#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

#868 PLAYART - JAGUAR E-TYPE 2+2, LOTUS ELITE and PORSCHE 928 (Ref. 7123, 7199, 7201) (Around 1982)

Here are a few more Playarts with similar reference numbers. This time, all three vehicles are sport cars.

7123 JAGUAR E-TYPE 2+2 (Corgi Juniors Knock-Off)

7199 LOTUS ELITE (TOMICA Knock-Off)

7201 PORSCHE 928

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: JAGUAR E-TYPE 2+2, LOTUS ELITE and PORSCHE 928 (Ref. 7123, 7199, 7201)
• Scale: Approx. 1:64
• Year: Around 1982
• Company: Playart (Hong-Kong)
• Size: approx. 7 cm

#491 PLAYART MINI SUPER SPEEDSTERS and UNKNOWN MODELS (Around 1978)

These are two very small cars made by Playart. Although there is no scale indication, I guess they are probably 1:87 (H0) scale, and they might be intended to use with Playart H0 train models, although they were sold apart. In ebay there is (or was) a collection of 12 models in a box, although in other sites like worthpoint, there are also smaller 4-packs. I don’t know if they were ever sold individually, or have any further details about Playart’s smallest scale models.

The two cars I own are a Jaguar E-Type 2+2 in yellow, plus another car which I cannot identify right now in gold (seems pretty much like an American model, maybe Pontiac). Note that both models have different wheels, the golden model has some kind of simulated hubcaps, so I guess it is slightly older than the second one, whose hubcaps are less elaborated. The Jaguar is marked in the interior "Playart", "Made in Hongkong", "7331" and "2", while the second car is marked only "Made in Hongkong" and "15". Maybe there is a list somewhere with the reference numbers and the models, I haven't found any.

UPDATE (JULY 2018): A got two more Mini Super Speedster. One is a Volkswagen Bug, the second one is a van, looks American, but I cannot recognise the model. Both are very nice. The Volkswagen seems to be number 1 (is casted mirrowed), while the truck/van is clearly number 7. Very nice models.

UPDATE 2 (Nov/2020): Tanker Truck

UPDATE 3 (Sept/2023): A set of 10 new models, courtesy of Steven from the Motorcade, thank you for the cars! In the meanwhile, and thanks to other collectors I got to compile a complete list of Playart Mini Super Speedsters. 

• 7320 Lamborghini Miura
• 7321 Chevrolet Astro Concept
• 7322 Porsche 914
• 7323 Alfa Romeo Scarabeo
• 7324 Opel GT
• 7325 Jeep
• 7326 Twin Mill
• 7327 VW Beetle
• 7328 Dune Buggy
• 7329 Abarth 2000
• 7330 Mercedes C-111
• 7331 Jaguar E-Type
• 7332 Tanker
• 7333 Fire Engine

Among the unknown models there might be even two types. One of the types is marked with a number, and I have the following models:

• 2 - Jaguar E-Type
• 4 - Formula 1
• 7 - Pick-Up Van
• 15 - American Car

The second type could be made by Zylmex, as I have seen pictures of boxed "Mini Wild Cars", only mine are painted in plain colours, while those are more elaborated. The Pickup in black and the orange ATV in the first picture below seems to belong to that row... Since I have no way to find out who made which toys, I will put them altogether in thsi entry, and I will keep an eye to update it in the future. I will probably make new pictures where the models are grouped by maker.

 

UPDATE 4 (June/2026): This yellow Hot Rod is also unmarked, so it might be one of these mysterious, simplified Zylmex shown in the previous update.

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: MINI SUPER SPEEDSTERS: JAGUAR E-TYPE, VOLKSWAGEN 1300, VAN and UNKNOWN MODEL
• Scale: 1:87
• Year: Around 1978
• Company: Playart (Hong Kong), Zylmex (Hong Kong)
  
• Size: approx. 4 cm

#309 PLAYART –MERCURY POLICE, VW PORSCHE 914 and RANGE ROVER (7132 and 7138 and 7182) (Around 1982)

This article is a short update to a previous one dealing with the hongkongese die-cast manufacturer Playart. The most comprehensive list of Playart cars can be found in the following two websites:

http://www.garyscars.co.uk/Playart/index.htm

http://www.breithaupts.com/totc197.htm (DEAD LINK, SEE NEXT)

Playart-Building a complete list

Personally I preffer the first one, which has pictures for almost every model. Both lists are missing the same models, so I guess the makers of the lists know each other.

Unfortunately no one has been able to provide a comprehensive list of models by year of release. That must be quite a challenge, so I will date these cars by the early 80s, that’s when I bought the VW Porsche 914. My guess is that they probably made around 1982.

I remember I didn’t like the Porsche 914 because of the terrible noise its wheels do when rolling, similar to somebody scratching a blackboard. It was unpleasant, so the car remained most of the times in the display case. That’s why it is today in such a nice condition. Like new. My father painted its head and rear lights red, this was not an original feature of the car.

The other two cars were found not so long ago in flea markets in Austria. They have seen better days, but they’re still in good “collector” condition.

The curious thing about the Mercury Police Wagon is that we already saw it in entry #227, only that release was much more recent. As said in that article, the Mercury seems to be inspired in Matchbox model Mercury Police Car, nr. 55D from 1971.

To my knowledge, VW Porsche 914 is a Playart’s own cast, similar to Siku’s, but clearly a different cast, as well as the Range Rover, it might be simlar to other Range Rovers, but I think the cast is unique.

Going back to the wheel types, note that these from the Porsche 914 are narrower than the other two. The hubcap is also a slightly different model. The other two cars have the “classic” (=most common) hubcap type for Playart models, while Porsche’s look a bit like Tomica’s classic hubcap.

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: MERCURY POLICE, VW PORSCHE 914 and RANGE ROVER (7132 and 7138 and 7182)
• Scale: 1:64 (approx.)
• Year: Around 1982
• Company: Playart (Hong Kong)
• Size: 7 cm

#227 PLAYART – FIRE ENGINE, MERCURY POLICE and AMBULANCE (nrs. 7130, 7132 and 7167) (Around 1982)

I recently found three die-cast vehicles in a flea market. They are a nice sample of what Playart was doing in the early 80s.

The company was settled in Hong-Kong from the late 60s to the early 80s, and as many Hongkongese companies at the time, produced cheap(er) toys for the European, American and Japanese markets. Sometimes it was sold under its own “playart” brand, some other times under other names. Sometimes they were exclusively packaged for important department stores like Woolworth’s, Sears or Charles Merzbach as "in-brand". This way they could compete with more expensive toys like Matchbox or HotWheels. The first “Playart – Fast Wheels” packages are pretty much a rip-off of HotWheels packages from the early 70s. A more detailed list of the packages types can be found in Gary’sCars.

They made toy cars in several scales, being the most common 1:64. In this scale (by far the best selling scale), Playart made around 250 references, each reference belonged to one car model, but many colour variations are many within each model. In some models there are also different tampographies. Additionally, there are models with a large lifespan that might have different types of wheels, depending on when these were made. Earlier types of wheel (2 different) are two pieced with a chromed hubcap, somehow similar to Schucco or Mira. Later models present the type of wheels you’re seeing in these models, with exception to some models that had “Tomica”-wheels and models with two concentric circles.

From these 250 references, many of them are copies of models by HotWheels, Corgi, Matchbox, Tomica and maybe more brands. You probably have noticed that the Mercury car in these pictures is a copy from the one made by Matchbox (Mercury Police Car, nr. 55D from 1971). The ambulance is similar to models made by Siku,although it has big differences, and the truck is original by Playart and is available in many different casts, and different types of trucks.

I own a few more models by Playart that I’d like to show some other time, some of them are interesting because are models that were not made by many other brands in 1:64 scale, making rare collectibles. What many experts think about Playart, is that, even though they made cheap cars copying from other brands, the selection of the models tells us, that the people in charge of the production were real car lovers, and had very good taste.

Update (July/2024): I found this picture of a boxed set that includes the ambulance shown in this entry togeteher with other fire fighter vehicles which are not the truck I have been talking about. All of them are more realistic than mine. 

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: FIRE ENGINE, MERCURY POLICE and AMBULANCE (nrs. 7130, 7132 and 7167)
• Scale: Approx. 1:64
• Year: Around 1982
• Company: Playart (Hong-Kong)
• Size: approx. 7 cm