Some interesting Corgis

 

A couple of interesting Corgis arrived this week. Firstly this delightful VW1300 Corgi Driving School car in really lovely condition. The blue paint on these is very prone to chips and even a strong draught can take it off if you're not careful!

The interesting bit is that this has the base with 1200 on it whereas the vast majority of models you'll find have a raised plate with replacement text including 1300 as the second illustration below shows.

The '1200' version is quite scarce so I shall hang on to it as part of my own collection unless someone persuades me to part with it for a vast sum. The early issue in April 1974, when it was #400, may have used the base that would have been around from the #373 and #383 production (although a silver base was not a common feature amongst those issues and this is substantially different). I am not convinced about that, though, and just reckon that this was the first base produced for the model and, for some reason best known to Corgi, it got changed to 1300 pretty soon afterwards. Maybe someone noticed that the box read 1300 and they had to make a quick adjustment!!

I would love to get the German version (or any other if there are any?) some time if anyone over the Channel can help. Incidentally, I am pretty sure the German edition is still Right Hand Drive!! That's a little surprising as they took the trouble to produce two versions of #256 despite there actually only being one version of the East African Rally Car! And I am sure #492 must have been Left Hand Drive?

The next one is an old favourite, although this one does look a little worse for (play)wear.

I find these #248 Impalas difficult to resist. they just look tremendous when they're in top condition, the colours so Corgi and 70s (although it was issued in the 60s, I know.) The thing about this one is, of course, the cast wheels. The model was not available for very long anyway, not much more than a year, and the cast wheel version seems to be particularly scarcer than the shaped wheel version.

Even with chips here and there, this is still quite a valuable model.

Lastly, I don't know what to make of this Triumph Herald. You can see straightaway that the bonnet has a different shade of gold to the body. I hadn't seen that in the photos published by the seller which were not very clear and it was not mentioned in the description. So when it arrived I queried this but I'm still waiting for a reply. The chap said he'd think about it.

There is absolutely no sign of the model being tampered with underneath. These are phenomenally difficult to put together anyway and this one is original in that the two rivets are untouched. The base is the same colour as the main part of the model. I can understand that the bonnet could have been painted at a different time to the body and so it is possible, I suppose, that there was a change in paint supply and this model got an unfortunate combination of one and the other. That being the case I would have expected to have seen a few of these over the years but I haven't.

Neither this being all original nor someone somehow being able to paint just the bonnet without some paint going somewhere it shouldn't around the engine or hinge areas in particular seem likely, yet one, presumably has to be the case.

It only cost me a few pounds so I am not worried too much. If it is some after-sales work by someone then the chap can have it back as I wouldn't want to sell it or keep it. If it is original, though, then I'll keep it as one of those oddities that I have so many of!

On the subject of Triumph Heralds, what I am trying to locate is one of these in white and gold (ideally the same shade throughout!) but with shaped wheels rather than smooth. They appear from time to time but they're definitely not very common. Similarly, I'd like the blue and white one with smooth wheels if that exists. Maybe it doesn't.

These re the sort of things that make Corgis forever interesting.

Batmobile - members' edition

Members of the Corgi Model Club, that is, who get (or will get when they eventually reach this release) this very nice matt black edition.

This was the first model issued in October 1966. The story goes that Corgi management saw the real car on display about 6 months later and when they saw it was gloss black they hurriedly changed production. Although a good few would have been sold in matt black, originals command a very high price. They'll now be joined by this model which, like the 'less shiny' James Bond Aston Martin the Club issued before switching to a new paint finish, will doubtless be advertised for substantial prices.

As you'll probably have had enough of Batmobiles for this year and maybe next year as well, I'll let the pictures do the talking.

The box will be unique to this edition, as will the Certificate of Authenticity and I don't recall getting this reproduction of an advertisement with the first gloss Club issue.

As you may have gathered from a previous article, I am selling the whole of my personal Club collection, including the original Ice Cream Vans (different codes and design on the boxes) but not including this matt edition or the less shiny Aston Martin. I'll hang on to those as I believe they will be a couple of models that will be good investments. The original Ice Cream Van should be too but I'll let that go.

If anyone is interested get in touch. I am looking only to cover the cost of acquisition of the 45 (or maybe 46, I lost count) models. At the moment my series ends with the Oldsmobile Toronado. I also have several duplicate early models for sale individually at moreorless what they cost me.

Corgi Toys @ 60: By Repeated Requests . . , really?

 

It's November 1964 and, yes, it's probably raining in England and almost certainly raining at the Corgi factory in Wales. But is that enough reason to add By Repeated Requests beneath 'Operating Windscreen Wipers' on this month's new issue 60 years ago? No, I don't believe a word of it! Not once amongst my pals did I hear anyone think out loud that it would be really cool to have windscreen wipers on their Corgi Toys.

We liked things that opened, especially doors and boots where we could put things. Working windscreen wipers, however, were what we got. Well, an approximation to working windscreen wipers, in the form of two hemispheres of clear plastic with a black line representing the blade on each, which rotated back and forth inside the from screen. Great for clearing the condensation and I could do with something like that on a cold morning on my car now!

Joking aside, the mechanism was a typical piece of super Corgi engineering, with a nice cog on the rear axle turning a shaft that ran the length of the model to produce a 'to and fro' movement for the 'wipers'. It could be switched off on the base so it was not necessary to have them working all the time and very fast driving with them on did have the potential to jam the mechanism. Having said that, I don't recall ever encountering a model where they didn't work. Not bad after all this time.

The Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman was a pretty impressive model on its own. Corgi really could have sold it well without the wipers. The car was big, for a start and had the most gorgeous deep maroon finish (when first issued) and chrome galore. Really nice shiny chrome which not only provided shiny grille and bumpers but also went the length of the sills and wheel arches too.

It also had nice opening windows at the back - they slid up and down. I think this was the first time I had seen this type.

As you can see from the illustrations here, there were two very distinct shades to this model #247. The dark maroon was, I believe, the earliest and this gave way to more of a metallic crimson later in production.

Despite its lovely appearance, though, this was not a model that we played with a great deal. Once we'd finished showing mum and dad the working windscreen wipers, this was not a car to drive around our layouts. It was pretty good in a straight line but almost impossible to turn round corners with its fixed rear wheels.

The suspension was always lovely and it did look wonderful parked outside a Bayko house or in the Service Station.

The other November 1964 issue was the third Model T Ford to be issued in the Corgi Classics series. This time the model gets a hood as well as a coat of bright blue paint and it comes with an old chap to start the car, bent in a position to turn the starting handle.

I have always felt slightly sorry for the old chap who looks pretty tired and, unlike so many other Corgi characters, never gets a chance to sit in the drivers seat or do anything else.

The model itself appears identical to the yellow and black models from earlier in the year, other than the hood and not having any driver or passenger.

These Classics were very well-made and detailed but not that popular in comparison to the more familiar range of Corgis. These were models to put on a shelf, not play with, and would have had appealed to a very different market which didn't really exist in great numbers at that time. The whole range can be purchased now, in boxes and as new, for a few pounds apiece. Nevertheless, there are some varieties to look out for. Different wheel colours and a different finish to the side lights.

The Gift Sets 6 and 25 we can afford

 

Gift Set 6

I often get asked questions about Corgi Toys and they also give me something to share with the other collectors who read these articles from time to time. Writing it all down also saves me from having to remember every detail as all I have to do to find it again is use the little search bar to the right (if you're using a computer screen or laptop) or goodness only knows where if you using a smartphone.

This latest query was a fairly simple one but which nevertheless surprised me when I looked into it a bit more closely. "What's the difference between Gift Set 6 and Gift set 25?" asked Mr Horrocks. Let me state quickly that he was talking about the Breakdown Truck and Racing Car sets, not the wonderful and wonderfully expensive Rocket Age Gift Set nor the even more wonderful and hugely more expensive Garage Set! No, these more recent two we can just about afford on a good day.

The first, Gift Set 6, was issued in October 1967. It was withdrawn from dealer's lists in 1969.

The Breakdown Truck was the same VW Truck as had been issued in December 1966 but now gets a fresh coat of white paint, a lemon interior and 'Racing Club' stickers on the doors. The boxed #490 did not, at this time, have any stickers on the doors and the green-beige models all had a red interior. (Later Trucks did get cast wheels and 'Breakdown' stickers.) As far as I can tell, however, all the Gift Set 6 trucks had shaped wheels and lemon interiors.

On the red trailer was a standard Cooper-Maserati model #156 which may or may not have more than one wheel in gold. Most examples had four bare metal 8-spoke cast wheels but quite a few had a few gold-coloured wheels. One or two sets might feature one where someone had managed to find four gold wheels but they're few and far between.

The little red trailer had tiny cast wheels. I have not seen any with the older style smooth wheels in this set.

Then in April 1970, presumably once stock of the old one had been used up, Corgi come out with Gift Set 25 which is basically the same set but with a Cooper-Maserati on the trailer.

Gift Set 25

The only other difference appears to be the #490 Truck now gets cast wheels. However, most of the trucks now seem to have red interiors, with lemon being the scarcer.

Unfortunately, because it is so simple to swap models around, it may well be the case that you find all sorts of combinations of models in each set but it is my view that the original sets would have been as described. Much as I would like to list a truck with a lemon interior as scarce for Gift Set 6 and one with a lemon interior as less common for Gift Set 25, you will appreciate why I don't.

The red trailer appears to be the same in each set, and I think it must be the same as that provided with Gift Set 12, the Grand Prix Racing set in December 1968. However, in the Lotus Racing Gift Set 37, issued in August 1966, early sets appear to have a trailer with smooth wheels. It would seem entirely possible, therefore for early Gift Set 6 examples to have trailers with smooth wheels. I also recall the early trailers as having smooth tracks whereas the later ones, and all I have seen other than in Gift Set 37, have a hatched pattern.

Keep your Mark X in the shade!

I saw this Jaguar Mk X for sale last week and rushed to buy it, offering far more than the initial bid which the seller gladly accepted. Amongst all the many colours I have of the #238 model, I didn't have a silver one with a lemon interior!

It had a few signs of wear but was generally pretty good and I looked forward to adding yet another variation to my collection.

When it arrived, though, yes, you guessed . . . it was just a cerise model which had been left out in teh sun for a few years!

It is quite remarkable how that particular paint finish fades. I had had a model some time ago that was light cerise on one side and dark cerise on the other but this is quite extraordinary, with only the paint inside the boot, under the bonnet and along the inner edges of the sills underneath retaining their original colour.

I shall have to ensure I keep this one, which is still a nice shade of cerise, under wraps!

I remember the first one I had as a child was a strange solid slightly pale green colour which I felt never suited the car. When I had a little of my own income from mowing people's grass or some farm work a year or two later this was one that I replaced with the much nicer cerise version. It was only 50 years later that I realised just how many other colours this model was produced with. I wish I had asked the toy shop man to look in some of the other boxes he had at the time!

 

Chalet repairs

 

This delightful 'Motel' is one that Corgi built for sales personnel to show to dealers to promote sales of the #611 Kit. (I understand that they also created all the other kits too for the same reason.) I was very fortunate to acquire this very same item, as you will see from my photo below of the box I have. 

It was sold by Vectis in their Ron Slyder Collection way back in 2007 and made £240 then, or more like £300 by the time fees and delivery would have been added.

Over time the Motel sign and a tiny bottle have gone missing, and maybe a second glass. (I need to check on that). Otherwise, however, it is complete and looks stunning.

In the illustrations of the model on the box there is a yellow Jaguar 2.4 so I have added one of mine here.

This was purchased a few days ago by a Japanese collector but, on its way to Heathrow to the agent who would transfer it on, it became damaged. Rough handling caused two of the railings at the top to come adrift and the drainpipe at one end to come off.

The was also a loose edge to one wall but the most awkward damage was to the parasol with the pole breaking. I could not see how it could be possible to re-join that very fine pole. The parasol itself comes off freely but still this would be the most delicate of repairs to undertake and beyond my ability.

This work was not beyond the amazing powers of Olga Savina-Hill, however, a remarkable artist in her own right and capable of quite extraordinarily detailed work that would normally require the patience of several saints. She kindly helped me with this task and today delivered the chalet looking like new. She even got the stairs working so that when you lift a panel on the roof the stairs drop down, which I had not attempted to test before.

I have, of course, refunded the man from Japan and will now re-list this. Maybe he will buy it again (at a big discount after all the trouble) or maybe it will stay available for a while. I am happy to keep this as it is a very attractive item to display. I don't really need this particular special one, though, and would be quite happy with another that someone has put together. They are really not easy to find, though, and I would be very surprised if I ever find the bottles and glasses - these are minute little pieces of clear plastic which will so easily get lost forever.

There are complete kits for sale from time to time and I had one for sale a year or so ago. Again, there aren't many, however, and, in any event, I do not want to open a pristine kit and attempt to make one myself. I might consider stealing the bottle and glass(es), though.

On the subject of kits, I would very much like to get all the items needed for the Silverstone Set. For that I need everything but for the Garage Set I have everything except the Batley garages. I have nice mats for both too. I also have the two phone boxes, beautifully painted by Olga too. If I do ever manage to get the items needed in ready made-up form then I can't imagine that I would ever sell them. These are things that any money I do make from the business will go towards and I look forward to being able to display them again another day.

So, if anyone out there has some buildings they don't want or even some little bottles or glasses, do get in touch. If they are inexpensive because they need repair then so much the better as I know someone who can do that!