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!

The Corgi Model Club: Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be

 Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be was a musical from 1960 set in the 1950s and when Corgi Toys first appeared in your local toy store. It was also a popular expression bewailing change and telling whoever was listening that things weren't as good as the person remembered them as being. Now I'm sure they weren't talking about Corgi Toys but it is something that I have been wondering about for a while now.

The nice, shiny re-issues from the Corgi Model Club have been models I have largely welcomed with great enthusiasm. Indeed, many years before they started I had written about how nice it would be if someone were to re-make Corgi Toys and do so sticking as close to the originals as possible. I really liked the idea and, whilst a Musical Ice Cream Van had never appealed to me at all, I signed up as soon as I heard about the new venture in 2019. Soon more interesting models started to appear and I eagerly awaited each month's issue.

Now I am less enthusiastic. Something's changed but it is not easy to define.

We are now getting the Batmobile re-issue, and a matt black version at that for us members. I have to say that there really is a lot of enthusiasm for this one, which people have been asking the Club to do practically since they started. I'll be happy to take it as it will be quite a good investment, only members getting the matt black version. I'm not sure how many members there are now but even 10,000 or so will make this substantially less common than the original and so desirable. 

For different reasons, the paint finish not being very satisfactory, members receiving the first issue of the James Bond #261 Aston Martin who didn't take the offer of returning it for a free shiny replacement, have a model worth around £150 now and I would anticipate that we'll see similar prices for the member-issue Batmobile too soon.

Apart from these exceptions, though, I am beginning to wonder why we are all buying these re-issues. I know I just joined up without a second thought and was fascinated to get the first re-issues and examine the differences, photograph them and write articles about them. It was nice to have an immaculate model on my desk. For a while. But then it went back in the box never to be seen again. It's in a cabinet with what is now 46 others and I am not sure that I'd get my money back if I were to sell them. In fact I am not sure any would sell very quickly unless I offered them exceptionally cheaply so I am starting to wonder whether I really do need to spend £40 on a re-issue of an amber Oldsmobile Toronado when, I do have one, two actually, of the original 1968 Corgi models and they're both in pretty good condition. They're missing a box but good reproductions are cheap and good. The thing is - I can get an original for quite a reasonable price. You can have one of mine for £60 today if you like and I reckon that's a far better thing to have on your desk than the one with plastic lights, perfect chrome, flawless paintwork and Made in China on the base that also comes in a rather too shiny box.

And this is what is beginning to trouble me. You could get all the models being re-issued by the Corgi Model Club as originals! Some might cost a little more but you will then have a charming example of a model you may have once played with, or that one you always wanted but parents never bought for you and it will be a rather better investment than the modern re-issue. Yes, it will be more difficult to find some of the models and the Ice Cream Van is likely to cost you quite a lot more but a small sacrifice of condition and box and it could become viable and the fun can be continuing to look for a better one to appear one day.

With the Corgi Model Club issues, once you have one, that's it. It couldn't get better. It is already in 'shop fresh condition', assuming the delivery people behaved themselves (and I suppose even Chinese children workers have the occasional 'Friday afternoon' and make mistakes). The only purpose I can come up with for these things is to put on a shelf or display somewhere and so replace the original which should be preserved away from sunlight, tobacco and dust. To maintain a Corgi in sight and to talk about with visitors is a good idea - but that's about it. I very much doubt it will increase in value whereas our originals most certainly would normally be expected to hold theirs in real terms with significant increases for some.

I also wonder, though, about the impact these many thousands of re-issues might be having on the market for originals. One might argue that bringing the models to a wider audience's attention - and adverts even appear on my phone these days! - will enhance interest and therefore prices of originals. My view, however, is that this is very much outweighed by the fact that a collector looking for a perfect edition of a Corgi model will see these available at around £40 and may not, therefore, be inclined to bother about paying what would invariably have been at least two or three times that price for an original in top condition. So he will buy the re-issue, not my original.

There are collectors like this who will only buy the most perfect example which they'll hide away somewhere and maybe seldom see again. For them I guess the Model Club re-issue is an attractive option and certainly beats my one with chips on the bumper and tyres with flat spots where being sat in one position for 60 years has led to that result. 

My play-worn original models, which I would usually have expected to sell quite readily for around £30 simply don't look as nice and don't have a box for the same money. And my good condition items or interesting variations now have a considerably reduced market. There are always going to be collectors, of course, who will want the originals and who will prefer a play-worn original to any reproduction from China, however accurate and shiny it might be. 

I have to say that that these Chinese things really ain't what Corgis used to be.

Corgi Model Club: The Toronado arrives

 In a busy week for both Corgi and my postman, the Oldsmobile Toronado now arrives in Golden Jacks style as the Model Club's re-issue of #276. They chose the scarcer amber-yellow colour and it looks lovely. The Oldsmobile Toronado first appeared in a delightful shade of metallic blue with the very nice pale cream interior and with normal shaped wheels and without a tow bar. I missed this model when I was collecting Corgis as a child and was most impressed with it when I started to rebuild my collection. That was one of the first 'new' models that I bought.

It gets cast wheels shortly after being released and then a red and this amber-yellow editions come out with the Golden Jacks wheels.

Once again I have to take the Model Club to task on the text they write in the accompanying Certificate of Authenticity!! They say that this model with a tow bar appeared with the Glastron speedboat in Gift Set 36. No, only a version of #264 was issued in Gift Set 36, not the #276. The boxed edition of #264 did not have a towbar. All the Golden Jacks #276 models did have a towbar but they did not pull the trailer with a Glastron speedboat although, I suppose, there was no reason why collectors would swap them over.

Quite what the model was supposed to tow I am not sure and I have written before about Corgis with hooks and towbars and the comparatively limited things Corgi issued which they could attach.

However, that's another story. Maybe this Certificate will get replaced like I have suggested the Batmobile one may too, in which case those getting these early issues may have something a little scarce. We shall see.

So here is the new issue in all its glory:

I don't remember having the header card with any of mine. It isn't as pretty as Corgi's usual header cards but If that's what they did then OK, never mind, and it's nice that the Club decided to include this.

I have to smile at the reverse of the box where the artist must have only had on old #264 with cast wheels available when doing the illustration!

You'll see that the model itself is, as is now customary for the Model Club issues, very accurate. I cannot fault the bodywork, chrome, interior or wheels at all. Really well done.

Even the tow hook is accurate (and usefully a bit stronger too!). But then you turn up the lights . . .

Oh dear. They don't look right. Neat as they may be in comparison to the originals, they're just the same old plastic things which the Club are using whenever jewels were fitted originally. This is simply not good enough. The price of the small jewels can surely not be prohibitive in relation to the overall cost and we know that they're available in bulk from the same places that Model Supplies get all theirs.

I id not choose the best edition of the originals that I have in stock for this photo so the old jewels don't look that great either but, for me, it does have to be the glass, not plastic.

As the photos of the two side by side show, the colour is pretty much spot-on and the whole model is a very accurate reproduction indeed.

Here's the certificate with its error.

This is another model that is worth a little more than the normal re-issues in that the wheels are far better than those available from companies supplying spares. So if you need any, it might well be worth buying this just to get these excellent copies, especially as they come with the right type of tyres too.

At last, a silver 261 James Bond Aston Martin!

 Now here is something that appears quite familiar but is actually quite unique. Corgi (as in Hornby Corgi) have decided to recoup some of their outlay in funding the Corgi Model Club's re-tooling costs for the #261 re-issue by making their own edition - but this time in silver.

Strangely, they have numbered this #261 and used a box that is almost identical to the Club re-issue. This is really going to confuse people in future.

Corgi-Hornby did produce a '261' model a couple of years ago but, whilst it was gold, it had tyre slashers and revolving number plates as they'd used a #270-type casting. That, however, was numbered #26101 on the box label side and the box itself was actually larger than this one which is identical in dimensions to the Club re-issue. (See image further down).

Inside, there is the same tray design, with the same leaflets and baddie (but no spare) tucked in the bottom of the tray.

It is a lovely model, although, I would like to have seen some distinction of the chrome elements which have simply been sprayed with the same paint as the body.

It's nice to have a roof that sits exactly in line as it should and never has done with the early issues!

Note the catalogue number #26101S. But this is a totally different casting and box to #26101!

Here I compare #26101 and #26101S.

The 2021 issue is bigger in all dimensions.

So now there is quite a range of these James Bond Aston Martins to consider.

• 1995 96655 270 re-issue in silver
• 1995 96656 270 in gold-plated finish, red tyre slashers
• 1997 4201 270 in gold painted finish, red tyre slashers
• 2000 4202 270 in gold-plated finish, black tyre slashers
• 2014 4203/4S/G 270  in silver / gold 
• 2011? 4205S/G 270 in silver/gold-painted no tyre slashers
• 2012? 4206S/G 270 in silver/gold-painted, no tyre slashers
• 2021 26101 '261' but 270 re-issue in gold-painted with tyre slashers
• 2022 261 Club re-issue (as original) in matt gold-painted finish
• 2022 261 Club re-issue (as original) in shinier gold-painted finish
• 2024 26101S 261 (as original) re-issue in silver

I have not included the larger scale 1:36 issues which generally I have found to be of poor quality and just not at all appealing.

I would appreciate some advice about the dates when the 4203-6 models were first available. They all had similar packaging of the left and right sliding box type with the model encased with an open roof in a firm plastic container. I believe some had text to celebrate Thunderbirds Anniversary and one or two had a 14+ rating on the box too. I am also fairly sure but need confirmation that each of 4203 -6 had S and G variants so appeared in silver and gold. From what I can tell the models inside were all identical to 4201.