This is a rare toy made by Mira in the early to
mid-80s. I received it as a gift at that time, and I have kept it ever since. There
are just a few pictures of it in the internet, but all of them come from
auction sites, where by the way, they’re selling quite high. I think it is a
nice toy, and since it is a Vespa, I guess many Vespa owners would like to one
also one of these.
Although Mira made some motorbike models in a
smaller scale,
this Vespa is somehow a rare item. To my knowledge, it is the only motorbike in
this scale ever made by Mira. The scale should be around 1:12 and 1:20.
It is important to mention, that Vespa (and
this model in particular) was a very popular model at the time and many
children would recognise it from their families or friends.
This Vespa was made in white, red, blue and
yellow, and each model included a driver. I have seen red and yellow drivers
that were probably applied randomly to each motorbike. The red driver wears a
white helmet, while the yellow one wears a blue one. The overall has some
details in the colour of the helmet, like a stripe at each side. I remember I
“restored” that line, since the paint was partially worn off.
The motorbike itself was decorated with nice
colour stripes, the seat was a black plastic piece, and had some chromed parts.
Unfortunately those parts have some playwear and do not shine like they used
to… The plates are A-7005-JM, where A is Alicante,
the province in which Mira had its factory. The handles were finished with some
plastic/gum pieces, that are currently missing, but that can be replaced very
easily.
Among the most fragile parts, are the brake
bars. In this model one is missing completely, and the other one is broken. The
rims and the gum tyres are also very nice details. The gum tyres are necessary
because this model is equipped with a pull-back motor.
If you want to know more about the company, check this entry.
FACTS AND FIGURES:
- Name: VESPA 200 DN (Ref. 809)
- Scale: Around 1:12
- Year: Around 1984
- Company: Mira (Spain)
- Size: approx. 13 cm
I have a black one just bought recently with white rider and red stripe and helmet can’t find any info on this colour in black is it rarer one
ReplyDeleteHi, yes, the black model is an ordinary one. It was available in the following colours: white, black, yellow, red and dark blue. I haven't investigated the combination vespa colour - driver colour. Thanks for the comment!
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