#456 CORGI JUNIORS vs. FEVA / REALTOY – LONDON TAXI (1985 and 1998)

I found not so long ago a London Taxi made by FEVA. I never saw any die-cast made by this brand, so I bought it. The car looked great, had practicable doors, windows, and other features that outweighed the “Made in China” on the base.

When I arrived home, I compared it to the model made by Corgi, and they are very similar. Let’s start maybe with this one first…

The model by Corgi (Corgi Juniors) was designed and launched in 1980. Probably somebody thought it would sell very well among tourists, since the taxis in London have become a symbol of the city, almost as famous as the red double-deck buses.

The taxi was also manufactured in the second “period” of Corgi Toys (now Corgi Toys Ltd.) from 1985 and 1994 (to which the car in the pictures belongs). This second “version” of the taxi is identical to the first one, but the wheels are cheaper and less attractive and the base is plain, just with the Corgi logo, “London Taxi” and “Made in China”.

The FEVA model, as said before, looks great, it is very similar to the Corgi cast, but it is clearly made out of another cast. The wheels look much better and the base plate is decorated with some exhaust pipes, transmission, suspension and so on. This toy is assembled with screws, which is something rare in toys made in the late 90s.

After some investigations, I found out that FEVA was a modern toy designer from the United Kingdom. They manufactured their toys in China, as almost all European toy manufacturers that still exist today. They were focused in toys with some technological component, like radio controlled helicopters or cars, but they also made board games, and other sort of traditional toys.

The company was founded 1998, and closed in 2007 (both dates approximately), and had their headquarters in the outskirts of London (Furlong Road, SL8 5AJ Bourne End, halfway between Maidenhead and High Wycombe). There you’ll find a medium-sized complex of offices that houses many different companies. Since the factories were in China, the facilities in London could have been rather small.

They had a webpage www.feva.co.uk that is no longer active. Old security copies show the company’s vision and other information.

For example, the vision of FEVA was:

"To be acknowledged, profitable, supplier of children’s products"

The company was directed by three men: Kevin Jones, Graham Spark and Paul Thomas, and had a few investors, like the Bank of Scotland.

Also curious is that the name FEVA is actually an acronym for Future-Energy-Vision-Action:

"FUTURE - We are committed to developing the future of the toy and children's products market
ENERGY - We bring a new energy to the business developing products
VISION - We have a vision of the market that has a broad based retail community and products are developed for specific retail channels
ACTION - We make decisions and take the necessary action to develop new opportunities"

The company wanted to establish themselves in the British toy market, but this was a difficult mission. Even though they made and distributed good quality toys, none of them became especially popular or sold especially well. Some of their toys were awarded with differente prizes, like the “Air Hogs RC Sky Patrol Helicopter” or the “Girl Crush Air Brush Tattoo”, that won the Duracell European Toy Survey in 2003 and 2004 respectively, or the that same helicopter and “Crossfire” (an action game), that were among the 10 best toys of 2003 for the ITV’s Toy of the Year.

Among the board games, we find some games based on classic games like the Hangman, Who is Who, Ludo… or more elaborated board games like Robot Wars: the Game (that reminds a bit of Space Crusade), or two licensed board games with the Power Rangers.

UPDATE (JUNE 2018) : Found this model in a flea market, Identical to the FEVA one. Probably the cast went to RealToy, as FEVA shut down. Everything excet the modified base plate is similar.

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: London Taxi (Ref. 71B and 61081)
• Scale: 1:64 (approx.)
• Year: 1985 and 1998
• Company: Corgi Toys (Great Britain) and FEVA (Great Britain / China) and Realtoy (China)
• Size: approx. 3’’ or 7 cm

#455 SIKU – PORSCHE 911 (V234 / 1010) and MERCEDES 280 SL (V302 / 1017) (1975)

These are two more German cars produced by Siku in the mid 70s, although they were available in a similar form from the mid to late 60s.

The original Porsche had the reference number V234 and was slightly different to the reedition from 1975, since it was the Porsche 901 model with opening trunk, jewel headlights, plastic taillights and different wheels. This model was available in several colours (blue, capri blue and green) with different interiors until 1969. Then it was discontinued, and over the same base, a few years later the Porsche 911 Targa was built. It was 1975 and the new car would carry the 1010 reference. It sold until 1987, but only in one version: metallic grey with black roof.

The Mercedes has a similar story, since the first version was available between 1969 and 1974 in cream white, and between 1975 until 1984 in metallic grey. The first version could have plastic headlights, or metallic ones, while the second version only had metallic ones. It is also interesting to mention that this mode (both models actually) have practicable doors and the front seats can be moved to the front for more realism.

The Porsche is not in its best shape, but it is still a nice car, and the Mercedes is better, but is missing the practicable part of one of the seats. Maybe I can complete it if I find another one. (I already found a second Mercedes and restored the seat).

To finish the article some pictures of the "Polizei" versión of the Porsche 911. This model is missing an antenna, similar to the antenna of this other Porsche model.

See more Siku models here: http://toysfromthepast.blogspot.com/search/label/Siku

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: PORSCHE 911 (V234 / 1010) and MERCEDES 280 SL (V302 / 1017)
• Scale: Approx 1:64
• Year: 1975 (first issues 1964 and 1969)
• Company: Siku (Germany)
• Size: Approx. 7 cm.

#454 WCW – LEX LUGER, RICK STEINER and STING (1990 and 1991)

The World Wrestling Championship Wrestling promotion WCW was an entertainment company that existed between 1988 and 2001. It was a part of the National Wrestling Alliance, until it was bought by Ted Turner in 1988 (and changed its name to WCW), Turner and the Time Warner company were its owners, and then in 2001 it was sold to their rival, the World Wrestling Federation from Vince McMahon.

These figures were released by Galoob between 1990 and 1991, but I am not sure which came first, if these, or the “Official WWF” from that I have already talked several times (many sources say Hasbro figures came first). What is quite clear, is that the WWF figures were much more successful, maybe simply because they were better made, articulated and with especial action gimmicks, while these were made of plastic, and were not articulated at all.

A few of these figures came with some accessory, and all of them had a WCW belt. In most second hand figures, the belt is missing, so if you want to have all your figures complete, you’ll need one of these for each figure.

The original series from 1990, as launched in the USA, comprised twelve wrestlers, some of these were available in two paint schemes, and other could be bought either in tag teams or in single blister cards.

From those 12 fighters, 10 were re-released one year later in the UK with new, different colour outfits (the two figures which were not re-released were Tom Zenk and Butch Reed), and then 9 more figures which hadn’t been previously released in the USA, and never would (the “UK Exclusives”).
I never had any of these figures, since at the time I didn’t even know the wresltlers. I think this TV show was never shown in Spain, and therefore the figures were not very appealing to children. All children I know preferred the other ones, or they even didn’t know there were such toys for sale.

Although Galoob wrestlers are not articulated, their authentic poses provide great playability, and you always have your imagination to turn these pieces of plastic in real miniature wrestlers! I like them quite a lot now, and I have only 8 to 10 figures...

LEX LUGER - SERIES 1 (1990)

RICK STEINER - SERIES 1 (1990)

STING (blue tights) - SERIES 1 (1990) and STING (black tights) - SERIES 2 (1991)

 

 

Face Make-Up is slightly different

The Scorpion printed on the tights is completely different from one version to the other

 

FACTS and FIGURES:

• Name: LEX LUGER, RICK STEINER and STING plus the UK Version of STING
• Toy Line: WCW
• Year: 1990 and 1991
• Company: Galoob (U.S.A.)
• Size of the figures: Around 12 cm

As an Appendix, I copy here the released figures according to the Wikipedia:

Series 1 - 1990 - released in the US
Ric Flair (blue tights)
Arn Anderson (white tights, no bald spot)
Arn Anderson (white tights with bald spot)
Sting (blue tights)
Sting (orange tights)
Lex Luger (blue tights)
Sid Vicious (black tights)
Barry Windham (black tights)
Brian Pillman (orange tiger print tights)
Tom Zenk (white tights)
Rick Steiner (purple and grey tights)
Scott Steiner (yellow tights)
Butch Reed (blue tights)
Ron Simmons (Blue tights)

Series 1 Tag Teams - 1990 - released in the US
Ric Flair & Arn Anderson (Flair with blue tights, Arn with white tights)
Sting & Lex Luger (Luger with blue tights, Sting with blue tights)
Sting & Lex Luger (Luger with blue tights, Sting with orange tights)
Rick Steiner & Scott Steiner (Rick with black/grey tights, Scott with yellow tights)
Butch Reed & Ron Simmons (both with solid blue tights)

Series 2 - 1991 - released in the UK
Ric Flair (red tights with white lightning bolt on front)
Arn Anderson (red tights)
Sting (black tights)
Lex Luger (green tights)
Sid Vicious (pink tights)
Barry Windham (blue tights)
Brian Pillman (light blue tights)
Brian Pillman (light blue tights with tiger face knee pads)
Rick Steiner (green tights)
Scott Steiner (pink and blue tights)
Ron Simmons (blue tights with white stripe on side)

Series 2 Tag Teams - 1991 - released in the UK
Ric Flair & Arn Anderson (in UK colors)
Sting & Lex Luger (in UK pre-ring, with robe colors)
Rick Steiner & Scott Steiner (in UK colors)
Michael Hayes & Jimmy Garvin

UK Exclusives - 1991
El Gigante
Big Josh (with wood ax handle)
Dustin Rhodes
Michael Hayes
Jimmy Garvin
Sting (pre-ring, with robe)
Lex Luger (pre-ring, with robe and gold chain)
Fabulous Freebirds Tag Team Set (Michael Hayes & Jimmy Garvin, comes boxed, with sound module - different from the carded UK tag set)
Sound Slammin' Action Ring (comes with sound module)

Unproduced prototypes
Ric Flair (pre-ring, with robe)
Diamond Studd
P.N. News
Richard Morton
Black Blood (unpainted, hand carved)
Michael Hayes (unpainted, pre-ring, with robe, hand carved)
Jimmy Garvin (unpainted, pre-ring, with robe, hand carved)
Sid Vicious (black tights, hand carved, short hair, different face)

Rings and accessories
Slam-Action Wrestling Arena
Sound Module for ring
Championship Belt
Collectors Case

14 inch fully poseable figures
Ric Flair
Sting
Lex Luger
Sid Vicious

#453 SOLIDO – CITROËN VISA and ALFA SUD (Nrs. 1302 and 1310) (1980)

SHORT HISTORY OF SOLIDO

Solido is a French manufacturer of die-cast models from France. The founder of the company was Ferdinand de Vazeilles, who in 1919 already created an ironworks specialized in metal-casting for the automobile and aviation industries, and whose name was: Fonderie de Précision de Nanterre.
The idea of making toys using that same technique, came a few years later, in 1930. And after some trials, the first zamak cars were built and ready to sell in 1932. That’s also the origin of the name Solido, which wanted to show how robust the toys were.

The first series were called Major, Junior and Baby (1932, 1933 and 1935) and were in 1.35 scale
Solido as a brand started in 1937, dedicated exclusively to toys in Zamak.

In 1952 a smaller scale (1:60) series was launched. It had the name “Mosquito” and comprised 12 roughly made models.

In 1953, the company passed from Ferdinand de Vazeilles to his son Jean René, that together with his two sisters Charlotte and Colette ran the company for a few decades.

After the war, the company was relocated from Nanterre to Ivry-la-Bataille in Normandy, where it would stay until 1974. That year the company moved to Oulins/Anet.

 

In 1957 Solido sterted the production of vehicles in 1:43 scale, which was already being used by other major European competitors. The new series was called simply “100 series” and the first model was the Jaguar Le Mans, that also had suspension mechanism. The numbering system started some years later, so some “100 series” models  have no reference.

In 1960 Solido also started the production of a military line, which had great success, and slowly started producing higher and higher quality products, each time further from toys and closer to adult collectables, like a series of cars that took part in the 24h of Le Mans made after the actual plans of the car makers.

Solido also had a line of “classic” cars in 1964 called “Âge d’Or” (representing cars between 1919-1944) as Matchbox had done with the “Models of Yesteryear”, and also a line of quality replicas in 1:18 scale during the 80s.

The 70s were a period of financial crisis, Solido entered Jouet Français Group resulting a new company called Heller-Solido S.A. That’s when the de Vazeilles family lost control over the company. At the end of 1980 the company went into liquidation and was purchased by Majorette. The factory at Oulins remained active, but with many measures to save money in production processes.

In 1993, again a crisis period, the group Majorette/Solido is sold to Ideal, and only 5 years later (1998), Ideal sells it to Triumph Adler. Five years later (2003) Majorette/Solido would be sold to the Smoby group that would retain it for seven more years, until the companies (or better, the brands) were sold to the Simba Dickie Group in 2010, were they still belong together with many other toy brands like Schuco or Tamiya. The factory in Oulins was closed in 2006 and the production reallocated in Asia.

The toys shown in this entry are two 1:43 models from 1980, one of them in its original package. As in Polistil models, the date in which the car was designed appears at the base plate, in this case, both models were made in 1980: the Alfa in February and the Citroën in July.

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: CITROËN VISA and ALFA SUD (Nrs. 1302 and 1310)
• Scale: 1:43
• Year: 1980
• Company: Solido (France)
• Size: approx. 9 cm