#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

#871 PIATNIK - AUTO-QUARTETT (Nr. 298) (1963)

What an amazing deck of cards I got! This is now one of the oldest car quartetts I own.

The game has 9 families, some of them are car types (oldtimers, trucks and racing) while other are countries (Germany, Italy, France, Great Britain, U.S.A. and a mixture of other countries).

Each car or vehicle is drawn, not photographed, over a (one or two) solid color(s) background. The result is amazing, a real design from the 50s and early 60s.

These set came in a plastic box and is a reedition. Aparently there are earlier versions from 1958 and 1961, I guess the earliest, if not both, came in the cardboard box. Note that in the “Racers” family, there are two models that indicate 1963.
According to Quartett-Blog, there are nine different set for this reference number:

• 1959-1962: Auto-Quartett, with red Citroen ID 19 (4 different sets)
• 1963-1967: Auto-Quartett, with yellow Citroen ID 19 (5 different sets)

Some (very few) cards seem to be different from one set to the other, but unfortunately, I have only this one, so I cannot compare.

The back of the cards show a tyre.

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: AUTO QUARTETT (Ref. 298)
• Year: 1963
• Company: Piatnik (Austria)

#160 MATCHBOX LESNEY – MILK DELIVERY TRUCK, LYONS MAID ICE-CREAM MOBILE SHOP and TV SERVICE VAN (Nrs. 21c, 47b and 62b) (1961 and 1963)

These three vans or small trucks are three of my best Matchboxs, I bought them last Christmas boxed, and are in a relative good condition, they have a couple of chips, but since they are very old models and hard to find, I guess they’re ok like that. These vans were released in the early 60s: the Milk Delivery Truck was released in 1961, while the other two were released in 1963. They were discontinued in 1968.

Milk Delivery Truck or Commer Bottle Float:

The first model, the Milk Delivery Truck (number 21, or sometimes referred as well as 21c) was available with the old grey metal wheels, and with black plastic wheels. Mine is the later version. There are many different variations of this model, including different colours for the bottles’ load, windshield and the decals (at least two types of decals). The colour of this van has slight variations in a pale shade of green, and the decals on the doors show a cow (like mine) or a bottle of milk.

On the base it is labelled as “Commer Bottle Float”, which is another common name for this vehicle.

Lyons Maid Ice-Cream Mobile Shop or Commer Ice Cream Canteen

The second model, the Lyons Maid Ice-Cream Mobile Shop, or as labelled in the base: “Commer Ice Cream Canteen” is another great model from 1963. It has again a few colour variations: at least two shades of blue and light brown, and again, several different decals (at least this one –Lyons Maid- and Lord Neilson). This one seems to be the most common. It is a very nice van for children, since kids love ice-creams and the seller inside of the cabin is a very nice detail. I guess it was massively sold. Curiously, some other brands like Majorette have also produced die-cast ice-cream vans…

TV Service Van:

The last model presented in this entry is the TV Service Van, available in light brown only but with two different decals: “Rentaset” or “Radio Rentals”. My model is the first of these two, and is complete, something very rare in this model. It came with a few accessories attached to a plastic “tree”. I also have the tree with three televisions, butthe ladder and the antenna have been removed from it. If the model is complete, it is quite expensive to buy it. It was also available with grey wheels.

As you can see in the pictures, the antenna and the ladder are placed at the top of the van, while the televisions can be kept inside of the van. It has a practicable door that opens up andcloses down.

I have to mention, that matchbox models made in these years have a problem with the paint and the lacquer, and if they have been played, or uncorrectly stored, they present great paint loss, as well as rust. It is also important to mention that they can also suffer from sun damage. Some variations in the plastic part or in the body colour can be produced by a long sun exposure in the past, so be careful before you acquire some “ultra-rare variation”. Decals are also rarely complete, always partly missing.

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: MILK DELIVERY TRUCK, LYONS MAID ICE-CREAM MOBILE SHOP and TV SERVICE VAN (Nrs. 21c, 47b and 62b)
• Alternate Names: COMMER BOTTLE FLOAT, COMMER ICE CREAM CANTEEN.
• Scale: 1:64 (approx.)
• Year: 1961, 1963 and 1963 (all discontinued in 1968)
• Company: Matchbox Lesney (G. Britain)
• Size: approx. 6 cm