#1031 CORGI JUNIORS – CITROEN DYANE, 2CV and 2CV (1975, 1985 and Around 2005)

Each die-cast manufacturer usually focuses on the car brands that are more popular in their own countries, and specifically on those that are manufactured there. It is, after all, a business, so cars that are well known sell better. I say this because Corgi Juniors is based in Wales, United Kingdom, while Citroen is a French car manufacturer, so the models shown here are kind of rarities. Really? Well, yes and no.

The 2CV model appeared (in yellow with a duck stickers) in the James Bond movie For Your Eyes Only from 1981, and Corgi always released models from 007´s movies. Besides being an iconic model, appearing in a James Bond film and had been used in several versions and decorations (too many to mention all of them), it is a profitable and popular model by Corgi (many French, Spanish, German, Italian… manufacturers also did it). The red version shown here corresponds to a release from the mid 80s, probably from 1985. This later version should correspond to serial number 53455, although I am not completely sure. The version with flowers on the doors has been spotted in the kind of box shown in entry #497, so it could be slightly older than the one shown above with coloured roof.

The orange version is done out of an alternate and improved casting (but simplified construction), and is already from the 2000s.

The Dyane model represents a much less popular car, and it can be mistaken by the previous one. It was intended as the successor of the 2CV, and came in several versions. I like a lot the fourgon versions by Majorette or Guiloy, but this standard version is also excellent. It has a practicable trunk, which is not so common in the Corgi Juniors line. There are basically three versions: bright yellow, gold yellow and purple. The second one comes with the roof painted black, the first and third ones don´t. This model was released in 1975 with number 89 (89-A1 Yellow gold model, 89-A2 Gold model, 89-A3 metallic purple) and was available until 1982.

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: CITROEN DYANE (Nr. 89-A1), 2CV (Nr. 53455) and 2CV (Nr. Unknown)
• Scale: Around 1:64
• Year: 1975, 1985 and Around 2005
• Company: Corgi Juniors (Great Britain)
• Size: approx. 7 cm

#960 CORGI JUNIORS - AIR BUS HELICOPTER (Nr. 35-B) and ARMY RED CROSS HELICOPTER (Nr. 40-B) (1975 and 1977)



Among the Corgi Juniors, this helicopter model is one of the most fragile ones. The blades are made of plastic and can be broken or bent in some models. It also has 4 very small wheels that are part of the base and that can also be broken.

The helicopter represents an helicopter similar to the Boeing CH-47 Chinook. Despite being named "Airbus" or "Air Bus", I am not aware of any double-engine helicopter by the European aircraft manufacturer. Maybe the name is just referring to an aircraft for transporting people by air, and therefore Air-Bus.

Corgi, like all the other die-cast manufacturers, released several versions of each model, and in this case, the Airbus came in a military and a civil version.

The civil model is painted orange and has "Airbus" stickers. The "A" logo is slightly similar to the real Airbus (the company) logo, but it is not related. It was available from 1975 to 1979. There is a colour variant in blue with the same stickers as the orange model, but this one is way rarer than the two showed in this entry, and I do not have it.

The military model was made in dark green and had stickers with the word "Army" and the Red Cross. It was available in 1977.

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: AIR BUS HELICOPTER (Nr. 35-B) and ARMY RED CROSS HELICOPTER (Nr. 40-B)
• Scale: Unknown
• Year: 1975 and 1977
• Company: Corgi Juniors (Great Britain)
• Size: approx. 7 cm

#938 CORGI JUNIORS - SPACE SHUTTLE (1980)

I got this model just a few days ago. It came in a lot with other stuff and It is in great shape, so I was lucky to find it.

I had never seen it before, so, to my surprise, I first opened the lids and admired the wheels feature with great astonishment. It is probably the best Corgi Juniors model I have ever seen.

The inside part shows a gold chromed plastic part that represents the equipment of the shuttle (whatever it is, I am not familiar with it). 

Another action feature of this little spaceship is that the landing gear can be locked up (for flight) or down (for take offs and landings), which is a very cool thing considering its size. This action can be triggered from a small hinge in the base.

This version has U.S.A. stickers, although there are other versions. Most notably, a shuttle with yellow stickers from the James Bond film Moonraker. I will try to get that one too, so I have both. 

I also presented a Columbia Shuttle model by Yatming some time ago, but this one is far better (being the Yatming model not bad at all).

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: SPACE SHUTTLE (5-C)
• Scale: Unknown
• Year: 1980
• Company: Corgi Toys (Great Britain)
• Size: approx. 6 cm

#925 CORGI JUNIORS and HOT WHEELS! - FORD MUSTANG, FORD SIERRA, RAYGO RASCAL 600 and JAGUAR XJR12 (1981, 1983, 1989 to 1995)

In the last years, I have found several Hot Wheels cars that I already had as Corgi Juniors. They are at first sight identical, so I was wondering how many of these are out there and what is the story behind them.

We already commented in previous entries that Mattel bought Corgi Toys in 1989, and sold it again to a management buyout in 1995. With this purchase, all casts from the Welsh company passed to Mattel.

During this period (89-95) Hot Wheels seems to have released 16 different models with their own marking on the base, some of them identical to the Corgi Juniors models, other with slight modifications and improvements in the casting. Some models were previously unissued, others were simply better casted. I cannot really see many improvements comparing one model with the other... But it is a curious thing havin the same cast with two different brands in their bases. There were other similar cases in the die-cast world.

The wheels were also changed in some models for another one more modern looking (like the Mustang below), some of these wheels models still look great, but other doesn´t. At the time, this change was a great thing.


For more info, the chapter devoted to Corgi models sold under Hot Wheels! brand can be read in Mac Ragan's book Hot Wheels Cars HERE.

The models presented in this entry are:

Ford Mustang Cobra – Orange version from 1981, white version with American flag is probably from the late 80s. Reference number 104A.

Hot Wheels! model from 1989 to 1995. Note the better looking wheels.

Ford Sierra 2.3 Ghia – Yellow version from 1983. Reference number 129A.
Hot Wheels! model from 1989 to 1995. In this case, with low quality wheels, shared with other brands and not very good looking. Maybe a later re-release?

UPDATE1 (Nov/2019): This Sierra was a gift from a friend. Marked Corgi, good looking in this elegant colour

Raygo Rascal 600 – practically identical to each other. Corgi Reference number 44A. Hot Wheels! model from 1989 to 1995. Sorry I could not take the pictures together, I am not sure if I have the Corgi version or not.

Jaguar XJR12 by Corgi, mid to end 90s. This final model is a Corgi Juniors model with Hot Wheels tampographies. Curious. I guess it is also available with Hot Wheels base. Again with the "less beautiful" wheel type.

UPDATE2 (AUG/2020): Another Ford Sierra, unmarked in the base.

UPDATE3 (June/2024) What about this Ford Mustang Cobra without any manufacturer information? Same as the previous Ford Sierra.

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: FORD MUSTANG COBRA (104A), FORD SIERRA 2.3 GHIA (129A), RAYGO RASCAL 600 (44A) and JAGUAR XJR12
• Scale: Approx. 1:64
• Year: 1981, 1983 and 1989 to 1995
• Company: Corgi (Great Britain) and Hot Wheels! (U.S.A.)
• Size: approx. 6 cm