#404 PIATNIK – CRAZY CARS (Ref. 4231) + PROMOTIONAL HEIßE ÖFEN (1987)

Crazy cars are a mixture of custom cars, vans, dragsters, tricycles, Big Feet, and, in general, strange looking cars. This deck was surely a very popular one, since it was released in several different versions from 1973 (?) on. I think the interest for customized cars came to Europe (from the U.S.) in the early 80s, to Germany, maybe even earlier.

As said before, there are different versions of Crazy cars. Mine has no data on the cover card, except the name of the game, other versions include the reference number (which is 4231) and in the yellow rectangle the words “+ Mini Puzzle”, so I guess my version came without it. I also have a second cover card, which is already much modern, I think from the mid 90s, but I got it from somewhere else, it does not belong to the sets depicted in the first picture of this entry.

Cover card - Version from the mid-90s

Game rules in red the first version, in blue the 90s version

The sets have 32 cards (8 families), and are identical except for the back of the cards and the cover (Deckblatt).

The promotional deck has Philips publicity from its Soundmachine portable radiocassette. I guess the “Ghetto-Blaster” goes well with the images of those custom cars.

Another topic is why Piatnik changed the name of the quartet from “Crazy Cars” to “Heiße Öfen”. The title Crazy Cars would be understood anywhere in the world, but Heiße Öfen is restricted to the German-speaking markets. Maybe some request from Philips? We will probably never know.

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: CRAZY CARS a.k.a. HEIßE ÖFEN (Nr 4231)
• Year: 1987
• Company: Piatnik (Austria)

#403 SCALEXTRIC UK/ SCALEXTRIC SPAIN – BMW M1 (1982, 1985 and 1991)

SCALEXTRIC SPAIN vs. SCALEXTRIC UK

Scalextric was being manufactured in Spain since 1962. Lines Bros signed a contract with Exin to distribute Scalextric in Spain and Portugal. In this first contract it was specified, that the tracks and the transformers would be manufactured in Spain, while the cars would be imported from England.

After only a few years, Scalextric Spain started manufacturing cars in Spain. The first model that was manufactured there was the Cooper Climax in 1965 (using the casts from Triang). One year later, in 1966, Exin manufactured the first car created and designed by them, the Seat 600. From that year on, the history of Scalextric is a successful one until the early 90s, when Exin went bankruptcy, and had to sell the Scalextric brand to Tyco (read more here). Even at those hard times, the Scalextric line was profitable.

But back to Lines Bros., the British company would collapse in 1972 and many successful toylines were sold to rivals. At this point, Exin bought for itself the Scalextric brand for the Spanish, Mexican and South-American markets, while Triang kept the brand for the rest of the world (until 1980, when it was sold to Hornby).

Around 1985, Exin and Hornby sign a new contract in which they “open” their markets to each other. Exin would be able to sell it cars in the United Kingdom and the rest of the world, and Hornby would be abel to do the same in Spain, Portugal, Mexico and South America. Since both companies had the same name, they agreed to change names on rival markets.

The Spanish Scalextric, made by Exin, would be renamed SCX in England, United States and so on, while the British Scalextric would be sold under the Superslot brand in Spain, Portugal, South America and Mexico. Both Exin and Hornby kept Scalextric in their native markets.

Many collectors are confused when they see Scalextric models, since now, with the internet, eBay and international purchases, you can find the same car model in two different packages with two different brands.

Despite setting these rules to share markets, Exin manufactured some models for Scalextric UK and also the other way round. As seen in the previous entry, the Rover 3500 “Police” was sold in Spain in 1985 and 1986 with the reference 4020.

There are also some “Made in Spain” models which were sold in England under Hornby’s Scalextric brand, for example:
- Lancia 037 (various decorations)
- BMW M1 (various decorations)
- Audi Quattro (various decorations)
- Ferrari GTO “Cimarron”
- BMW M3 (various decorations)
- Ford RS 200 (various decorations)
- Porsche 959
- Ferrari F1
- McLaren Honda MP4-4 (not in the UK)

Plus several SRS references:
- C016SRS Lancia LC2 SRS
- C017SRS Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 SRS
- C018SRS Porsche 956 SRS
- C019SRS Mercedes 190E 2.3-16 SRS
- C020SRS McLaren F1 MP4/2B SRS
- C021SRS Ferrari F1 156-05 SRS
- C022SRS Porsche 956 „Mobil“ SRS

The first BMW M1 were produced in Spain in 1982. The car was available in 4 different colours (yellow, white, red and dark green) and with two different sticker sets each. The car presented here is one of these.

Other BMW M1 include
- BMW M1 “20th Anniversary” from 1982 in black (limited edition) - very rare!
- BMW M1 “20th Anniversary” from 1982 in silver (for customers only) - ultra rare!
- BMW M1 “Motul” (ref 4072) from 1985 in white.

The last version made of this beautiful car was the BMW M1 „Jägermeißter“ from 1991 (Ref. 8337). Since the letter “ß” is not available in the Spanish alphabeth, this model is often listed as “Jagermeifter”. This version is considered to be rare.

In England, this car was available in black with the reference C347 from 1984 to 1992. (this version is very similar to the Spanish “20th Anniversary” edition) and also in silver with Reference C405 from 1991 to 1992.

 

 Instructions included in 8337 BMW M1 "Jägermeißter" or "Jagermeifter"

FACTS AND FIGURES

• Name: BMW M1, BMW M1 and BMW M1 “Jägermeißter” (Ref. 4063, C347 and 8337)
• Scale: 1:32
• Year: 1982, 1985 and 1991
• Company: Exin, Scalextric UK (Spain and Great Britain)
• Size: approx. 15 cm

#402 SCALEXTRIC UK – ROVER 3500 POLICE (Ref. 362) (1985)

HISTORY OF SCALEXTRIC (UK) – MINIMODELS, LTD & TRIANG

Scalextric is a brand of slot cars and racing track sets. Although the name appeared first in 1957, the concept of “slot” is a bit older.

In 1947, the company Minimodels, Ltd. was founded by Fred (Freddie) B. Francis. At the time, the company manufactured tin toys. In 1952, he had the idea to incorporate a wind-up mechanism in tin cars, and that’s how the “Scalex” line was born. The name refers to the fact, that cars were on scale. The Scalex were very popular during their first few years, but around 1956, sales decreased dramatically. This led Mr. Francis to think on how to improve the toys Minimodels made, and which by the way were almost the same thing that the company was manufacturing at the time.

First he thought it would be a good idea to create some track in which kids could simulate races, and he came to some kind of plastic track with two slots on it, in which cars would fit. The next step was to substitute the wind-up motor for an electric one, and then, power it from the track itself. Scalextric (Scalex + Electric) was now designed and ready to be produced. The first tracks were fed by batteries. The toy was presented in 1957 in the Harrogate Toy Fair.

This improved version of Scalex was also very successful. So successful, that Minimodels could not manufacture as many units of cars and tracks as needed, and could not meet the demand on time. In 1958, Minimodels was sold to Tri-ang (part of the Lines Bros. imperium back then), which was a much bigger company, and had the means to produce those toys efficiently and place the orders without delay.

Triang re-released old Scalex models with some modifications to be driven in the slot tracks. Later, Triang would team-up with another company part of the Lines Bros. group called Rovex, and whose major focus was plastic. Cars were still being made of metal, and tracks, of rubber. Then they both changed to plastic. Plastic was much cheaper to produce and it allowed a better casting and modelling, making car models more attractive.

The car presented today is much more modern than that. It is the latest of the 3 British versions of the Rover 3500 Police.

• C284 with siren and flashing roof lights (1981-82) – “Police” on bonnet
• C315 with siren and flashing roof lights (1983-84) – “Police” plus crest on bonnet
• C362 without siren, with flashing roof lights (1985-93) – “Police Patrol” on bonnet

Mine is the most common version, since it was sold for 8 years in a row. Something strange, is that the car was not sold fully assembled, but included the srear mirrors in a plastic bag and still attached to a plastic tree. Nice detail that Scalextric also decided to include a spare pair of brushes.

The first two versions (C284 and C315) were also sold in Spain under the reference 4020 in 1985 and 1986 respectively. These cars were not manufactured in Spain, but imported.

FACTS AND FIGURES

• Name: ROVER 3500 "POLICE" (Ref. C362)
• Scale: 1:32
• Year: 1985 (to 1993)
• Company: Scalextric UK (Great Britain)
• Size: approx. 15 cm

#401 COMICFIGUREN PREISKATALOG COMICFIGUREN 2005/2006 (BERND MAIER, ANDREAS UTSCHIG)

I acquired this book just two months ago, since I found it very cheap in an online bookstore. I already had a kinder surprise toy catalogue, and I guessed, this might be similar. It is the edition from 2005/2006, and that’s the reason why it was cheaper than usual. There is a newer version from 2009/2010, in this same publishing house (KMS Verlag), but I don’t really care, since I am only interested in vintage toys.

There is also another book available dealing with Smurfs. Apparently there are so many Smurf made, that they have their own book. It is also understandable, since there are many collectors who just focus on Smurfs. In this catalogue you won’t find any!

But what you will find is a very comprehensive collection of pictures and lists of PVC figures. Each page contains a colour picture of some figures, plus a list with the name of the collection, the year of issue, the names of the figures, some remarks about them and the estimated price.

The major manufacturers are present: Bully, Schleich, Yolanda, Comics Spain, Heimo, Plastoy, Maia+Borges, Mattel, Star Toys, Papo, Fischer, Goebel, LU, Kid’M, Artoys…

In my opinion, it is a great book to check every now and then, and see which figures are available, how rare they are, or just to keep it and watch the nice pictures. If you were born in the 80s or earlier, you’ll probably recognise all characters in the book.

Although the book is written in German, it doesn’t really matter much if you don’t understand it. You’ll only miss the introduction (2 pages) from the authors, but you’ll enjoy the rest of the catalogue.

#400 YOLANDA – VARIOUS SUPERHEROES (Around 1990)

I dedicated one entry to PVC superheroes made by Comics Spain. That time I presented three figures from DC and Marvel comics, and this time I will do the same. Unfortunately, I cannot add much to what I have already said about PVC figures, and about superheroes there are other webpages with plenty of information about them.

The funny thing about Yolanda and Comics Spain is that they released exactly the same characters, in similar positions, with only a few exceptions:
-Spider Woman and Dr. Octopus, which were only released by Comics Spain
-and Yolanda made two versions of Captain America and four versions of Spiderman (standing or crouching either red or black dress).

These figures are around 8 cm high, and if put all together they look very very well. I wish I had more of them to display all together. If I find more of this, the entry will be updated.

Although the figures are copyrighted 1986, they were made some years later, maybe around 1990. Don't mistake the vintage PVC figures with some newer made figures. Yolanda releases these superheroes steadily since 10 to 15 years. Newer figures are slightly bigger (maybe 10 cms) and better sculpted.

FACTS and FIGURES:

• Name: SPIDERMAN, THE PUNISHER, SHE-HULK and DR. DOOM 
• Alternate Names: EL HOMBRE ARAÑA, EL CASTIGADOR, HULKA y EL DOCTOR MUERTE (Spain)
• Year: Around 1990
• Company: Yolanda (Spain)
• Size of the figures: Around 8 cm (3’’)

#399 MICRO MACHINES – SNAPBACKS COLLECTIONS #2, #3 and #6 (1990)

This series of Micro Machines was launched in 1990 for the first time. That first year included exactly 6 collections of three cars each. These new cars were equipped with a miniature pull-back motor, which is always an exciting feature.

Snapbacks Collection #6: Mondial, M-B Gullwing, Nissan 300ZX

 
These cars are heavier than the usual micromachine. They’re made of metal. Another distinctive feature are the rubber rear tyres, which provide the necessary grip. These rubber tyres are in many cases missing (25 years have passed!). They tend to harden and break into pieces. It is difficult to find models with both (rear) tyres. I you find one of these cars, please do not roll it! ohterwise, they’ll probably break. I wish there was a replacement for this, so we could use these cars again.

Snapbacks Collection #3: M-B Gullwing, Porsche 959, Ferrari F-40

The same 6 collections were available in 1991 and then discontinued in 1992. Why? No idea! I think they were attractive, and I think they didn’t sell badly, since I have bought (2nd hand) many of them…  There are 9 different models, each of them in two different decorations.

Cars in these collections:
Collection #2: Porsche 959, Nissan 300ZX and Volkswagen Beetle
Collection #3: Mercedes Benz 300 SL "Gullwing", Porsche 959 and Ferrari F40
Collection #6: Mercedes Benz 300 SL "Gullwing", Ferrari Mondial and Nissan 300ZX

Snapbacks Collection #2: Porsche 959, Nissan 300ZX and VW Beetle

In the blog I only show complete collections, when I get the last car in the collection, I update the different entries dedicated to MM, so if you didn’t checked MM entries in a while, you might find something new in the old entries. Remember there is a label Micro Machines.

FACTS AND FIGURES

• Name: SNAPBACKS COLLECTIONS #2, #3 and #6
• Scale of the cars: 1:150 aprox.
• Year: 1990
• Company: Galoob (U.S.A.)
• Size: approx. 2 cm