a while so you'll have to wait. No it isn't white! Although it would look good in white.

Andi has now found another group that includes another item on my wanted list! This looks a much trickier operation to ensure we don't spend too much and finish up with a pile of stuff we don't really want. If it comes off then you'll read about that here and there may be some bargain originals for sale in a few days - at least the extra items are not from the repainters' shop this time!

The difference between models I really really want and those I guess I ought to have

And so the 'Wanted List' gets smaller each week. Several recent additions have brought it down to just four, in terms of base model types.

202 Morris Cowley
242 Ghia Fiat 600 Jolly
349 Morris Mini Minor 'Pop Art'
430 Bermuda Taxi

I know I can get a Morris easily - I just don't want to pay a silly price for a reasonably decent one. I do have the M version but keep missing out on the normal ones.

I'm really not bothered about the little yellow Fiat Jolly, which nearly always seems to go for heavy prices as well. I will get one eventually, hopefully as a lucky find. The other car I'm not terribly fond of is the Ford Thunderbird Bermuda Taxi with its silly plastic roof affair and driver. I've just realised that both cars I have left till nearly last have roofs with tassles that wouldn't last five minutes with my driving in this country! Oh well. I am slightly more inclined towards the Bermuda Taxi as it is, after all a nice Ford Thunderbird and, in non-taxi form it is one of my favourites. They're not uncommon and not even expensive. I just want one with the roof and without damage. Many have broken screens and scratches which look bad on the white paint.

Then there's the (slightly annoying) Mini. I say 'slightly annoying' because it seems to have become the one model everyone identifies as 'rare' and whilst yes, it is, I just feel the prices people ask are crazy. There's been one from the States for sale at about £200 for ages, but it has scratches and a badly broken rear window. There are quite a few restorations around as well, as lots of individuals realise that they can paint an old mini, put cast wheels on it, add jewels and some stickers and get more than they'll get for most other restorations other than a Batmobile or Green Hornet with a very modest outlay. I have accepted the likelihood that it will be the last I do tick off the list so there we go. Hmph.

There is a fifth, I should add:

412 Bedford Utilecon ambulance Type II

Strictly speaking it's a variation and I have a 412 but that single window really does make it a different model for me, despite the number not changing. Yes, I have got that restored version but I can't really count that! In many ways this old Bedford is the one I am really trying to find as opposed to just casually hoping to find. Every day I search new listings for one. There is an old, very crappy example for sale but it comes with a pile of ancient and reasonable-looking Dinky Toys and there's a high reserve on the lot too from what I can tell. So unless that changes I won't be getting that one but it was satisfying, in a way, to see there really is one.

The other items that I am also genuinely making an effort to track down almost every day include:

210 Citroen DS19 in green and black
217 Fiat 1800 in blue and dark blue
241 Ghia L6.4 in silver-blue
246 Chrysler Imperial in Kingfisher blue
253 Mercedes-Benz 220SE Coupe in metallic cerise
300 Austin Healey in blue
300 Austin Healey in red
301 Triumph TR2 in cream
302 MGA in red
303 Mercedes-Benz 300SL open in blue with white interior
303S Mercedes-Benz 300SL open white with blue or brown interior
303S Mercedes-Benz 300SL open blue with yellow interior
304S Mercedes-Benz 300SL hard top white with red roof
310 Chevrolet Sting Ray in bronze
332 Lancia Flavia Zagato in metallic green
497 The Man From UNCLE Oldsmobile in white

Those in italics are particularly difficult to find and I just hope I have some spare funds when I do encounter any as, unlike the others, they may only appear very occasionally. (There is a 246 in blue at the time of writing but it's £600! There are limits to what I can manage!) The others, like the Citroen and Fiat, for instance, are quite common but I am just holding out for a nice example at the right price.

There are a few others as well, including things like Mustangs with normal wheels, Land Rovers with cast wheels and some Whizzwheel variations, the only three I really look for being the Jaguar E Type 4.2 in red (most are yellow), a metallic purple Toyota 2000GT and the Mini Marcos in blue. There are other shades and models with cast wheels but they're the ones I don't mind paying for!

If anyone happens across any of these on their travels, do let me know. If you would like a number, send me an email and I'll reply with a mobile you can text and I might get you to buy something for me.

Corgi Toy 1967-68 Catalogue

The word mazak appears in The Corgi Story on the first page. I missed that at the time and I had to look it up when I discovered it on the base on some models a few weeks ago. The main focus now is on some big models - in size as well as fame. The cover has the ridiculously big Lincoln Continental which I never actually wanted at the time and only now keep in stock with some reluctance. It is simply too big and looks crazy with the other models as I illustrated in a previous article.

Joining the TV and Film fame set are a couple of new Bond cars, the silver #270 Aston, now with a slightly reshaped rear end to look a little more like the DB5 it should have been and a Toyota 2000GT. Both these are still 'available later' and it is the gold one that remains on sale when the catalogue is issued. Batman's Batmobile has a boat attachment and then there's some Green Hornet affair. I do not remember either the car or the TV series or film it was associated with and still don't have much of a clue, I'm afraid, nor examples of either in stock. They seem to command extremely high prices for such a common model.

Completing the 'fame' models on the first few pages of this catalogue are The Man From U.N.C.L.E's Thrush Buster, The Avengers Gift Set 40 and, looking quite sad now in comparison, The Saint's Volvo P1800. (The Volvo, though, will continue to be available long after some of the others disappear!)

The new 'normal' model is the Jaguar E Type 2+2, oddly illustrated in dark pink in the catalogue but mercifully released initially in the red as in a drawing or in a very nice metallic blue. This was another 'big' model, though, in comparison to most. Not as bad as the Lincoln but you still had to keep the #307 and #335 E types away from each other.

In the 'Available Later' category in 1967 were the Austin Mini Countryman (interestingly, without surfer or roofrack!), the Lancia Fulvia Zagato (illustrated in gold) and the Citroen Le Dandy Coupé and MGC GT in blue and white. I have never seen the MGC GT in those colours and the Citroen is very rare in two-tone.

The Kits have disappeared but there are several Racing Sets and combinations now. 

The Daktari Land Rover is illustrated in white, not the green it actually appears in - the white being issued later as the Lions of Longleat set.

Whilst #9022 Daimler was 'Available Later' in the 1966 catalogue, #9021 Daimler is now 'Available Later' in this one. Odd.

Cast wheels appear on #339 Mini Cooper and #264 Oldsmobile Toronado. Many of the newer illustrations are now very realistic and I am sure most of photographs with some post-processing effects - like the speed lines on the axles of the competition cars.Some old stagers are still clearly drawn, however, and re-used for yet another year!