In the first article published in this blog
about Darda, we already talked about a Buggy, which was the first creation of
Helmut Darda, and the first model to be sold with the new, revolutionary
pullback motor. I am not sure if it was exaclty this model of Buggy the one which was designed first, since there are a few similar models, for example, one came with a folded canopy on the back, other with a soft top, while this one has a roll bar between
front and rear seats.
I own this model twice, although the second
unit is actually a copy made in Hong Kong by
another unknown die-cast company. The car is marked on
the chassis only as "Made in Hong Kong -
Pat P" (Patent Pending), plus a logo with two children faces. If you have more information about this Darda
bootleg, please let me know.
Comparing both, you´ll discover almost no
differences. The most notable are the motor and the plastic interior, that have
different colours. The bootleg motor does not work, so it has been proven to be a
lower quality product, than the original one, which is still working.
I have also found this nice ad on Youtube,
which was aired in 1976 according to the person who uploaded it. You can see
the most important features of the toy there.
NOTE: If
you're interested in this particular brand, I have updated all previous entries
dealing with it. See all my Darda articles here.UPDATE: Second Buggy unit in green
- Name: BEACH BUGGY (Nr. 1280-140)
- Scale: Approx 1:64
- Year: Around 1975 / Unknown
- Company: Darda (Germany) / Unknown Toymaker (Hong-Kong)
- Size: Around 6 cms
I've just bought a Hong Kong copy of a Darda - mine just says Made In Hong Kong, nothing else
ReplyDeletehttps://www.flickr.com/gp/bungle_bus/Vrn076
Interesting! Thanks for sharing the picture and taking the time to comment here. Didn't you picture the car? Just the base?
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