No tape required!

 I have just received a parcel which only too well demonstrated how not to wrap a valuable Corgi model. I had purchased a Corporal Missile on its launching device with an original box from an Ebay seller with the tag grandadsattics83 and also paid £10 postage. That did seem quite a lot for a parcel from Essex to Northamptonshire but I assumed he was using Royal Mail's Guaranteed Next Day delivery service or something similar. For quite a valuable item such as this that seemed reasonable enough., Although, £3.39 will buy a suitably tracked and insured service online via Royal Mail's 48 service, and is what I use by default in the UK these days, I accept that not everyone buys postage online or bothers to look at different options to those a post office chap or lady will suggest.

The service was actually Evri, which was a bit disappointing as they would only have charged grandadsattics83 £3 or so, but I guess that's life and some sellers may make more money on their postage fees than they do on the products!

So £10 I could sort of swallow and the Evri girl who delivers here is friendly and hasn't yet resorted to chucking things over the garden fence. It was the packing that troubled me. First of all, the parcel rattled - there was something loose inside and you can all imagine what a missile does, especially the heavy Corporal Missile, when unrestrained. The box did have its original packing piece but clearly that wasn't sufficient to retain the contents in one place en route.

I would like to have unwrapped the parcel by not having to rotate it but that proved impossible. Good old grandadsattics83 had used best part of a roll of brown sticky tape on each of several layers of bubblewrap. You try separating brown tape, or any tape, for that matter, from bubblewrap. If you're very lucky you might locate the start of the several yards (or even more frustrating, the hundreds of individual small pieces,) of the stuff used but usually you're not and you're left to fight with a piece that goes beneath another or trying to cut your way out without damaging anything.

As I had no option but to unwind all this ridiculous tape my heart sank every time I heard the thud of something moving from one place to another inside. Eventually I got down to the last layer.  More yards of tape on bubblewrap.

Why do people feel they have to add tape to bubblewrap in the first place? All you need to do is wrap the model in some soft paper, fold some card around a box, if there is one, to prevent it getting squashed or pierced. Indeed, there is a lot to be said for flattening the box - where it's a thin card type that you can - and packing that separately anyway. Then wrap some bubblewrap or similar protective stuff around the contents and pop it in a sturdy box. Add more protection around this as needed so that it doesn't move. And, of course, if something is in a box, add some protection inside the box as, even if the original packing pieces are present and correct, it is highly unlikely that 60 year old carboard will be enough.

Sure enough, on finally getting to the lovely old box, there was the missile lying next to the launch device and not in its proper place. However, apart from what might be an extra chip on the shaft, I can't see any obvious damage to the missile. There are a few dents in the packing piece but they may have been there before. All in all it was quite a relief that there was really not a problem and I knew that the box would need some repair anyway.

Looking at grandadsattics83 feedback he gets plenty of compliments for his wrapping. It is because people generally seem to think that bundling piles of tape tightly around bubblewrap is good practice that I decided to write about the frustrating side of things for us buyers. The matter of wrapping this stuff very tightly around a model that's not in a box is also worth mentioning while I'm at it. I have had several items arrive where the wrapping is so tight that it is straining the suspension or maybe a screen on a convertible. Even an old 50s saloon with no suspension can be at risk as you try to find a way to start cutting into that crazy wrapping without metal touching model.

As I said, all you need to do is wrap a model with plenty of the right material but no tape is required. The outer box should be enough to keep everything in place and it's hardly likely to unwrap itself en route, is it?

Of course, if all you intend to do is pop the model in some bubblewrap and then a jiffy bag then you would need some tape, I suppose. But I am really very much hoping none of my readers would consider such a package so, again, no tape required. 

And no, you don't even need that little bit to hold things in place while you search for a box. Find the ruddy box first, add some newspaper, old Christmas paper, those foam shapes, chopped up old Amazon delivery bags or containers, preferably not shredded paper which can go everywhere when you pull it out and it shatters into a million small particles but, OK, shredded paper if that's all you've got, put your model in its nice soft paper and un-taped bubblewrap in a bed of the aforementioned, check nothing moves that shouldn't move and close the box.

Corgi Catalogues and how to get pleasantly lost in my Corgi Toys websites

 Because I am familiar with all the bits and pieces lying around on my websites I have not appreciated how confusing some parts may be to visitors so I need to do something about this. First of all, I have two areas called 'Catalogue' or 'Catalogues' which need to be distinguished rather better. If I need to consult a Corgi Catalogue, one of the little books or leaflets issued in the past, then I know that I can click on the link word Catalogue in the text of the home page of corgi.toys, which is where I usually start. (If you start elsewhere there are explanations further down this page.)

I can also click the image that has the text Catalogue beneath it.

These don't take you to the old Corgi Catalogues just yet - another click or two is required. This is a bit more obvious with an illustration of the 1967-8 Corgi Catalogue and that word Catalogues below

Click on that image and finally you're getting closer, on a page titled 'Catalogues' no less.

This page is not very pretty but does have links to various years for which I have original Corgi Catalogues and have made images available to view. So clicking on 1972, for example, takes you to a page usefully entitled 1972 and with the 1972 Corgi Catalogue pages displayed.

Unfortunately, the pages are not all that big and you might want to look a little more closely at some. The individual pages don't have links but if you click on the title, 1972 in this case, you will be whisked off to yet another website where I did upload decent size images.

So, finally, you can have a good read without needing a magnifying glass.

You could also have gone straight to a particular year's Corgi Catalogue by clicking on 'Catalogues' in the menu that should appear on the page with links to various groups of Corgis and lists, which looks a bit like this.

The menu features 'Catalogues' as its second item at present.

That's probably the simplest, but less obvious, method to get to a a particular year's Corgi Catalogue.

That is all very laborious, though, and hasn't changed since 2014 when I first got the catalogues. At that time I reviewed them all in this blog. So you could also find some catalogue pictures and comments about the quite interesting content that I wrote many years ago by clicking on the word catalogue in that mass of words here, usually on the right when viewed on a monitor.

Another starting point for many people may be corgi-toys.net, an address that I obtained in 2013 when I started and a long time before corgi.toys would have even worked. I was rather more sensible in those days, it seems, and actually listed Corgi Catalogues in the menu. 

Click on this and it takes you to yet another 'Catalogue' page!

The page starts by showing the 1972 Corgi Catalogue but there is a list of years to the left (on a normal monitor, not sure how it appears on a phone) and clicking on any of these will take you to the year in question.

These images are much bigger and seem to be on a totally different set of pages to either of the others mentioned above!

Going 'Home' from this last site will take you to corgi-toys.net. That is an older site but it seems reasonably OK for now and the links take you to the right places. There is no obvious way, however, to get back to corgi.toys if that's where you started. So I have a fair bit of work to do to try and tidy all this up.

Lastly, you may also find some of the old articles have links to a very ancient website I made when I started all this over ten years ago.

It does still look nice but the software I used simply couldn't handle the huge number of pages I had accumulated and it could take up to 30 minutes to make some minor change! Everything also had to be stored locally on a drive here in the office as well as online whereas now, whilst I have back-up copies of images locally, everything else is online and edited online, thanks to Google. Using Google also keeps the sites working within acceptable limits for the different devices people use nowadays to view web content. Whereas once upon a time everyone would be staring at a small, often slightly flickering screen of 640 by 480 pixels now my pages probably appear in all shapes and sizes on smartphones large and small, tablets this or that way and even tv screens.

I make no promises and certainly no New Year's Resolution to this effect but I shall certainly think about making a search for the main areas you need to access less of a Magical Mystery Tour.

More interesting Corgis

It's nearly the end of the year and the last arrivals for 2024 are in. As you may have noticed, I have stopped reviewing the Corgi Model Club issues and prefer to spend time now on the interesting variations in the good old originals.

First you'll see what looks like a pretty ordinary Land Rover Breakdown Truck. The 417S models, however, that was issued in December 1962, retained the first type of jib for a brief period before getting the stronger, more solid variety. This one needs a new rear tin canopy with a light on the roof. I ordered a replacement from Model Supplies but it is just bare metal and, surprisingly, the shape is quite wrong too, having a completely different angle to the curve. I shall see if I can find one - there should be plenty around as the 417 will be the same too and if the truck has some damage or wear it might not cost too much either! Failing that I could borrow one from either of the Corgi Model Club or Hornby-Corgi re-issues.

The Jaguar Mark X is always a delight to collect, with its coats of many colours. I've had the metallic blue for some time but it is the metallic green that is the latest arrival, with the correct two cases as well. This is quite different to a brighter emerald metallic green that I had.

Here is something that I knew existed but had not seen before - the VW Breakdown Truck with cast wheels. It is all complete, albeit missing some paint on raised edges. I have had to replace the small winch hook and there is no chevron sticker across the rear. I cannot see any replacements for this small strip so I may have to make one myself. I am assuming that they did all have one. 

Finally, here is a slightly sad-looking Chevrolet Sting Ray. You'll see that the suspension has totally collapsed which is not as common a problem on these as it is on the Mustang, Imp, Ghia etc. I think it is provided by the plastic chrome piece that runs from back to front so I can imagine that this is vulnerable. I shall have to see what I can to make some sort of repair but this is the lovely and quite scarce bronze edition so I am anxious to keep it original. Otherwise it is in very good condition with just a few chips here and there. I may be able to insert some foam rubber above the axle, perhaps. A job for the holidays. 

 

Big Bedford cabs and suspension

 

Now here's a funny little thing that has started to intrigue me. It's the familiar 'Big Bedford' cab in what was probably a brighter shade of red when it was made. I bought it with a transporter unit, thinking the pair were an original 1101 item. However, when they arrived, I noticed that the transporter section had suspension so my first thoughts were that someone had simply combined a 1101 cab with a 1105 transporter and not known any better when advertising this. There weren't many pictures so I didn't see any bases.

Looking around, though, I have found precious few transporters with  a red cab with shaped wheels. One, strangely, also is attached to a transporter section with suspension. (It's easy to tell the difference as the bases look completely different and this time there were pictures.)

So I am wondering whether there might have been a transitional issue, sold as 1101 but with the Big Bedford cab attached to a transporter with suspension?

1101 first appeared in October 1957. It would be over five years before 1105 was issued in November 1962. We see suspension arriving with the Renault Floride in 1959 and shaped wheels were fitted to most new models from issue from mid-1961 on and would have gradually replaced smooth wheels on existing models still in production from then on. So a shaped wheel cab is very much to be expected in the late issues in the few months before the change to a TK cab type. Could it be that the transporter section, which also has shaped wheels in the examples of this combination I have seen, was upgraded before being attached to the new cab?

The only other explanation is that both sellers have mixed up their cabs and transporters, which, of course, is also entirely feasible!

The cab was also used for several other issues such as the 1100 Low Loader, 1104 Machinery Carrier and 1110 Mobilgas Tanker. It would be extraordinarily late, December 1965 before the Mobilgas Tanker gets the TK cab (although the tanker still doesn't get suspension!) so all production prior to that will have had a red Big Bedford cab and most of the later production would surely have had shaped wheels. That would support the mix-up of components by a seller.

I am still a little intrigued by the possibility of a transitional issue, though. If anyone knows more about this do get in touch.

Update: I have since found several 1101 models with shaped wheels and both the red cab and transporter section but they're few and far between in comparison to the smooth wheel editions. There is also the problem with the different bases on the cabs. Early models have a black base and these appear all to have three rivets. The later models, however, with grey bases, can have either two or three rivets and either smooth or shaped wheels for each type! So far that's five different red cabs!

The two tankers released in December 1965 were, incidentally, almost the last 'normal' models to have no suspension (on the rear tanker section, that is, which didn't get updated and still has its ancient tin plate base so beware people swapping that cabs as the red TK cab is fairly easy to find but a genuine later Mobilgas original model is not.). I'm excluding Classics, farm machinery and the like, as well as the Man From U.N.C.L.E. Oldsmobile and the Monkeemobile which leaves just the odd 319 Lotus Elan S2 as the last normal vehicle to be issued without suspension. I remember being disappointed when I bought it. OK, the chassis could be removed but surely it could not have been that difficult to include some suspension in the chassis? Only a month earlier they had issued the 1142 Holmes Recovery Truck with a mass of devices included and a month later we could buy the Lincoln Continental with a TV screen inside which could light up! Suspension on a 319 chassis would surely have been simple in comparison.

Corgi Toys @ 60 Many upgrades and a Lotus-Climax Racing Car

 With Christmas fast approaching, your local Corgi dealer had a huge number of new models available to order. I say 'new' but actually only one was a really new issue. So let's see what's in the December 1964 list.

Nearly new issues #60 and #61 are reworking of the Fordson 'Power Major' Tractor and Plough. The Fordson is very similar to the #55 issue but with headlamps now incorporated within the radiator grille. It also gets better steering and a driver. The plough looks very different from #56, now in blue with chrome-plated shares and it has lost the attachment pieces which were very fiddly to work with before. Now it simply rests on the rear element of the tractor.

Another model that is not really new is the Mercedes-Benz 300SL, issued in both roadster mode as 303S and with a  hard top as 304S. The difference here is the type of wheel. The details published by Corgi talk about the model getting 'spoked' wheels. My experience has been that these models with spoked wheels are extremely scarce. Models with cast spoke effect wheels are not common but definitely much easier to find and it may be that these are what the Corgi information was meant to refer to.

The next 'nearly new' release this month 60 years ago is #309, the Aston Martin Competition Model. It's the 218 model with a fresh turquoise-green and cream paint finish, jewelled headlamps and flags on the bonnet.

The first editions had an open vent on the bonnet. Racing number decals were put on the doors and could be 1,3 or 7. Later editions had a closed vent.

Another existing model revised is the Minivan, #450. This is the Police Minivan from a few months earlier now as just the van. Always in an accurate for the time but rather dull shade of green this can be found with three variations of the treatment of the grille. The 'correct' and normal edition has the simple van style of grille in the same colour as the rest of the van. Variations are models with silver paint on the grille and those where the Austin Countryman grille has been inserted. This has a different window unit which does not have the rear cross-hatched section of the Police version. It also does not stay in production for long enough to get cast wheels.

There may be variations in the text on the base MINI VAN and MINI-VAN.

Two gift sets were issued in December 1964.

Gift Set16 now has three racing cars with suspension, 150S, 152S and 154 replacing the previous content. The box and packing remains the same and I think the Ecurie Ecosse transporter itself is the same. It does get a lighter blue finish and different colour interior but I doubt that coincides with the upgrade of the set.

The Riviera Gift Set 31 does introduce a new model and that's the Dolphin Boat on its Wincheon Trailer. The boat doesn't appear on its own until 1965. The set features a Buick Riviera towing the Boat on a red trailer with a Captain at the wheel of the boat and a girl on a surfboard being pulled along behind the boat.

The Boat and trailer seems never the change but you'll find different Buicks in the set. Most of the original 1964 sets had a solid pale blue Buick with spoked wheels and this would have had a 'clutch' type of hook which grabs the tow ring of the trailer. Later editions have a different 'button' style of hook and there metallic blue or, much later metallic turquoise-blue models were used with cast wheels. A solid pale blue Buick with cast wheels would be a very scarce variety to find.

The girl is always wearing a red swimsuit in the original sets but replacements with a blue swimsuit are available. The 'rope' is a thin black plastic, similar to that sued for the Police Minivan a few months earlier and just as difficult to affix.

Finally a really new issue! This is the Lotus-Climax Formula 1 Racing Car. Whilst I have seen one of these with RN2 decals it is my view that this would be a factory sample or something someone has changed. The normal model has RN1 decals and will always be in British Racing Green with a driver with blue helmet. The tyres at the front are normal car size but those at the rear are bigger 'Land Rover' type.