Corgi Toys @ 60: James Bond and an Ice Cream Van

 

Yes, this is the month when, 60 years ago, Corgi's most successful model and probably the one they were to become famous across the world for, was issued. #261 James Bond's Aston Martin. It's gold and not silver and a DB4 not a DB5 but no-one seemed too bothered at the time.

You will. I am sure already be familiar with all the variations for this model and this is neither to time nor the place to repeat them all. Have a look in my catalogue where you'll see as many as I have listed. In its massive production quantities it would be inevitable that castings get worn, adjusted and so on.

The other issue was the second Ford Thames Ice Cream Van. #447 had been issued just 7 months earlier but now someone at Corgi decided that it should play a tune so they stopped producing the first one and adapted the second by inserting a device which played notes when an enormous handle at the back was rotated. 

Gone are the old chap selling the ice cream, the young lad with one and the pretty display plinth that came with the first. The music device comprised fine tines that were 'plinked' as a shaft with cam extensions in different positions rotated and many have since got broken tines so the tune doesn't quite work as it should. 

This was, incidentally, the very first model that the Corgi Model Club people decided to make again from scratch. They made a super job of it, so accurate, in fact that the tines break on that model just as quickly! 

Good working models of both the October issues in original boxes with instructions and packing are both very expensive now. Considering how many of the Bond models were made and how many there must be in good working order still in circulation, I am always amazed at the prices they fetch. High prices for the Ice Cream Van are perfectly understandable. It sold only 146000, not a lot in those days for a Corgi issue and very few will have either a box or a working music device, even fewer with both.

The Aston Martin, however, sold nearly 4 million, nearly 27 times as many and, whilst it was a complicated bit of equipment, the features have been remarkably resilient to young people's play. Whilst there are plenty with seats that don't eject very well or at all, there are also many that do still work well. Suspension fails on these and as they get older the plastic becomes ever more brittle and liable to fail so numbers of top quality models will diminish but I still maintain that it's a lot easier to find than a nice Ice Cream Van with working tunes.

I guess there are simply so many fans of film and TV-related models that there is a far wider and better moneyed market for Bond than Wall's Ice Cream.

Corgi Toys @ 60: Nine new releases for March 1965!

 I don't think there will have been many children getting all the new issues which March 1965 brought to their local toy shop. There were no less than seven new models and two gift sets this month 60 years ago.

One was the almost iconic Corgi gift set - the Monte Carlo Gift Set of three 1965 rally models.

Record indicate that just 72000 of these were sold, not many for those times, and these sets are extremely expensive now, with prices reaching £1500 or more for a set in its original box. The box may be one of the most expensive pieces of folded cardboard around as the cars can be found individually for around £120 each in unmarked condition so the box adds a massive £1200!

It's an attractive set and features the 321 Mini Cooper which was released in February plus the new Citroën and Rover which were simultaneously released individually his month too.

The Citroën DS19 is catalogue number 323 and is the 210S model with four small jewels as fog lamps and the Monte Carlo decals. Individually it was issued in its own illustrated box. A classic problem with this model has been the aerial which can become brittle and is not easily replaced.

The Rover 2000 is the 252 model with Monte Carlo decals and two jewels added to the grille. The individual models were first issued in a 252 model box with a 'Special Release' label over one end. Later issues had their own illustrated boxes.

Another Mini appears this month in the shape of the Austin Mini Countryman.

I would have dated this rather later than 1965 but it did, indeed, come out this month 60 years ago. This is a substantially revised casting, previously seen as the Minivan and Police Van, now with woodwork and windows and a chrome-plated roof rack and two surf boards. In the box is a young chap in swimming trunks in a position where he neds to be holding the surfboard to avoid looking a bit strange.

It's a nice model and will eventually get cast wheels to replace the first issue's shaped wheels. There is also a little known and seemingly very scarce variation where there is no fuel filler on the rear left wing.

I believe this is a very early edition but have no further information about this.

A commercial vehicle gets revised this month in the shape of the quite ancient Jeep FC-150. First issued in April 1959, the Jeep now gets an interior and suspension as well as a plastic canopy.

There are three initial releases, two in blue and one in a sort of green-beige colour, often referred to as avocado. The blue can be found quite easily with either red or lemon interiors but the avocado version seems to be mostly red, with lemon being a scarce variation.

Later this model will get cast wheels and it stays in the catalogue for many years through to 1972.

The Saint's Volvo P1800 is issued this month too. This is a straightforward adaptation of the July 1962 228 model with the addition of a character at the wheel and a 'Saint' emblem on the bonnet.

Later editions get a red or blue label which covers the whole of the bonnet and has the Saint emblem in white. The red is usually found with cast wheels. The blue label edition is quite scarce. The same body and character will stay in the catalogue until 1972 too, the red label edition getting Whizzwheels and a different interior in 1970 as #201.

The 'Simon Templar' character appears to be the same as the driver inserted in the 215S Ford Thunderbird.

Next we have some models brining us some refreshments. First is a Karrier Van, looking rather old-fashioned now, but with an interior and suspension and a nice 'trans-o-lite' feature that lights up the 'Snack Bar' sign at the front.

You'll find two versions of this - the usual one is Joe's Diner but there's a nice Belgian variation advertising patates frites.

After your snack you might have fancied an ice cream and the next model is the Ford Thames Ice Cream Van in Wall's livery.

You get a model of the ice cream seller and a young lad on a pavement with a 'hopscotch' design. This was a short-lived issue, however, being replaced after just a few months in October by a 'musical' version. The characters and display scene go and instead you get an ugly handle at the back which plays a tune when turned.

Finally for this month, the second issue of the Fordson Tractor is paired with a Beast Carrier in Gift Set 33.

This is the first appearance of the Beast Carrier trailer, which will not be available individually in a box until later in 1965. It comes with four calves on a card straw design in the trailer and a green plastic mesh stretched across the top. There is also a driver on the tractor in this set.

This is quite a scarce set because it gets the new Ford 5000 tractor at the end of 1966 and is renamed Gift Set 1. The Beast Carrier itself is another very long-running model, staying in the catalogue until 1972.

More ice cream from the Corgi Model Club

 

Here is the latest issue from the Corgi Model Club, #447 Wall's Ice Cream Van on a Ford Thames. The one without music. The original was released in March 1965 but only stayed in the order lists for a few months, disappearing the following year. The musical version, with a massive handle at the back, seems to have been a rapid rethink of what might sell by Corgi and came out later in 1965 and lasted much longer through to 1968.

The Model Club's very first issue was the musical edition, #477 in January 2020, with a second issue of this in 2021 and I wrote about the two Thames here in 2021. This, then is actually the third ice cream van you will need to have a complete collection.

This is the edition with a small road and pavement display on which we can position the ice cream seller and a small boy. I prefer this one as it looks much more realistic than the #477 with its handle. I didn't want either as a child but now I have to have all three!

The box that this arrives in is not very strong and a sort of cube shape instead of the familiar flat pack. Mine had been crushed in transit and this packing did not protect the box very well but it is still intact and I was able to straighten things out fairly well. The model itself is wrapped in paper with two lumps of white foam to prevent it moving around in the box too much. The characters arrive in a plastic bag. You may miss the stickers which are packed in the base of the plinth!

It is a very smart and accurate reproduction of the original. 

As is now usual, the typeface for the smaller text on the box is not right. Computer-generated fonts just don't match the original as they come but it should not be that difficult to adjust them to do so. I could produce the artwork for them if they ask me. The digits in the red ovals do appear better, though.

Corgi Toys @ 60 : An Elephant, Land Rover, Ferrari and Ice Cream

 

Mr Softee was a well-known brand back in the 1960s and Corgi used this brand for their first ice cream van. You can get a set of replacement transfers and stickers to convert it to another brand, Mr Whippy, from the Model Supplies people and I have seen many of this 428 model in pin and white with the different brand too. There was, however, just the one original issue and, as far as I can tell, all these models had free spinning shaped wheels with suspension. The same van is used later in khaki and army decals for a Military Field Kitchen.

Also issued in March 1963 was the Elephant and Cage kit #607. The cage looks the same as the one in the Gift set 19 issued in the previous year but the elephant is different, coming in two parts and in brown plastic.

The last new item for March 1963 was the splendid Gift Set 17 combination of a red Series II Land Rover pulling a yellow Racing Car Trailer with the 154 Ferrari (amusingly with its driver still in place!)

The first editions of this set would have the Land Rover with a 'frame' in the rear window, the window unit fitting to provide a flush rear surface with the back of the cab. As this set ran through to 1967 later examples will not have this window unit but whether a later casting with different vent levers was used I am not sure. They will all have had cream plastic canopies and shaped wheels.

As I have mentioned in another recent article, the Ferrari was a long-running model which outlasted the set. There are two types of casting and I believe these match the different style of transfer characters too. Both appear with the shaped wheel editions. Unlikely to have been in a set would be the cast wheel editions, although it is virtually impossible to know now whether a set advertised with one is genuine as it is simple just to swap them over. 

A chance for someone to catch up with the Corgi Model Club 2021 Reissues!

 

A colleague has decided to sell his complete collection of the 2021 Corgi Model Club issues. The four models are:

474 Thames Wall's Ice Cream Van with Musical Chimes

339 BMC Mini-Cooper S 1967 Monte Carlo rally

258 The Saint's Volvo P1800

330 Porsche Carrera 6

Each has a reproduction box and original packing and ancillary items where applicable.

The following reproduction items are also available:

1505 Garage Attendants

Corgi badge

1966 Corgi catalogue

Certificates of Authenticity

Collector's Tin for the Certificates

All the models are mint. Some boxes have very minor marks where the awkward flap has been opened.

The Ice Cream Van is the 2nd issue from earlier this year, not the January 2020 issue (although it does appear to be identical). Only the certificate and box differ.

Although the more recent items may still be available to order from the Club, restrictions mean that only one of each model per address will be supplied and the Club do not accept orders from outside the UK. The Ice Cream Van has now been discontinued and the Mini-Cooper may not now be available either so this may be an opportunity for someone who is either a little late to the party or who is based abroad to catch up with these lovely new 'old' Corgis.

Contact me for more information. Ideally we would like the set to be sold in its entirety but the individual items are also being advertised so don't delay.

A Tale of Two Thames

 

I have recently acquired the second issue of the 474 Ice Cream Van. I was lucky to get the first issue in January 2020. There are some differences.

The first issued had a Certificate of Provenance.

For the second this has become a Certificate of Authenticity. Frustratingly, the old one will not fit in the tin supplied with the Mini Cooper designed for their storage! That's odd as I would have thought that the tins might have been already in production or, certainly, well past design stage. As those of us who had received the first issue were not permitted to get the second issue direct it is all the more strange that we would not be able to store all our cards together. This is a minor thing, of course. More significant is the different 'China side' of the box.

The packing is slightly different, with a black piece of protective polystyrene replacing a white chunk for mine.

As for the models themselves, I cannot detect any difference.

The new old Corgi Collection

I don't know how many times I have said to fellow collectors how much I wished someone would try making the original Corgi Toys again. Not with Vanguards style wipers, realistic wheels and troublesome mirrors but plain perspex windows, shaped wheels like they used to be and suspension. And rubber tyres. Models that really do look and feel right and which may even need a second look to check that they are not actually originals from the 1960s.

At last, it seems, someone has taken a chance and is making a start. Hornby Hobbies plc have licensed the oddly-named Blue 14 DTC Brands trading as Corgi Toy Collection to sell and distribute reproduced models in the UK. Interestingly, text in one of their leaflets states that Blue 14 DTC Brands have an exclusive license to sell and distribute Corgi Toys in the UK. That would imply that they're handling the new stuff too as well as these reproductions - indeed it makes me wonder whether I'm going to be in trouble for selling a few of the old ones! I suspect that statement may be a mistake but never mind that now; back to the models.

This does look like great news. The first model has arrived and it's the 474 Thames Ice Cream Van with music chimes. Although I never wanted one of these as a child or even now as I found the hugely out-of-proportion handle affair at the back ugly - and it never seems to work for long either, the delicate tines on the element producing the notes breaking easily - I do respect the fact that lots of people do like it and originals sell for a fortune.

The van is an excellent and very faithful re-make of the 1965 edition. I am particularly pleased with the shaped wheels and windows. The colours are exact and texture of the plastic and weighting of suspension seems right too. Even the chrome, whilst maybe a little too bright, is OK. I suppose, if anything, the whole thing is a little too 'perfect', with precise silver and red painting whereas the originals would have missed bits!

It has all the right original stuff in the box (except, of course, a membership form). There is a sheet of stickers, instruction sheet, plain reinforcement card and a further packing card featuring the 60s kids in full colour. A small chunk of polystyrene replaces the cardboard to prevent the rear handle piercing the box.

The box itself is pretty good in terms of design and colours. A good effort but marks lost for someone using the wrong font for the list of features and product name. It is also just too shiny, as if printed on photographic paper where a dull surface would have been preferable in my view. The designers have cleverly retained almost all the original text and illustrations, changing 'Made In Great Britain' to 'Designed in Great Britain' on one panel and putting all the necessary 'new' stuff on a bottom panel where it will be least obvious if on display.

With this first issue I received a really good reproduction of the original Corgi badge (without the hole element and with a tie-pin and clip fastening rather than safety-pin type of operation). Additionally there is a pile of leaflets promoting the Collection and a certificate of provenance for this model.

This is simply great value at £1.99 which is the most you would pay for this at this time. Indeed, as I have signed up for the next release I actually get the van free of charge! You might bear this in mind if you were thinking of bidding for one on Ebay where, of course, annoying people are trying to make a quick few quid, some not even declaring this as a replica. It is good enough to fool a good few, especially if they ditch the box and most accompaniments.

The next issue planned is the 339 BMC Mini Cooper. A leaflet also displays a 155 Lotus F1 Racing Car, 258 'Saint's" Volvo P1800, 267 Batmobile, 325 Ford Mustang Competition Edition, 330 Porsche Carrera 6 and 417 Land Rover Breakdown Truck.

With the Mini there will be a 1505 Garage Attendant Figures Set, 1966 Corgi Catalogue and a tin to hold our certificates. The tin looks deep enough for more than eight sheets so I'm hopeful this will develop . . .

Oh, I can now add too that the reproduction of the Ice Cream Van is so good that the chimes are already beginning to miss a note from time to time!

The illustrations show some remarkably nice models, the only downside being the text on the base which tells us that these are made by 9 year old re-educated children working 18 hours a day in a 5 acre factory on the outskirts of Tianjin. I shall have to subscribe, though, and will report on all these as and when they arrive.

I am struggling with an image of an Ice Cream Van on the streets of Tianjin.