#992 MATCHBOX – BURNIN’ KEY CARS – DODGE CHARGER DAYTONA and KENWORTH MAGIC TRUCK (1983)

As early as in entry #25, I already wrote an extensive text about Kidco, the company that was producing the Burnin’ Key Cars before Matchbox, so please visit it again to find information about Kidco and the relation between Kidco and Matchbox.

 

This time I will just present this two excellent blisterpacks containing no less than a Dodge Charger Daytona and a Kenworth Magic Truck “Blue Chief”, unopened, but with some wear on the card and the blister. There were several of these cards made, but all of them included, of course, the key to activate the car (in an orange keyring with a sticker that passed to the car decoration). Later reissues of the cars (in new decorations) changed the key design and came without the keyring. In the pictures, behind the key there is a piece of cardboard that could be mistaken for a box for the card, but it is not.

 

 

Interestingly, one of the cardbacks still has an original price tag from Morawa, marking 49 Austrian Schillings, which is around 3,50 Euro…. Extremely expensive for the early-mid 80s, at least in my opinion. Maybe this is the reason why they are rare to find nowadays… they didn’t sold well at the time. The price tag at the front is obviously newer and has no interest for collector.

 

The backcard shows the complete series of cars (14 models) and trucks (8 models), I think these were the first series available, but it would later be expanded with new decorations for this original models, new models and even sub-series such as the Demolition Cars.

 

I guess many collectors despise them because they are not die-cast. The base is metallic, but the body is made of plastic, which is good, since it is a toy that suffers a lot of rough play, and the front part is made of a softer plastic, as if it was an oversized bumper. As a toy it is great, and the mechanism was copied by many other manufacturers inmediatly. Anybody can recognize this kind of toy and surely recalls having or playing with one of them, if not Kidco or Matchbox, from another toymaker.

 

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: DODGE CHARGER DAYTONA and KENWORTH MAGIC TRUCK (BURNIN’ KEY CARS)
• Scale: 1:64 (approx.)
• Year: 1983
• Company: Matchbox (United Kingdom) / Kidco (Macau)
• Size: Around 7 cm long

#991 NACORAL - MERCEDES 1905 and PEUGEOT 1898 (Ref. 1008, 1011) (Around 1963)

I think I have already written about this series of oldtimers in the past, if not in this blog, at least in the magazine Figuras En Acción.

It is a short series of plastic classic cars (from the beginning of the 20th century) in a very large scale, 1:18, 1:24 or 1:37, depending on the model. Originally, they were casted in colours which were more close to reality, but in further runs, we could find some strange red, dark green and other colours (bright blue and yellow) which make the miniature look more like a toy than like a car. The cars shown today are all belonging to some intermediate run. 

They were available since the late 50s to the 80s, together with Matchbox´s Models of Yesteryear popularity, and they were probably a good idea at the time, since the only classic cars available at the time were either in smaller scale of too expensive (brands such as Bburago had 1:24 and 1:18 scales). According to some sources, this particular collection was the most profitable ever for Nacoral. They were advertised in TV and sold in many countries worldwide.

 

These were the first released ever, starting as early as 1958 (some would be re-released with a 4-digit number later). These are rare and difficult to spot (especially in their boxes)

• Ref.365. Ford T 1910 (same as Ref.1102)
• Ref.370. Packard 18 Landaulet 1912
• Ref.375. Morris Comley 1923
• Ref.380. Rolls Royce 1907 (same as Ref.1104)
• Ref.565. Talbot Darracq 1904
• Ref.570. Mercer Racer 1914 (same as Ref.1006)
• Ref.615. Mercedes Simplex 1902
• Ref.620. Ford T Coupé (same as Ref.1103) 
  
• Ref.625. Rolls Royce Coupé 1908  (same as Ref.1105) 
  
• Ref.630. Panhard Levassor 1908
  
• Ref.635. Fiat 1899 (same as Ref.1019) 
  
• Ref.640. Renault 1899 
  
• Ref.645. Renault 1914 Taxi de la Marne 
• Ref.650. Citroën 5 CV
• Ref.655. Renault 1911

 It is interesting to note that at the time of their release, the oldest model was around 60 years old.

We continue with the 24 models made for the regular series, that, in this type of box, was available for many years and generated a lot of business for Nacoral.

• Ref.1001. Peugeot 1905
• Ref.1002. Renault 1903
• Ref.1003. Packard 1913
  
• Ref.1004. Maxwell Roadster 1911
  
• Ref.1005. Mercedes 1910
  
• Ref.1006. Mercer 1914
• Ref.1007. Opel Coupé 1909
  
• Ref.1008. Mercedes 1905 / Mercedes Paddy Wagon 1905
  
• Ref.1009. Peugeot 1892
  
• Ref.1010. Panhard 1898
  
• Ref.1011. Peugeot 1898
  
• Ref.1012. Renault 1907
  
• Ref.1013. Renault 1907-1910
  
• Ref.1014. Camión Renaul Carga 1907-1910
  
• Ref.1015. (not given)
  
• Ref.1016. Fiat 1908
  
• Ref.1017. Fiat Bianchi 1905
  
• Ref.1018. Fiat 24CV
  
• Ref.1019. Fiat 1898
  
• Ref.1101. Mercedes 1901
  
• Ref.1102. Ford T 1910
  
• Ref.1103. Ford T Coupé 1912
  
• Ref.1104. Rolls Royce 1907
  
• Ref.1105. Rolls Royce Coupé/Berlina 1908
• Ref.1106. Rolls Royce Carroza
  

 

 

That was the standard plastic collection, there were additional subseries that exploited the same castings. For example, some models were injected completely in silver grey or copper, and packaged in specific boxes, or in the same boxes than the ordinary series with a "PLATA" or "COBRE" sticker (Silver or Copper, in Spanish). These had a completely different look, they actually looked like a jewel or a trophy, and were probably intended to decorate some room or working desk.

 

Additionally, Nacoral made some models (at least 17) in bright colours (yellow, red, blue, white) for the "hippy" series. These had a 4-digit reference starting with 12xx and were sold in an urn with plastic base, the same base used for the metal-casted models (such as this Rolls Royce here).

And finally, the old cars were made in die-cast metal, although it is not quite clear how many, at least 6. These are much rarer, so I cannot really specify which parts were metallic and which plastic. For them, the reference number is also 4-digited and start with 38xx.

 

 

And this is not all since Inzaplas, the cooperative society formed by the employees after the closing of Nacoral, also released several models with their own boxes and urns. The models are in principle identical, except for the one-piece wheels casted in plastic and deocrated with chromed hubcaps, that does not look as realistic as the wheels made by Nacoral themselves.

I'd like to add that these two (and a few others) are a gift of my friend Steven.

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name:  MERCEDES 1905 and PEUGEOT 1898 (Ref. 1008, 1011) 
• Scale: 1-18-1:24 (?)
• Year: Around 1963
• Company: Nacoral (Spain)
• Size: Around 15 cm long