#1097 GISIMA – GS and BMW TURBO (GALLETAS SIRO PROMOTIONAL) (Around 1986)

There are not so many Gisima models as one may think, but some are quite rare and others are common. These two models are probably the ones that were made in bigger quantities, that is, the two most representative of this die-cast maker. The BMW already appeared in this blog in entry #795.

The GS is new to this blog, but I have to say it was my first Gisima, bought in 1984 or 1985. The original one had the same colour as the BMW, and it broke while playing with it. First the trunk, then everything else. I kept the remainings for a long time. This other model in red was bought much later, approximately in 2021, if I recall properly, together with the other car in the pictures.

The particularity of these two, is that they are promotional items, as they could be originally found in the boxes of Siro cookies (galletas in Spanish). Siro had a long tradition of giving away die-cast cars of different makers, mainly Mira and Gisima, but also Guisval o Guiloy were once part of the promotions. It is an open question if a particular model by Gisima was produced more often with the Siro sticker or without it (for retail sale), as these were rare to find in shops, that usually prefferred more renowned brands such as Guisval or Mira.

I once wrote a very long article dealing with promotional die-cast cars in Spain, that I published in the magazine Figuras En Acción, and the longest chapter in that article was the one dedicated to Siro. It is worth the time downloading this magazine and translating the text using Google Lens or any other online translator if you are interested in this particular brand.

Of course I have to remark that both models are copies of Majorette toys, being the GS the GS Camargue. Some other mdels made by Gisima, especially in the first years are knock-offs of more famous international brands, but in the later years, let´s say around the turn of the decade and from then on, they produced their own casts. These models are much more scarce but also more interesting for collectors, despite having very basic casts and not many details. Maybe you want to take a look at some other Gisimas in this blog!

FACTS AND FIGURES: 

• Name: GS and BMW TURBO (GALLETAS SIRO) (PROMOTIONAL)
• Scale: 1:64
• Year: Around 1986
• Company: Gisima (Spain)
• Size: approx. 7 cm

#1089 BLUE-BOX – PEUGEOT 205 (Around 1992)

I have never seen this mechanism anywhere else in a toy car of 3 inches size. The base of the miniature includes a plastic ratchet that will turn together with the wheels, so, when moving it, it will produce a RR-RR-RR-RR sound, as if the engine or the motor were working at full speed. Such a simple idea and such a nice implementation with almost no costs.

I also like a lot that they represented the Peugeot 205, a car that became very popular in the late 80s and the beginning of the nineties. Many other brands made it at the same scale (for example, Majorette or Guisval). It was even done as a Raid car, such as the Scalextric STS model in Paris-Dakar decoration. It was a very popular car, cheap, families could afford buying one of these, so it was a common sight in the countries where it was available. Unfortunately, the detail level is not very good, but you still can recognise the car without any problems. The paint is also not the best.

This was a rare find, as Blue-Box is quite rare outside of the UK. I do not have many toys made by this brand, and all I have have already been presented in the blog, so, if you are interested in this particular toymaker, you can check its history in this entry, or see other plastic vehicles here.

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: PEUGEOT 205
• Scale: Around 1:64
• Year:  Around 1992
• Company: Blue Box (Hong-Kong)
• Size: approx. 7 cm

#1080 MAJORETTE SUPER CRISTAL - NISSAN TERRANO, VW COMBI CARAVELLE and HONDA NSX (107, 113 and 117) (1994)

I had interesting conversations with other collectors and miniature car enthusiasts regarding Novacar and the portuguese Majorettes since I started this blog, so I am happy to publish again something related to this particular topic.

I bought these three Majorette Super Crystal blisterpacks from eBay in October 2019, together with other boxed Majorettes and Zylmex, but this is the pace of this blog, it takes years to find a gap to be published!

The Super Crystal models from Majorette have a die-cast base and a plastic body, which allowed to make them transparent and include (or not) glitter in the plastic component. The cars look very different to any other die-cast model or subline and are commonly misregarded by most serious collectors. Still, they are nice toys, and also rare. The interior can be seen from the outside better than in die-cast models, and they remind a little bit of Micro Machines X-Rays, which are slightly older than these. Maybe was it an inspiration for Majorette?

There are not many models available (less than in the original Novacar reference list), but each of them could be found in different colours, so if you are a completists, I have bad news for you: One single cast can appear in up to 10 different „clear“ colours plus the same 10 colours plus „glitter“. I´ll try to list the colours first:

• Green, dark green, lime green
• Red, dark red, purple, pink
• Transparent
• Blue, turquoise

Now, let´s list the models. They use the same reference numbers as the original Novacar (as they share the chassis), but you´ll notice that there are some numbers missing in between. For example, number 101, which was a Ferrari 348 GTB is not available as a Super Crystal. Why? Nobady knows, but most probably it is because it would have been so similar to the 104 Ferrari Testarossa, that they would have been difficult to differentiate. Note that the details are more difficult to perceive in this shiny transparent body.  

Number 106 Peugeot 605 is also missing from the list (was it also too generic in its shape?), and there is also no trace of the two Formula ones  (these were probably not feasible with the glittery plastic compound or the spoilers couldn´t be made in glittery plastic, so they may have looked strange as prototypes.

So the complete list of Super Crystals is this one:

Serie 280 “Super Crystal”

• 102 – Nissan 300 ZX
• 103 – Chevrolet Corvette (’83)
• 104 – Ferrari Testarossa
• 105 – Mercedes 500 SL (Cabrio)
• 107 – Nissan Terrano (here presented in glittery green)
• 108 – Kenworth (T600)
• 109 – (Chevrolet) Impala Police
• 110 – Renault Espace
• 111 – Sport Proto (Porsche 962 Group C Racer)
• 113 – Combi VW Caravelle (here presented in glittery purple)
• 116 – Pick Up Chevrolet
• 117 – Honda NSX (here presented in clear transparent)

The cars could be purchased in single blisterpacks, like the ones I have, but also in double blisterpacks, but I have no notice of bigger boxes or gift sets. Of course, they were cheaper to produce than the standard die-cast series, but the shiny looking made them special so the gain per unit sold was probably great. Unfortunately, the sales were not good, and the line was discontinued after two years. They appear in the Majorette catalogues between 1994 and 1996, year in which the portuguese factory of  Paredes was closed (together with some other in France) and a big part of the prodcution moved to Thailand.

1996 Catalogue

FACTS AND FIGURES: 

• Name:  NISSAN TERRANO, VW COMBI CARAVELLE and HONDA NSX (107, 113 and 117)
• Scale: 1:64
• Year: 1994
• Company: Majorette (France/Portugal)
• Size: approx. 7 cm

#1079 SIKU – JAGUAR E TYPE 2+2 (V294) and OPEL GT 1900 (V304) (1968 and 1970)

Two entries ago we presented an Opel GT from Schuco and said, the car had not been represented many times at scale as a toy. But here it is another representation of it, the model made by Siku at around 1:55 scale. And the Jaguar E as a companion.

Let' start commenting the Jaguar E, as it is slightly older than the Opel. The model was produced between 1968 and 1982, and has an scale of 1:60. It was originally released with the reference V294, but from 1974 on, the model carries the 1015 reference.

My car is the silver version, although there are also white or red miniatures available. Being one of the most iconic British cars of all times, it is a common reproduction in many die-cast brands, including the major and best-selling ones.

The second car, the Opel GT was produced between 1970 and 1978 at the same scale. Until 1974, it was reference number V304, then 1018. Unfortunately, it presents a lot of paint chips, but it may take years until I find a better one, so this goes to my Siku collection. 

FACTS AND FIGURES: 

• Name:  JAGUAR E TYPE 2+2 (V294) and OPEL GT (V304)
• Scale: 1:60
• Year: 1968 and 1970
• Company: Siku (West Germany)
• Size: approx. 8 cm

#1075 GINGELL/RHINO – HUDSON HORNET '51, CHEVROLET BEL-AIR '57, FORD THUNDERBIRD '57, CHEVROLET CORVETTE '62 and CHEVROLET CAMARO IROC-Z '82 (Around 1994)

These set of cars came in a big lot of toys including also Transformers, Micro Machines and plastic figures. There were some die-cast models as well, most of them very crude Made in China. Among them, I was surprised to find these classic American cars from the 50s and the 60s, so I put them aside. Also the Camaro seemed to belong to the same series, so I also kept it. I learnt from Steven (from the Motorcade) that these cars are Rhino (or Gingell, see previous entry). 

It is quite uncommon to find in these sets from the early 90s other than sport cars and utility vehicles, and cars like the Hudson Hornet are also rare in 1:64 scale, so that makes a nice addition to my collection.

The colours are basic, but the tampogaphies are very elaborated. They include funny words such as Fire-Wheel, Turboline, T.Fashion or High Sport, but this is also part of their charm.

FACTS AND FIGURES: 

• Name:  HUDSON HORNET '51, CHEVROLET BEL-AIR '57, FORD THUNDERBIRD '57, CHEVROLET CORVETTE '62 and CHEVROLET CAMARO IROC-Z '82
• Scale: 1:64
• Year: Around 1994
• Company: Gingell/Rhino (China)
• Size: approx. 6 cm

#1074 GINGELL – BMW 323i CABRIO, FERRARI TESTAROSSA and PORSCHE CARRERA (Around 1993)

I have to admit, that, despite collecting toy cars since my childhood, I have no idea about most of these cheaper, made in China, brands that popped-up in the early 1990s. I usually get advice of Steven from the Motorcade, or I visit his webpage directly. 

The models themselves are rather uninteresting. Not bad casts, but lots of plastic, black windows and also bad tampographies (although I appreciate the racing numbers, as they help, or, at least, helped me as a kid, to organize races at home). The BMW seems to be a poor copy of a Matchbox model, but otherwise, there is nothing remarkable about them. 

The cars have been spotted in sets of many cars, and with different commercial names, but the company behind them is Gingell (Gingell Die-Casting Mfy. Ltd.). This company operated either with a big “G” logo or with a second logo that represented a rhinoceros, so Gingell is sometimes called Rhino, too (we will come to that in our next entry). Those logos appear in the boxes, not on the bases of the cars or anywhere else, so it is difficult to identify these miniatures loose. At HobbyTalk.com there are some threads that try to get a list of these models and investigate in which sets they were available. 

Both logos have been retrieved from HobbyTalk.com

Something noteworth is that the bases seem to be prepared to carry a pull-back motor, but this is not present in any of them. They do not have a reference number or any marking on the base other than "Made in China".

I bought these three cars together with other things, so I didn't have to pay for the shipping. The interesting part for me were the stickers placed over the roofs of the cars with the logo of Wüstenrot, an Austrian company for financial services, real-state and insurance. They were probably intended as a give-away to the kids who came to their offices together with their parents.

FACTS AND FIGURES: 

• Name:  BMW 323i CABRIO, FERRARI TESTAROSSA and PORSCHE CARRERA
• Scale: 1:64
• Year: Around 1993
• Company: Gingell/Rhino (China)
• Size: approx. 6 cm

#1067 MATCHBOX vs. MAJORETTE – BMW 3.0 CSi/CSL (1973 and 1976)

These two miniatures are based on almost the same car. The BMW 3.0 CSi was the street version while the CSL was lighter and prepared for competition (the „L“ means „Leichtbau“ or „light construction“, both of them had 200 HP and were really fast.

 

Majorette´s reproduction is really fine, and it even came with opening doors. It was available between 1973 and 1979 in so many colours that I will skip a list of variants. They came also with different types of wheels. I have currently two in my collection. One in metallic red, the other one in blue. Both are in good shape, although with some chips in the paint. The construction of the roof is a bit fragile, note that the blue model has a little displacement, it was probably stepped on sometime in the past. This blue model carriese the oldest type of wheel. 

Matchbox version was copyrighted in 1976 and was sold between that year and 1981. The reproduction is slightly broader, specially in the arches over the wheels, what makes it look more like a sports car. The orange version is, by far, the most common, as it was sold during the whole lifespan of the cast.

There were other versions available, like the rarer white and green Polizei version made for Germany only, or the white and red version with 123 stickers (kind of emergency vehicle) produced between 1978 and 1979, or the even rarer S. Manhalter version, made for Austria only as a promotional item. This model is made in white and has a sticker on the back with a signature. The front sticker is the same as in the orange model. It is very rare, and, if mint in its box is being traded in 2025 for around 400-500 euro on the internet. Of course, this model is not mint, but I am sure I didn´t pay more than 1 euro for it (wherever I bought it), so I am happy to discover another rarity in my collection.

FACTS AND FIGURES: 

• Name: BMW 3.0 CSi and BMW 3.0 CSL
• Scale: Around 1:64
• Year: 1973 and 1976
• Company: Majorette (France) and Matchbox (United Kingdom)
• Size: approx. 7 cm