#391 MC TOY / MAISTO / EDOCAR - VARIOUS PORSCHE MODELS IN 1:64 SCALE (1984 and 1990)

In this second chapter, we will go a bit deeper in the history of the company. In the previous entry, I told that the company was founded in 1967, and (supposedly) made die-cast scale cars until the mid to late 80s. I say supposedly, because I have never seen any of these older models. The one I know are models from 1984 and on.

Further details about these old cars say that they were toy oriented, but later became high quality. It is thought that MC Toy was paying licenses to reproduce some cars, and that’s why they’re so accurate. These casts were used for their own MC Toy brand, but also for other European and North-American manufacturers, like Edocar (Netherlands) or (later?) Guisval (Spain). These models can be either identical to MC Toy’s or have different colours.

Here's a sample of Edocar's Porsche 365A, identical to MC Toy's only in red instead of grey. There will be another entry dealing with Edocar models soon...

As said in the previous entry, MC Toy produced quality models, with excellent paintwork, interiors, windows and also good wheels and suspension. Their packages were also nicely done and beautifully decorated. At that time (end of the 80s), MC Toy launched a few series mainly in 1:64 scale (Mini Racers, Transfo-Colors, Turbo Tread, 3 Colour Magic Car…)  but also in 1:43 (The Superior, The Classic, Old Timer, Rally…)

Maisto would also release a lot of different series, and would also produce for other manufacturers like Tonka or Zylmex, or supermarket chains like Toys R’ Us or Kmart.

By the end of the 80s or maybe in the early 90s, MC Toys also started producing other bigger scales, like 1:24 or 1:18, that were sold under the Maisto brand. These models were also very accurate. Maisto was intended to be the high-quality class of MC Toy, but in 1992, all 1:64 cars started being produced with new plates in which we can see the Maisto logo and not MC Toy’s. Accoring to Capital Diecast Garage, exactly at that point, an arrangement with Zylmex came to an end, what also forced the change of brand. Instead of returning to the old MC Toy, they simply changed the logo and marketed the same old models with the new brand.

The next model (Porsche 956) is presented in itc MC Toy and Maisto versions, which differ only in the colour (blue MC Toy, Red Maisto) and in the plate (MC Toy is made in Macau, Maisto in China). Maybe they're actually made in the same factory since Macau passed from Portugal to China in 1999.

The next Porsche 959 probably belongs to a different series than Mini Racers, since it has practicable doors, something very rare in MC Toy's 1:64 scale models, and the rear lights are made of an extra separate plastic piece.

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: Porsche 956 (Ref. 8442), Porsche 911 Turbo, Porsche 356A (Ref. 9003), Porsche 959 (Ref. 9009) and Porsche 911 Speedster (Ref. 9012)
• Scale: 1:64 (approx.)
• Year: The two first digits in the reference number indicates the year of design and manufacture, so: 1984 and 1990
• Company: MC Toy (U.S.A./ Macau/ China), Maisto (U.S.A./ China) and Edocar (Netherlands, China)
• Size: approx. 3’’ or 7 cm