Corgi Model Club: another 300SL and a catalogue of errors

 The Corgi Model Club's second issue of #303S Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster has arrived. My first thought on opening the box was that the Club must have used, as a guide to colour, an old example that had been lying around next to an ashtray or having spent its life in a pub, with a colour that I would describe as pale tobacco stain.

I rushed to dig out my original and put them side by side. Whilst the reissue is a bit creamier or browner, I have to admit that it's not as far out as I initially reckoned. Indeed, looking at my car in my hand it looks quite 'white'. Place it on my desk and it's cream! I tried to take some photos to show the difference but they don't really show much at all!

The Club do make quite a big thig about this 'white livery'. though. Putting aside my feeling that 'livery' isn't really the right word here, they make some mistakes in the Certificate in this respect. First of all they write about this being the 1963 model. No, a driver was added to the model in 1963 but there had been an off-white edition with yellow interior since 1961. Admittedly the free-spinning wheels will have been fitted later but they came before the driver. They write that this 'was only produced in white' but, no, there continued to be the blue model (which the Club themselves have produced, and with a driver!) and there are silver / gold mirror finish models still available much later (as you'll find these with wire or cast wheels from 1965/66). They write about this model being issued in white and off-white as if they were separate issues but there really was just the one 'sort of white' just having the usual spread of shades as with most colours in the old days.

The Certificate also rambles on about the 'S' suffix being dropped between 1964 and 1965. It wasn't. That's a mistake in the little red booklet, supplied with the Great Book of Corgi, from where, I suspect, they copied some of the data without checking.

[Note the 'spoked hubs'! I did eventually find the Mercedes-Benz but have never seen the Aston Martin]

The errors don't stop there this month, I'm afraid, because this model was accompanied by a nice little catalogue, setting out the Club's currently available models with illustrations and descriptions reminiscent in many ways of the original old Corgi Toy catalogues from the mid 1960s. Nice as it looks, it is nonetheless filled with mistakes which I'll detail at the end of this article.

Back to the Mercedes-Benz, here are some photos.

It is a very well-finished model, as, of course was the earlier blue one. I do feel it looks considerably more attractive in this colour. I believe the driver was originally the same chap as drove the #215S Ford Thunderbird, later losing his legs and becoming Roger Moore as 'The Saint' in a Volvo in 1965. 

This is a nice reproduction and perfectly adequate as a space-filler until you find a nice original. White examples are not particularly scarce (unlike the sister #304S in white) but still command quite high prices. Cheaper ones will invariably have a cracked or broken windscreen, a missing driver and/or damaged transfer. The suspension, rock-hard on these as they featured Corgi's first concept, involving a second piece of tin which was pretty much indestructible, is never a problem. Indeed, many sellers do not realise they have a #303S and advertise their model as a 303!

Not quite Corgis

 

At first glance this looks like the #264 Oldsmobile Toronado. Then you see the wheels - and they're not the #276 Golden Jacks variety either - and the shade of blue is unlike any that Corgi issued, despite there being quite a range from turquoise blue to rich, dark blue during its production. And what is that? Opening doors? Goodness me, where on Earth does this come from?

Alicante. Spain. These are extremely good copies of the Corgi casting by a company called Auto-Pilen and date from the early 1970s. Indeed, these are so similar that one has to assume that the company took a Corgi model apart and made a mould from that. For me these are like the Corgi 'variations' I so enjoy finding and Auto-Pilen have managed to add more features to many of them as well. The Oldsmobile above is their model reference #307.

You will find several editions of the same car. Here there is a lovely chrome-plated model (#308) and below a Policia version (#298).

In each case the control for the headlamps operates very smoothly - indeed, rather better than the Corgi models themselves! The jewels look exactly the same as the Corgi models too, as do the chrome fittings.

Here are some more Auto-Pilen Corgis that I have in stock at the time of writing, All the images will take you to the appropriate page in my store if anyone wants more images or to purchase one.

The #310 Chevrolet (Corvette) Stingray

models #300 (green and silver editions) and #299-1 for the chrome-plated model

The #347 Chevrolet Astro 1.6

(#315 and #316 for a chrome-plated version)

The #384 Adams Probe 1.6

(#505 and #506 for a chrome-plated version)

The #334 Mini Cooper

(#319 and #320 for a chrome-plated edition) 

There is also a #291 Mini-Cooper Rally listed which I would expect to be based on the same casting.

Auto-Pilen also made a beautiful version of the Corgi #284 Citroen SM. You will also find Dinky copies too but I am not sure if there are any more Corgis. There are a Porsche 917 and Carrera 6 in one list I have found as well as a Citroen DS 23 and GP Beach Buggy which I need to investigate if ever I find one. The list also features the BRM and Lotus F1 racing cars which may be further possibilities.

These models are now quite hard to find here in the UK, although may be common across whatever the Spanish equivalent to a boot sale is. The company produced models through to the 1990s but, to the best of my knowledge, these would be the sole models of interest to Corgi collectors.

They are very well-made, solid and the opening parts operate smoothly. The wheels look great but suspension is seldom very good, either firm or practically non-existent. One nice thing is that the bases are screwed on - so if a model does need repair, or a fresh coat of paint, then that is relatively simple to achieve without having to 'break' rivets. Now, this does, of course, men that one can never be absolutely certain that what you have is totally original but I can live with that.

Prices are similar to their Corgi equivalents from what I can gather so, being comparatively unusual, they seem to represent good value to me. Most that I have found and that you will come across will not have either the box or the plinth to which they seem to have been attached when issued, with a hole evident in the base where a screw would have fitted.

Corgi Kits

 

I was fortunate to find four #602 Corgi Kits last week. All are complete and probably had never been opened, with instructions, a membership form and unopened bag of pieces inside the original boxes. Whilst the contents are the same in each case, each box has some faults but nevertheless I would be happy to have any of them in my own collection and I'll keep whichever one remains.

The one above has creasing at one end.

This second one is the best and nearest to what we'd describe as 'excellent' with just very slight creasing at the bottom left.

The third box has one edge on which the glue has dried and a small piece of clear tape has been applied. There are creases on the two long sides and one crushed corner, with some marks on one side, maybe where a pen line has been rubbed off. 

The fourth box has one edge on which the glue has dried (but no repairs attempted) and there is a small crease where one corner has been slightly crushed.

Original instruction sheets can be hard to find now as they tend to get lost and I think I may make some copies. The paper may be hard to match but I will have a go and they may be useful to someone one day.

I can resist the temptation to keep one and make up the telephone boxes because I already have two excellent examples as part of my Garage Set. That reminds me - ever since I received the lovely layout mats for the Silverstone and Garage Sets I have not managed to find time to recreate the Garage Set display with all the pieces that I do have. Now that my wife is away in Ukraine and, even if she wanted to, couldn't get back very soon, it could be a good opportunity to do so without it being in anybody's way. So that will keep me occupied for a week or two - including finding the correct cars and building a couple of the garages - Model Club issues, of course, which are a perfectly acceptable substitute in my opinion.

Writing this has also highlighted the fact that I have not listed the Corgi Kits in the Catalogue at all! That's very remiss of me. I know that it took me a long time to get them all, and I never did get built examples of the Timekeeper's Building or complete Pit Buildings. However, I did have nice examples of complete sets in original boxes and should be able to find the pictures. Adding a section to the Catalogue should be easy enough as there were not any variations to worry about, or, at least, none that I am aware of and I can't imagine much that could have changed anyway.

The kits are great and original complete examples are expensive. You'll find my prices in the shop or just get in touch.

These AA and RAC Telephone Box sets that I have for sale are not cheap but the proceeds will go towards the money I am trying to save up for the any Silverstone Set buildings which I need to find again now I have the layout mat to display them on. Sets do appear occasionally but made-up buildings seem very scarce and, of course, not every owner was careful with the construction. It is a bit of a dilemma as I would probably prefer to make one myself and have my artist wife add any paint or decoration required. That does mean, however, spoiling a valuable original set, which bothers me. Now, if the Model Club were to reproduce all the Kits then that would be a marvellous thing! When you think about it, they have tended to want to reproduce the less common model variations on the basis that people would be happy to have a copy for £30 or so when the real thing maybe several hundred. (Let us let lie the matter of their seldom actually getting the specification right for these variations.) Reproducing Corgi Kits follows the same logic but with the bonus that the parts would be dead simple to make, being mere cheap plastic and they only need to pay some children in China or Bangladesh to put the pieces in a plastic bag, not build, paint and decorate as they have to do with model vehicles. They did the Batley Leofric Garage brilliantly. I wonder how sales went?

These mats incidentally, were produced for me by a chap called Wolfgang who regularly contributes quite authoritatively on various Corgi online groups. They're heavy duty plastic rather than fabric but have the advantage of laying flat and without any creases. Having said that they have been rolled up for a few years so I may have to encourage them to lay flat again. If he happens to read this perhaps he could let me know whether he can still get these made and I will provide a link for anyone who might like one. I should have an email address somewhere and will get in touch with him, if he doesn't respond to this, once it comes to light.

Now I appear to have given myself quite a few tasks. More news on how I get on to follow. What we really need are illustrations of the completed models and the layouts which I'll try and dig out or prepare.

That figures?

 I have recently acquired lots of figures, animals and assorted bits and pieces that often go missing from Corgi sets or the models which they may have accompanied in a box when first issued. Most of them I have been able to identify or were very familiar with and I shall be adding them to associated items that I have for sale where I didn't have them already.

There are a few, however, that I am not sure where they belong and maybe someone can help? 

The first one looks like a race official from the #1501 set of Racing Drivers and Pit Mechanics but the one I have in my set, and which has appeared in all the sets I've seen, is all white and the information on the board is different.

Next is another character, who looks like he belongs at Silverstone.

Again, he is quite differently painted to a couple of #1503 Race Officials that I have. Like the chap above, it looks like the same person but very differently finished and with a different flag.

There is one chap in #1503 with the chequered flag . . .

 . . . but he has a full length coat, not a jacket. Everyone has a tie blowing in the wind, I see. I had not noticed that before!

The next chap is someone I really feel I should know and no doubt readers are shouting at their screens and I shall soon be feeling embarrassed. 

It's the wrench I don't remember. I think we have the same individual in blue overalls carrying a bottle of oil in the #1501 Garage Attendants group or maybe the Thames Wrecker where someone very similar, if not the same, is included together with a chap squatting down to change a wheel. But they're both blue. The orange overalls and lack of shirt or vest colour I cannot place, although that wrench I am sure I have seen somewhere.

Next is what looks like a young farm worker. Just as in the Country Farm Gift Set 4, where Corgi managed to make even Gerald from Clarkson's Farm seem normal, this is an odd-looking young chap, carrying a bucket or maybe a milk churn. Perhaps he is from an Agricultural Gift Set? I have never been able to examine one of these - and have always wanted one of the early Gift Set 22s with the 'farm green' #406S Land Rover and a yellow 101 trailer.

Now identified - with many thanks to John Bowyer who advises that this is the stable lad accompanying four horses in #1104 Newmarket Racing Stables Horse Transporter, the green and yellow slightly dumbed down version of the earlier 1130 Chipperfields model.

Next is a pair of penguins. I have searched high and low but do not see any sign of a penguin in any of Corgi's sets or issues. They may be intruders.

Here we have what looks like Elvis on traffic duty. I have no idea about this.

He is mounted on a strange base which might have been some way of attaching him to a scene on a display tray. His legs honestly don't look strong enough to me so perhaps he needed that extra support! This is a larger character so from something in the larger 1:36 scale.

Here we have a few sacks but in different sizes. Those shown above are significantly larger than those below. I think the smaller ones will be from one of the sets that included a conveyor. That could be Gift Set 64, the FC150 with Conveyor or Gift Set 47 Tractor and Conveyor. The larger ones may be from an Agricultural Set, although one would expect them to be the smaller size and I don't know a set that had bags in the later 1:36 scale.

I do know that this is from Gift Set 31, the Safari Land Rover set in 1:36 scale and not that easy to find now. It's often lost and no many sets were produced in the first place so this character could be quite scarce. I should have the set itself available in a while so do let me know if you would like this reserved.

Last of the mystery characters is this rather funny-looking sheep.

Once again, I am inclined to think this may have been included in an agricultural set. This sheep looks quite big but still not out of place with 1:43 scale models. I suppose, though, that if it was intended to be a lamb then it may belong in a 1:36 scale set. I can't think of one offhand, however.

It is possible that a couple of these items are from somewhere other than a Corgi model or set but my guess is that this is not the case and someone out there will recognise them all and explain the differences for the first few! No prizes - but handsome discounts may be negotiable if I have something in stock that you would like.

I have also added a few original boxes of tyres (and some loose ones) to the store and some other bits and pieces which you can see at this new section, called appropriately, Corgi bits and pieces.