#1101 PLAYART - ALFETTA GT (7198) and RENAULT ALPINE A310 (7265) (Around 1982 and Around 1984)

We start this entry with the Alfetta GT in green, which is a rare model at scale. It is still in very good shape. It was a very happy find in a flea market. This model was made by the Hongkongese brand in the very early 80s (or even in the late 70s), as it came with practicable doors and metallic base, something which was common back then, before the costs had to be cutted... even in Hong-Kong.

From the same series, we will also comment on the Renault Alpine A310. This model is my only boxed Playart. I exchanged it with a friend who had found several of these in an old toy shop, and I was pleased, as it is also a scarce model. I have been looking for it online and I didn´t see many of these in perfect shape. The box has the same colours as the blisterpacks and it design with plain colours and checkered flags are reminiscent of the 70s. The box comes in English and French, but I am not sure to which markets was it addressed. Maybe US and Canada or Europe. The back of the box shows an incomplete list of references, maybe some of the models had been discontinued in the meanwhile.

We know this same model by Majorette (in Police or Ambulance decorations), but in a more standard version, such as this one, it is maybe more appealing. The model was only made in white with racing stripes, the word "Champion" and RN 56. As in every Playart model of this time, I dislike the wheels used, which should represent five or six spokes.

Both models are made in Hong-Kong, but the Renault comes with some tampographies, whose style seem to be more modern, and the reference number is also higher, so I would say the Renault is slightly newer, my guess would be, from 1984 or 1985.

I have some other Playart models that you can review HERE.

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: ALFETTA GT (7198) and RENAULT ALPINE A310 (7265)
• Scale: Approx. 1:64
• Year: Around 1982 and Around 1984
• Company: Playart (Hong-Kong)
• Size: approx. 7 cm

#1091 UNKNOWN MANUFACTURER - THREE F1 CORGI BOOTLEGS (Around 1974)

To continue an old tradition, I use the month of April to show toys that are knock-off or bottlegs of other toys. This time I want to present three big scale formula ones that copy Corgi casts. They are made in Hong-Kong around 1974 and use a four digit code system as a reference number. 

Most accurately, These three are:

No 7501 - SURTEES T.S.9 F.1. (Based on Corgi Nr. 150)

No. 7502 - FERRARI 312 B2  (based on Corgi 152 from 1972)

No. 7503 - LOTUS F.1.  (based on Corgi 154 from 1973)

I first thought these would be Yatming, but the codes does not seem to fit with the numbering system used by that company.

I have seen several for sale on the internet, so they are not extremely rare. Compared to the original Corgis, they are also very good. Only the colour slightly differs. The wheels are clearly cheaper and less detailed compared to the original ones, which is the main flaw I see in these four cars. Also the overall quality of the paintwork and the stickers is worse. These seem to have been heavily played, but I still consider them worth enough for my collection.

If you have some information on the manufacturer of these toys, please let me know by writing a comment to this entry. I have been looking for boxed models for sale, but I couldn´t find any. Over the years I have also posted many toys which are yet to be identified. If you want to have a look at them and try to guess which company made them, click on this link Unknown Manufacturer Toys.

 FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: SURTEES T.S.9 F.1., FERRARI 312 B2 and LOTUS F1 (No. 7501, 7502 and 7503)
• Scale: 1:36
• Year: Around 1974
• Company: Unknown Toymaker (Hong Kong)
• Size: Around 10 cm long

#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

#1049 KEES - FIAT PANDA and TY-PHOO JUBILEE TRAM (Around 1985)

Kees is a brand that Steven (from the Motorcade) showed me a couple of years ago, and I have this model thanks to him. He showed me this model in a picture, and was immediately interested, because I thought it was a Fiat Uno from the first generation. Unfortunately, after looking at it from all angles, I think it is most probably a Fiat Panda. The cast is not very good, as you can imagine from my previous comment.

The die-cast model has a plastic base, no interior, a relatively bad paintwork and paper stickers. It is a rather typical novelty toy of the early 90s. And among these, we could consider it a "good" one.

If this is so, its current value can only be explained by their scarcity. On top of that, the car is not marked anyway, so most of these go undetected in the Internet markets, and those who can be identified, are quite pricey. I don't think I will ever have more of these, I won´t pay so much money for such a model and having one piece is enough for me.

Another thing to comment, it that Kees seems to base many of their die-cast on Polistil models from those years, but I guess there is no connection between them.

I have here this nice advertising page presenting the main products that the company was offering in 1985, as well as other useful information for potential clients.

And because we have this advertisement sheet, we know that the following item is also made by Kees. It is a London Tram with Ty-Phoo Tea decals. Ty-Phoo is a British brand of tea, still on the market. I am not quite sure if this jubilee applies to the tea company, to the first service of the tram reproduced (in the back it says it started in 1885, but in the front it says 1905 (so, is it an 80 or 100 years jubilee?) In any case, it is a very nice model, specially in its cardboard packaging. I had to fix it a bit, but it looks nice now for display.

I tend to think it is a promotional item, as Kees is not mentioned in the packaging, and Ty-Phoo logo appears in quite a big size in the package. Antoher clue could be that there are many for sale on eBay and at very low prices, so most likely it was a giveaway from that brand of tea.

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: FIAT PANDA and TY-PHOO TEA JUBILEE TRAM
• Scale: Around 1:64 / Around 1:120
• Year: Around 1985
• Company: Kees (Hong-Kong)
• Size: approx. 7 cm

#1048 ZYLMEX - FIAT X1/9, DATSUN 260Z and '84 CORVETTE (D63, D75 and D76) (Around 1984)

These are three more models I have got in the last years. New Matchbox or Hot Wheels models are very well done, with great tampographies and can be bought for around 1.5 euros/piece. I think this may be the reason why many cars made in the 80s are increasingly rare to find. I guess many are being thrown away together with older toy cars or mistaken with slightly more modern and cheap Chinese models from the 90s. Why use these old toys, when the new ones are much better and so affordable?

D63 - Fiat X1/9 in Red
A very popular car from the mid 80s, here the cast is very similar to the Corgi Juniors model, although this one is smaller, both in length and in width. It was available in red and had practicable bonnet.
The hardtop is simulated with a black sticker, while other models, such as the mentioned Corgi, had a black plastic piece instead.

D75 Datsun 260Z in Blue
This model has already appeared in the blog (see #332), but this one is in a much better shape. The car seems to be have benn made later in time, as it is already a Made in China product and the base is somewhat different (it does not show the "Z" logo, for example).

D76 '84 Corvette - Silver
I love this model, I think it is inspired in its color and decoration by the Matchbox model, although it is based in a completely different cast. Needless to say that the windshield is ultrafragile, it has miraculously survived until today.

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: FIAT X1/9, DATSUN 260Z and '84 CORVETTE (D63, D75 and D76)
• Scale: Around 1:64
• Year: Around 1984
• Company: Zylmex (Hong-Kong/China)
• Size: approx. 7 cm

#1043 YATMING – WRECK TRUCK and HEAVY DUTY TIPPER TRUCK (Around 1975 and 1990)

Yatming has a series of trucks with different loads attached to it. Some people say, they are based on the Ford F600 Cab, while other people think it resembles more an Isuzu cab from the late 70s. Honestly, I think it is the second one, as the two rectangles on the front of the cab are typical of the Japanese company, but I am not an expert in trucks and even less in Japanese trucks. Maybe the next picture helps with the identification...

These models were released in the mid-80s and carried reference numbers ranging from 1351 to 1359. There were, of course, other truck models but these were the oldest. As it is usual in this die-cast manufacturer, the models were available during a long period of time, many years, in fact, so you can find them Made in Hong Kong or Made in China, with metal or plastic bases and also with different colour variants.

I only have these two:
 
1352 Wreck Truck (Made in Hong-Kong) still has its hook and is in a very good shape. With metallic base. The hook oscillates back and forth, but the black base is firmly attached to the cab. It can carry one car, but not every car, as the hook is too high for most models and, as a results, the truck drags whatever load it is.

1358 Heavy Duty Tipper Truck (Made in China), with plastic base. Interestingly, both share the same wheels, even though there are, at least, 10 years between one and the other. The bed is practicable.

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: WRECK TRUCK and HEAVY DUTY TIPPER TRUCK (No. 1352 and 1358)
• Scale: Around 1:100
• Year: Around 1975 and 1990
• Company: YatMing (Hong-Kong/China)
• Size: approx. 7 cm

#1019 EARTH FORCE - LAZAR (1985)

MONTH OF THE BOOTLEG AT TOYS FROM THE PAST!

Pace Toys is known only for this excellent series of sci-fi action figures. There is nothing to be found on the internet, but according to the information shown on the blister is another American-Hong-Kongese company of quality (but cheap) toys in the style of other popular lines.

Earth Force figures are copyrighted in 1985, so they would fit somewhere between Masters of the Universe and Star Wars. By construction and size, they are similar to the figures by Mattel and by theme, with the Kenner ones, but it shares some aspects with other toylines such as Starcom or Galaxy Rangers.

The storyline printed on the backcard tells us of an interplanetary society that has gathered some Peacekeeping Troops from different corners of the Federation to be sent to "trouble zones", that is, the futuristic version of the UNO Blue Helmets.

From the start, Pace Toys produced six figures which are divided in three groups (of two members each): the Cyborg Team (Cherokee and Lazar), the Flight Team (Major "Blaster" Barton and Commander "Comet" Kelly) and the Ground Team (Professor "Hacksaw" Hackett and Colonel "Hammer" Jackson). These groups are basically: Weaponry experts and developers, Infantry and medical units on the ground and Airforce pilots. Where are the bad guys? There are none.

All the figures are made in basic bright colours (blue, red, white, yellow....) and come with a big set of accessories, most notably, an oversized helmet, boots and a chest shield (what alltogether makes some kind of astronaut outfit) and some other accesories that the figures carry in its hands (rifles or guns, knives and shields). All these pieces are mostly missing, and they are not easy to find.

The line was one year later (1986) expanded with four more figures. These were divided in two groups. The first group was the Explorer Team (this one carry green and white outfits), formed by Doctor "Red" Roger Wolf, Professor "Atom" Orden Atom and Doctor "Bronco" Hank Tago. The second group, called the Star Rangers also has three members: Colonel "Neut" Ned E. Utron, Captain Don Oppler and Major Bart Nigel. The Star Rangers were mostly light brown and dark green, so they look more "militar" that the rest of the first wave.

For this wave, new accessories were introduced (such as nice looking backpacks that pretend to be jetpacks or double guns to be held with both hands), but the figures were based on the same casts.

Despite being relatively rare, the figures are not (yet?) very expensive. Carded are obviously more scarce than loose, and they tend to concentrate on particular places, for example in Spain, where they were imported by Hisinsa. Of course, they are also available in other places. I got mine around 15 years ago from another collector who had found it as part of an old toyshop stock. I have been tempted to buy more of these figures, but they were always incomplete, so this blister card is the only item in my Earth Force collection.

By the way, these series fits perfectly with the X-Changers branch called MX Robots by Acamas Toys. As a matter of fact, some figures are almost identical, and you can use some of these as enemies!

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: LAZAR
• Toy Line: Earth Force
• Year: 1985
• Company: Pace Toys (U.S.A./ Hong-Kong)
• Size of the figure: Around 12 cm tall