#1045 FX SCHMID – GRAND PRIX, PS AUF SCHIENEN and BUSSE (1984 and 1985)

This entry will be a lazy one, as I will only be presenting three new mini decks of cards made by FX Schmid, similar to other I have shown in the past and which have the checkered flag pattern in the cover card. The “Minis” in this entry are slightly more modern (see #857 and #858, which includes a more modern version of Grand Prix), and I also showed some big decks with the checkered pattern before (see #736).

As usual in the mini quartet decks, there are only 6 families instead of 8, and that makes 24 cards plus the cover card.

The first two were released in 1984, the last on in 1985. I like them all a lot, especially the one with buses, which is a not so common theme for a quartett game.

GRAND PRIX (No. 56510.0) from 1984

PS AUF SCHIENEN (No. 56510.0) from 1984

BUSSE (No. 50044.6) from 1985

This cover card has the copyright in it, not the other two.

FACTS AND FIGURES

• Name: GRAND PRIX, PS AUF SCHIENEN and BUSSE (No. 56510.0, 56510.0 and 50044.6)
• Year: 1984, 1984 and 1985
• Company: FX Schmid (West Germany)

#994 MICRO MACHINES – TRAINS SERIES (1989)

MM’s enthusiast mostly collect cars and trucks. Other kind of vehicles are not so popular, including the trains made between 1989 and 1990, but they are very nice collectables, so colourful and beautifully detailed.

I have five complete sets plus a couple of pieces that make incomplete sets. Today I am presenting there:

• Continental Bullet

• High Speed Bullet

• American Passenger

• Iron Man No.1

• Transcontinental Freight

 

All of them from 1989, when the Trains series was started. Each of the sets included 5 pieces, that is one locomotive and four wagons, or two locomotives and three wagons. The first series consisted of 8 collections, exactly the five above plus the same last three in repainted versions (and with different names:

• Lightning Express (sames as American Passenger, but in grey/yellow/white)
• Cannonball No.9 (Same as Iron Man No.1, but in different colours)
• Western Freight (same as Transcontinental Freight, but in different colours)

Each blister came with 10/12 tracks, which were exactly 8 curves and 2/4 straight tracks, that could be attached to each other forming long rail loops around or through you Micro Machines cities.

In 1990, all train sets were re-released in alternate colours, but without changing the names. Unfortunately, these are very rare to see, as they were only available in some countries and also in low numbers. That same year there were three additional sets with sounds called Power Sound Trains: Steam Train, Passenger Locomotive and Great Plains Diesel. These three are more common than the standard 1990 releases, but still rare. The casts used for these are the same, the paintwork is different, and they produced two sounds when pressing a button located on top of one of the wagons (generally, the biggest one, that also hold a cell battery.

Several playsets were released to be combined with this series, such as 2 different Train Stations, an Engine House, a Trestle (kind of bridge), or the bigger Train Central City (with a big colour playcard, several buildings with Super Micro Light feature and more rails to extend your lines). Some of these included a complete Power Sounds Trains set, others didn’t include any trains.

Noteworthy is the Power Train City, a playset in which the trains could be dragged automatically along the rails with a system that was probably the same used in the different slot tracks released over the years.

There is still a train station, released in 1996 in the “highways and Byways” style with one train set, two cars, tracks and onel building, but the vehicles were previously released (the train is the Transcontinental Freight from 1989).

FACTS AND FIGURES

• Name: Micromachines Trains Collections: American Passenger, Continental Bullet, High Speed Bullet, Iron Man No.1, Transcontinental Freight
• Scale: unknown.
• Year: 1989
• Company: Galoob (U.S.A.)
• Size: approx. 2 cm

#951 FIGURAS EN ACCIÓN (F.E.A.) Nr. 22 + MODELLEISENBAHNER + PUPPEN AUS PORZELLAN (A-L. Klink)

Figuras En Acción Nr.22 (May 2020)

New issue uploaded and ready, this issue is a bit shorter than usual (almost 80 pages) because many of our collaborators (including myself) have been very busy during the last months, and not only because of the pandemics.

Still, we keep our promise and we managed to collect a bunch of great articles dealing with:

• G.I. Joe and Transformers crossover figures.
• Superman the Movie Madelman vs. Super Geyperman
• Computer Force / Computer Warriors by Mattel
• Rubber ducks
• Travelling toys
• All the usual sections (books, travels, treasures, news, editoral office…)
• Plus a new section of vintage advertisements/publicity.

Don’t miss it! As usual, it is completely free, no registration required.

FIND THE LINK IN THE OFFICIAL BLOG

Modelleisenbahner (3/2014)

I found this old magazine (2014) of Modelleisenbahner in a bookcase close to the place where I work, where people leave old books and stuff they do not want or need anymore. I took it out of curiosity, and read it. I was fascinated by the quantity of releases and news about electric trains, tutorials, research about real trains and railways… it was beautifully done.

I know close to nothing about trains, but since I work on my own toy magazine (see above), I though I might find some ideas for this or that section. I am happy I took it, because the magazine was extraordinary. I do not know how is this hobby evolving, but in recent visits to flea markets, I have seen many great collections being sold. I am afraid this hobby is going downwards. Shame!

Puppen aus Porzellan

In that same bookcase, I found this book dealing with another hobby, which is completely unknown to me: porcelain dolls, and how to make them yourself.

It sounds like something people did a long time ago, but not anymore, I still though it was interesting and took it home and read it. It is short and easy and taught me about this pastime. Amazing that people spent so much time making the porcelain an painting the details, putting eyes, hair and eyelashes. The book is a guide on how to work, which tools to use and more, and it should have been an amazingly difficult task to create your own porcelain doll. It includes a list of collections and museums where porcelain dolls are displayed. The book was published in 1987, so many of these do not exist anymore.

#765 UNKNOWN MANUFACTURER – OLD FASHION LOCOMOTIVE AND THREE CARRIAGES (Around 1970)

MONTH OF THE UNKNOWN

I have a few interesting toys that I have been collecting over the years from which I know nothing at all. They cannot be identified since they have no manufacture marking. Despite searching the internet, I couldn´t find anything about them, so I changed my mind, and thought it may be better if I publish them now, and people reading this could help me identifying them.

There will be 11 toys (all 11 entries from January 2017), but I warn you: it is not an easy task to identify them. Are you ready for this challenge?

If I get hints and information, I´ll be updating the posts to add information about them. Thanks!

 

If you like the challenge, there are other toys in this blog waiting to be identified, click here to see all unidentified toys.

 

 

This toy was acquired very recently. The title on the box ist self-explanatory: a locomotive and three carriages (wagons) with wheels. It is hand painted and made on metal (die-cast, they are hollow).

The box is marked TM – Made in Japan, where the TM is placed inside a diamond shape. I have checked tin toy websites, but couldn’t find the brand.

 

What I have found is that the toy is quite common (so, not a rarity) and that it was used as a cake topper. Or at least somebody recalls having decorated a cake with it.

 

 

Some boxes are also marked with a sticker indicating “Shackman, New York, N.Y. 10003”. Note that the two wagons at the end of the row have different colours in the box than in the toy. This is common to all pics I saw on the internet. The passengers coach is kind of orange, while in the box is yellow and the coal wagon is yellow instead of red.

 

 

So the toy is not rare, nor expensive, but still beautiful, colourful and in a rare scale for vintage toys. A precursor to Micro Machines.

 

Additional info: In the box, there is a date marked with pen but difficult to see. It says: 3.X.1986. That’s 3rd October 1986, I guess, but what does it mean? was it really bought that day? If yes, was it new or second hand?

 

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: OLD FASHION LOCOMOTIVE AND THREE CARRIAGES (Hand Painted Metal Miniature with Moving Wheels)
• Scale: Unknown
• Year: Around  1970
• Company: Unknown Manufacturer (Japan)
• Size: approx. 7 cm (all 4 pieces in a row).

#595 AVIVA - THREE SNOOPY VEHICLES (1982)

These are 3 die-cast vehicles (with some plastic parts) from a rather rare toyline of Snoopy, made in 1982 by the Californian toymaker Aviva. The collection had a lot of different vehicles, all of them with plastic figures of Snoopy, Woodstock, Charlie Brown or Lucy. It included many different types of vehicles: from a formula 1 to a train and from a biplane to a fire truck.

I have discovered this brand recently, because to my knowledge, Aviva has not made any "ordinary" scale cars except these. All cars include the copyright on the base, and some people think these toys were made in the 60s... but they were made in 1982 in Hong-Kong.

Toys are numbered with letter C plus a number.

"SNOOPY CAT CATCHER"
AVIVA
SNOOPY CORP (C) 1958, 1966
UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE, INC
MADE IN HONG KONG
No. C 21

"TRAIN WITH CHARLIE BROWN"

SNOOPY CORP (C) 1958, 1966
CHARLIE BROWN CORP (C) 1950
AVIVA
UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE, INC
MADE IN HONG KONG
No. C 17

"SKY BUGGY"
AVIVA
No. C 14
MADE IN HONG KONG
SNOOPY CORP (C) 1958, 1966
UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE, INC





I have been searching information about Aviva, but I have found nothing... If you have some information besides that their name was "Aviva Toy Co." and they were based in N. Hollywood, CA, please don´t hesitate to write a comment.

Another thing I know is that Aviva is a hebrew name, maybe the founder of the company?

UPDATE1 (Nov/2019): I found the pictures of a blister pack, it looks very nice. I am sorry I cannot remember where did I find it. This one does not belong to me, but I use it for complementing the information above.

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: SKY BUGGY, TRAIN and CAT CATCHER VAN
• Scale: 1:64
• Year: 1982
• Company: Aviva (U.S.A.)
• Size: approx. 7 cm

#86 MAJORETTE – SONIC FLASHERS' YELLOW TRAIN (ref. 2341 Y) (1992)

The “Sonic Flashers” series by Majorette was a very successful one at the beginning of the nineties. I can remember when they came out, they were the first die-cast models ever with electronics inside. Until that moment it was probably too expensive to build those circuits in such inexpensive toys like die-cast cars. At those years there were some talking dolls and or figures that were completely analog, they carried inside something very similar to a vynil record with a small player, but electronics (or microelectronics) were still rare.

What does this circuit bring to a toy car? It’s very easy, some cars have brakes’ noise, some other sirens, other ones produce the sound of broken glass… there were many different noises. Additionally cars had one or two leds (lights) that glow while producing that sound.

 

Majorette started this series in 1991 with the ordinary 2300 series. The first wave included only 3 cars (Porsche 928, Ford Bronco and Ford Transit van), in 3/3/2 decorations from each model without considering possible variants.

The series proved to be a great success, and it was expanded during many consecutive years. It is difficult to determine when the line was cancelled, since I do not own the complete catalogues.

It is also difficult to determine to which series each model belongs, since some models were released in different decorations with different numbers. Some series were:

• 2300 (1:64)
• 2330 Special Forces (military)
• 2340 (larger packs with trailer, trucks, limousines…)
• 2350
• 2360
• 2380 Air Force (planes, jets, helicopters)
• 1300 micro sonic flashers (smaller scale, micromachines scale)
• 3300 (1:43)
• 3390 Sonic Alarm (1:43)
• Majo Baby
• …

This model here was found in a flea market and since it only cost one euro I decided to buy it. It is very rare, since I didn’t know that there was a train in Sonic Flasher series, and in no way in yellow colour (I knew the red version, which was also available as 2341 R). The original model, (the one on which this one is based) is the “Western Locomotive” produced between 1982 and 1986 in several colours (green or blue with Ref. 278 in individual pack and Ref. 315 in double pack with wagon).

Majorette catalogue from 1993

The series 2340 consisted of several models that were a little larger than usual, for example limousines, trucks with load, or this trains with wagon. Series 2340 are to 2300 what series 300 are to series 200. And since these are better and more expensive toys, each of these models could perform four sounds instead of just one. For the trains: “steam whistle”, “engine sound”, “ringing bell” and “clickey-clak”, and additionally one light at the front side of the locomotive. By the way, to activate these sounds, you have to press lightly the car or vehicle against the floor. A little disappointing is that the models with 4 sounds perform all of them the one after the other, instead of performing one different each time.

The Sonic Flashers, unlike the standard models, can be opened to replace batteries. The body is fixed to the chassis with screws instead of rivets. This model, around 20 years after their sale is still working. The loudness of the sounds is not very high, but it’s still audible, so they were made to last.

These cars were presumably made in Thailand, where most models were being produced at that time.

This article is very likely to be expanded in the future. I never thought I could make an article with just this model, but here it is… hope you liked it.

 

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: YELLOW TRAIN SONIC FLASHERS (ref. 2341 Y)
• Scale: ?
• Year: 1992
• Company: Majorette (France)
• Size: approx. 7 cm + 7 cm