#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

#1056 MATCHBOX - OFFICIAL MATCHBOX SERIES COLLECTOR'S CASE (1968)

Another entry devoted to Matchbox die-cast, and another entry dealing with something unusual, as it is this carrying case from the mid to late 60s. I have seen many of these in Austria, but strangely, never saw any in Spain. I always wanted to have at least one to classify some die-cast models, although, in the meanwhile, I have discovered more efficient ways to store them in less space.

The box is made of plastic and comes with a (now useless) metal closing tab. It is decorated with the front of a matchbox box "regular wheels" showing the Ford GT model. I cannot see it very well as its previous owner put a sticker on top of it, that I didn´t want to remove (it is also representative of the time, as it is an appeal to bring more security to the conscripts doing the military service in Austria). There are several models of this case, each of them with different pictures in the front.

The interior has space for four stackable trays of plastic, each of them with capacity for 12 cars, although, depending on the models, you can squeeze two in the space of one. There were other types of cases (less common ones) with capacity for 12, 24, 72 or 96 models. The plastic body can be flattened for reasons which are unknown to me: it is too small to act as a playing mat and it is not decorated in the inside.

Other shapes and materials are not covered in this listing. Consider there were some made of paper or plastic, with the shape of a trailer truck, or a steering wheel. Some had removable trays, other had them fixed. Matchbox has been active during many years, and there was a lot of experimentation and fun invested also in these side-products.

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: OFFICIAL MATCHBOX SERIES COLLECTOR'S CASE
• Scale: For 1:64/3 inches cars
• Year: 1968
• Company: Matchbox (Great Britain)
• Size: approx. 32x27x9 cm

#987 JOAL - PEGASO VOLQUETE (Nº212) (Around 1968)

It was a long time ago since I published an entry dealing wit the 200 series by Joal, so now it’s time to show another reference, in this case, number 212.

This number corresponds to a Pegaso tipper truck, where the tipper part is located in an articulated trailer. I guess this was done to reuse the unmodified truck cast for other references.

The truck is a Pegaso Comet, beautifully casted with orange base and light brown interior. The trailer is completely orange. A typical detail in all Joal models are the license plates, in this case A-0208-M, corresponding to Alicante, the province in which this toy was made.

The truck is made in an approximate 1:64 scale and it displays nicely together with other Joal models and 3 inches cars. The 200 series by Joal has only few references, but they are all quite fine.

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: PEGASO VOLQUETE
• Scale: 1:64 (approx.)
• Year: Around 1968
• Company: Joal (Spain)
• Size: Around 15 cm long

#590 MERCURY – FIAT 125 and 850 (Around 1968)

At this moment, there are 7 entries dealing with Mercury toys. 6 old ones and the present one. It may seem a lot, but there is a trick... The first three dealt with motorbikes in 1:24 scale (although two of them were made by Guiloy, not by Mercury), and the 4th and 5th entries show the same car, a Ferrari 512S. The sixth entry commented the "Speedy Velox" series (1:64 scale).

But until now I had not the chance to show any pictures of more common models in 1:43 scale. The Ferrari 512S is ok, but I cannot really compare how accurate the model is, since I never saw this car in a museum or wherever.

These two models are much more common cars. There used too be a lot of them in the early 80s in Spain, the Fiat 850 was Seat 850 and the Fiat 125 was never available in Spain, but a close "relative", the Seat 124D, similar in appearance except for the head and rearlights.

 

 

Because I have seen many 850s and 124s, I can appretiate how well casted and how accurate the dimensions are. Had Mercury the original blueprints from Fiat? I think it would be possible, or maybe some worker of the company drove these cars and they took the dimensions directly from a real car... which, I think, was not the case in the Ferrari mentioned above.

The Fiat 850 was available from 1964 to 1971 and the Fiat 124 between 1967 and 1972, so I guess these models might have been manufactured by the late 60s: maybe 1968. The 850 comes with rally stickers, and is probably a later version of a car that was also avaible years before in other colours. The 124 was also produced by Mebetoys.

The models 850 and 124 were also available by some Spanish manufacturers like Joal and Guiloy. I wish I had these to be able to compare the casts. Mercury and Guiloy sold the same motorbikes in the early 70s, so it is not crazy to think that they also shared some casts that might be interesting for the Spanish market. Fiat models are on average a few years older than their Seat versions...

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: FIAT 125 and FIAT 850
• Scale: 1:43
• Year: Around 1968
• Company: MERCURY (Italy)
• Size: approx. 9 cm
   
   

#581 LONE STAR - ROADMASTERS "IMPY" / "FLYERS" - VOLVO 1800S (1968)

Lone Star has two Roadmasters series. The first and oldest one, spelled Road-Masters started in 1956 and was made in 1:43 scale, like their competitors from Corgi and Dinky. During those first years, the models by Lone Star were not very well detailed. In the early 60s, models started having windows but not interiors, that would be available first by the end of the 60s. Head and tail lights were painted silver or red. Wheels were two parts, including aluminium hubcaps and rubber tyres.

 

In 1966 the Impy series was introduced. This series had a fixed size of 3,5 inches, that is, very similar to the Matchbox 1-75 series. The Road-Masters were discontinued, but this new series was called Roadmasters Impy. Here's a flyer with the first 12 models ever reeased in this series.

 

 

The Impy models were advertised as the "cars with everything": a lot of practicable parts, steering, jewelled headlights. They were the first toy producer to adapt the thin, low-friction wheels introduced by Hot Wheels, less than one year after Mattel (Mattel: 1967, Lone Star: 1968). Models equipped with these wheels were repackaged to the "Flyer" series.

 

 

 

The packaging was similar to the one used by competitors Corgi and Dinky, although afer a few years, the introduced the boxes with plastic Windows. The boxes of the Impy series displayed a baby devil.

 

 

 

In the U.S.A., the Impy series was sold as "Mini-Cars" in blisters packaged by Physio-Chem, a toy company that usually distributed in the United States toys made in other countries.
To finish this entry, I would like to publish here the images of a catalogue that I found on the blog DieCast Chile, which is a very nice blog in Spanish that shows die-cast models from different manufacturers. This catalogue was found here: http://www.diecastchile.cl/2013/06/publicidad-de-impy-lone-star.html. Note that the cover car is actually the same I am presenting here, with the original rubber wheels instead of the "flyer" wheels.

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: VOLVO 1800S (Nr. 19)
• Scale: Approx. 1:64
• Year: 1968
• Company: Lone Star (Great Britain)
• Size: approx. 8,5 cm