#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

#1008 SOHBI – VARIOUS MODELS (Around 1995)

 

I already wrote about Sohbi a long time ago, you can review this entry, if you are interested in reading a bit about the company or you want to see a nice Lancia Stratos or Two versions of a Volkswagen Golf.

Around three years ago I found a small lot of 6 Sohbi cars in a flea market, and I got Them all. These are the models I am presenting today. All of them are based on casts from MC Toy, Zylmex or Matchbox. Some of them have interesting decorations, although due to the low quality of the tampographies, these are partially lost.

E-18 - Ferrari Testarossa (MC Toy)

E-19 - Porsche 959 (MC Toy)

 

 

E-20 - Peugeot 205 (MC Toy)

E-21 - Mercedes-Benz 300 SE (Zylmex)

E-24 - Jaguar E-Type (Zylmex)

 

 

E-28 - Lotus Europa (Matchbox)

 

 

I also tried to elaborate a list of Sohbi models together with their reference numbers, using as a base the list in Swifty’s Garage and inserting one or two references from my own models.

• E-16 - Lancia Stratos (Zylmex?)
• E-17 - Volkswagen Golf (MC Toy)
• E-18 - Ferrari Testarossa (MC Toy)
• E-19 - Porsche 959 (MC Toy)
• E-20 - Peugeot 205 (MC Toy)
• E-21 - Mercedes-Benz 300 SE (Zylmex)
• E-22 -
• E-23 -
• E-24 - Jaguar E-Type (Zylmex)
• E-25 - DeTomaso Mangusta (Corgi Juniors?)
• E-26 -
• E-27 - Porsche 906 Carrera 6 (Corgi Juniors)
• E-28 - Lotus Europa (Matchbox)
  

• Citroen DS
• 11 - Ford Econoline
• 12 - Jeep CJ-6
• Mercedes-Benz 450 SEL
• Lamborghini Countach LP5000
• 32 - Porsche 911 Carrera
• 35 - Mercedes-Benz 500 SL

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: FERRARI TESTAROSSA, PORSCHE 959, PEUGEOT 205, MERCDES-BENZ 300 SE, JAGUAR E-TYPE and LOTUS EUROPA (D-E18, D-E19, D-E20, D-E21, D-E24 and D-E28)
• Scale: 1:64 (approx.)
• Year: Approx. 1995
• Company: Sohbi (Hong-Kong/ China)
• Size: approx. 3’’ or 7 cm

#1005 BLUE BOX – PENNY RACERS and TRAFALGAR – COIN CHARGERS (Around 1989 and 1982, respectively)

The Penny Racers (or, in Japanese, Choro-Q) are best known under the Takara brand, which is also the company that introduced them in 1978. They were based on a previous toyline called Mame Dash which was discontinued in 1980.

They are miniature pull-back cars with superdeformed dimensions (Choro is an abbreviation to the Japanese word for “cute”), in whose rear part there is a slot in which you can insert, if you wish, a small coin (f.e. a penny) and the car will drive on two wheels, making nice acrobacies on its way. There were a lot of tracks to go with and the variety was enourmous, as they encountered great success both in Japan and outside Japan. The license has even make it up to a dozen videogames and some Transformers sub-lines are also Penny Racers, not to forget the licenses awarded to Blue Box, Funrise, Tonka and others. Even it may seem strange, the original Japanese line was aimed to adult collectors, whereas Tonka version (called the Turbo Tricksters) is intended for children. There were all kinds of vehicles made, and they are still being sold in many countries, so it is a line that is still alive and producing many different models per year. 

 

The blue and yellow buggy is my only Penny Racer, I bought is for one euro in a fle market around 4 years ago. It is a nice model with a decoration and colour combination that was usual in the 90s. You can read more about Blue Box Toys here.

Another model which fits into this category of toys, but it is actually a knock-off is this Coin Chargers by the Hong-Kongese company Trafalgar. This one is clearly older (probably from the early 80s) and represents a fire truck. It was a gift from Steven and it is still carded, which is always nice to see. The instructions are in simple English and include some errors. The backcard shows other 5 models, but you can observe that the Coin Chargers were probably sold for very little money, as the quality of the package is rather low, although at the time, most products of its kind had (more or less) this quality.

UPDATE (May/2023): I got this model from my friend Steven, and it is matching exactly the first model shown in this entry. It is also made by Blue Box.

FACTS AND FIGURES

• Name: BUGGY and FIRE TRUCK 
• Scale: Approx. 1:90
• Year: Around 1989 and around 1982, respectively
• Company: Blue Box (Hong-Kong) and Trafalgar Toys (Hong-Kong) based on a license or copied from Takara's Choro-Q
  
• Size: approx. 4 cm