#381 MATCHBOX – ’62 CORVETTE, ASTON MARTIN DB7 and PONTIAC FIREBIRD RACER (PREMIERE COLLECTION) (1997)

I got these three models from my father, who bought them in Nashville, TN during a business trip around 1998. At the time, these models were not available in Spain, so when I saw them, I was amazed by the quality and detail level they have: all lamps, interiors, hubcaps, license plates are painted or decorated in some way, they’re great cars.

However, they are a little bit out of my collector’s scope. They were made “too late”, in 1997. There is nothing wrong with modern die-cast models: they look much better than older ones, and they are much more affordable, durable, and better done in many ways, but they do not have any value…

Despite being a limited release of 25,000 units, being released with a nice cardboard box in a bubble blister and being more than 15 years old, you can buy them for much less than a new, ordinary car model (in 1:64 scale)  at your local toy-store. How can it be?

My answer to this is that there are a few requirements for a toy to get value over time.

First is that it had to be popular when it was released, if it was a commercial flop, it is very likely that nobody would be interested in buying them after a few years. Matchbox produced in the 70s great models that are still very sought after, but in the 90s, there were much more competition in this market, and the sales decreased enormously.

Second difference between older and newer products, is that back in the 80s or before the 80s, nobody ever kept the package, or left the toys in their packages. They were immediately opened and played. This explains that old toys are very rare to find Mint in Box, while modern toys are almost always kept in their original packages for display and never played. Old boxed toys come mostly from old toy-stores that closed a while ago and had some leftovers that were never sold… If you look for these cars on ebay, most are sold in their (never opened) blisters.

Third is that some people (including some collectors) have the idea tha toys are nowadays very valuable (which is not always exact), and they think their toys today will be as valuable as those from the 60s in 50 years, and it is just a matter of time for them to get value, as a result some collectors stored hundreds of mint MISB figures and sat down waiting for them to get value. This happened especially with the new “Episode I” figures from Star Wars, which I doubt they’ll be sometime any value, or the new versions of G.I.Joe figure, such as “Valor vs. Venom”, “25th Anniversary” and some even more modern.

Fourth is that since the Internet has become widely available, there are no more secrets for collectors, nor “exclusive” figures only released in some parts of the world. Anybody, anywhere can buy the figures they want from home. And since the internet has open the markets, there are much more manufacturers and toys to buy, but an international success or a trend in children worldwide has become rarer. This brings us back to point number 1.

Of course there are exceptions, mostly toys of enormous quality, which are made in very short releases and which are mostly based in some famous characters or TV-series.

Back to the Matchbox Premiere series, they were classified in several series of cars, mine belong to series 9 and 10, although in the back card, you can read the models which were included in series 7 to 12.

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: ’62 CORVETTE, ASTON MARTIN DB7 and PONTIAC FIREBIRD RACER (PREMIERE COLLECTION)
• Scale: 1:64 (approx.)
• Year: 1997
• Company: Matchbox (G. Britain)
• Size: approx. 3’’ or 7 cm

#380 DINO RIDERS - QUETZALCOATLUS with YUNGSTAR (1988)

 

The Quetzalcoatlus takes its name from an Aztec god, which was represented as a feathered snake. Although this sauria was bigger than the Pteranodon, both action figures are the same cast, except for the head and neck. The Quetzalcoatlus had some kind of round crest over the head, unlike the Pteranodon, which had a long pointed crest.

Similarly to what happened with the Triceraptops/Torosaurus/Pachyrhinosaurus, the Monoclonius/Styracosaurus/Chasmosaurus, or both Deinonychus, the Quetzalcoatlus shares its cast with the Pteranodon and also with the Quetzacoatlus in wave 3. This "trick" allows Tyco to expand their toyline with a lower investment. Casts are very expensive, and sharing them brings many advantages.

The armour consist of a seat/saddle and two cannons over the wings, rather small equipment for such a dinosaur (and such a retail price back in 1988). The figure came with the already classic "glass eyes", flapping wings and opening beak.

Yungstar

The figure included in this set is Yungstar, which is one of the main characters in the comics and the TV-series. The figure has one of the classic casts, so it is not very interesting. The accesories are the ones included in the classic "set1" in grey.

FACTS and FIGURES:

• Name: QUETZALCOATLUS with YUNGSTAR
• Toy Line: Dino Riders (Wave 1)
• Year: 1988
• Company: Tyco (U.S.A.)
• Scale of the dinosaur: 1:24
• Size of the figures: 2½’’ or 6,5 cm

#379 DINO RIDERS - PTERANODON with RASP (1988)

The Pteranodon was one of the three flying saurians in wave 1. This creature came in a middle-sized box, although the dinosaur is not that big. It might have a large wingspan, but it is quite light and has fewer accesories/armour parts. The dinosaur comes with a seat/saddle (various parts), two cannons that can be placed over the wings and the brain-box. Additionally, as other middle-size dinosaurs, the Pteranodon came with trap (in this case it is a trap for flying saurians), which is some kind of net, stretched between two poles. Rulons "need" traps to capture the dinosaurs and place the brainbox on their heads, while Valorians communicate with them by means of their AMPs.

The prehistoric animal is, as usual in this collection, very well made, has glass eyes, and also a mechanism that allows flapping its wings. The mechanism is very well made, but it still not so well done as for example in Kenner´s Jurassic Park toyline. The wings are rigid, they have no articulation at the middle of it. The beak can also be opened and closed, revealing the tongue, but no teeth (the Pteranodons were the first Pterosaurs without teeth).

Included in the set was a small transparent conical base for the figure to stand. Otherwise, the figure cannot be placed for display in a position fixed position. The base had a peg to be inserted in the belly of the creature. This base is quite difficult to find. In most loose toys this part has been lost. Unfortunately, I neither have it, but I will try to find something similar to replace it (SEE UPDATE BELOW).

Rasp

The figure included in this set is Rasp, the commander of the Snakemen. It is quite an impressive figure because of (almost-completely) black uniform. The weapons and accesories for this figure belong to the "set1" in red.

UPDATE (Nov/2019): I finally found one onf these bases for my Pteranodon. I need two more for both Quetzalcoatlus.

FACTS and FIGURES:

• Name: PTERANODON with RASP
• Toy Line: Dino Riders (Wave 1)
• Year: 1988
• Company: Tyco (U.S.A.)
• Scale of the dinosaur: 1:24
• Size of the figures: 2½’’ or 6,5 cm

#378 PLAY-ME – DOUGLAS F-15 EAGLE (Ref. 126) (Around 1983)

PLAYME TOYS

Play-Me is another die-cast manufacturer from Spain. The company was founded in 1969 in the town of Beniparrell (Valencia), and its production includes several kinds of vehicles and other objects.

Truck models in approximately 1:100 scale were not very well done. I have one of these, and they are rather simple and lack of details. There were several models made, although all casts were actually the same with different loads: tow-away truck, load truck, cement mixer…

Car models (in 1:64 scale) are even worse: no interior, no chassis, no plastic parts; a single piece of casted metal with wheels. They are very very rare. There are also some references of military vehicles, like jeeps, tanks, cannons or the famous Kübelwagen.

Another product PlayMe offered (and for which they’re best known) was pencil-sharpeners. They were put inside of metal-casted miniatures: cannons, a sewing machine, an old radio, an old photographic camera, a telephone… there are literally dozens of different models, including one which is the Football World Cup Trophy, and was released on occasion of the World Cup in Spain, 1982. Some later series (mostly animals) were made in plastic.




On the category “traditional toys”, there are many trucks, tanks and other vehicles in a bigger scale, plastic dolls, also some ability games (for example shooting games), and most interestingly some tin toys, all of them licensed by Technofix of Germany (Nürnberg). We think this partnership dates from the first years of Playme, that’s the early 70s. Some of this toys include the Technofix references “Loop the Loop”, “Lift Garage”, “Cable Car”, “Play Lok” and many others.

But the most remembered toys from Playme are its planes. Since they couldn’t compete against other scale car manufacturers, they decided to specialize in planes. Around 1970, there were no Spanish companies making die-cast planes, or these were still not popular enough.

The first series included 15 references, which were later extended to 20 and in a third phase, to 28. They were referenced 101 to 128, and sold in a small jewel box with very nice interiors (depicting mountains, ships or airports) and with a short text about the real plane: history, speed, flight height, power… This package was later replaced by a more conventional box with window.

It seems that these toys were inspired in American models from Cragstan, although many models are their own casts of famous Spanish planes.

The toy I show on  the pictures today is a F-15 made by Playme in white and red with reference number 126.

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: DOUGLAS F-15 EAGLE (Ref. 126)
• Scale: Unknown
• Year: Around 1983
• Company: Playme (Spain)
• Size: approx. 10-11 cm

#377 MIRA – GLOSTER (Ref. 355) and BOEING 747 “JUMBO” (Ref. 361 and 362) (Around 1985)

Mira is the well known Spanish manufacturer of numerous scale cars and trucks founed in 1979. They also made some ships in the late 70s (that were commented in this entry).

Their first planes and jets would come out around the mid-80s, and were sold in small boxes with a window on the front marked “Aviones”, although later, they were sold in a similar box, marked “Colección Aviones” with a more modern design and the new MIRA logo. These models are around 10 to 11 centimeters long, that’s larger than the competitors Pilen and Playme, and are mostly based on casts from foreign manufacturers like Matchbox. The wheels are also made of casted metal and are very durable and resistant.

The line originally had 16 references, corresponding to only 8 different models:

• Ref. 351 and 352 – Tornado (blue or red)
• Ref. 353 and 354 – Ejecutivo Jet (Private Jet) (red/white or blue/white)
• Ref. 355 and 356 – Gloster (blue/white “AeroClub” or camo brown)
• Ref. 357 and 358 – Lockheed (camo brown or grey)
• Ref. 359 and 360 – Skyhawk (green or grey)
• Ref. 361 and 362 – Boeing 747 (AirFrance or Iberia)
• Ref. 363 and 364 – Concorde (grey or white)
• Ref. 365 and 366 – Cessna (red/white or blue/white)

 

The series was expanded later with more planes and jets in a smaller size (around 7,5 centimeters, similar to other planes made by Pilen). The new casts were much simpler, made of one single piece of metal with a few stickers on it. (no more plastic parts, no more several assembled metal parts…).

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: GLOSTER and BOEING 747 “JUMBO” AIRFRANCE and IBERIA (Ref. 355, 361 and 362)
• Scale: Unknown
• Year: Around 1985
• Company: Mira (Spain)
• Size: approx. 10-11 cm