#127 DARDA – PORSCHE 911 CLOSED TOP and FORD RS 200 (Ref. 1668 and 1674) (around 1983)

I have found more Darda models at home, and since the first Darda article I wrote has received many visitors, I’ll publish another one. The car has almost the same characteristics than the Renault 5 already shown, same year, similar serial number. Both cars are even the same type (rally cars), so they make a great group.

 

The Ford RS-200 is also a very famous Rally champion. Darda made in at least 10 versions, some in red, other in silver, blue or white, all with the reference 1674.

The second car is a Porsche 911 Hard Top (also Closed Top), from which more than 60 different decorations exist. This one in blue is number 1668-002.

This classification was taken from a website that I would like to recommend if you are interested in this brand. They have the most extensive database of Darda cars with their references, variants and more information. Take a look if you have the time... http://www.dardacollector.com/

In this entry, I would also like to make a second recommendation. Not in the last entry, but in the comments to it, Speedy (from Hisparobot) and I shared a video from the Darda Brothers. Please go to youtube and check one of their videos to see with much detailed how do these cars work, and how do the tracks look like. I tried to explain it, but a picture is worth a 1000 words…

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: PORSCHE 911 CLOSED TOP and FORD RS 200 (Ref. 1668-002 and 1674-072)
• Scale: (Estimated) 1:64
• Year: Around 1983
• Company: Darda (West-Germany)
• Size: 7 cm

#126 TRANSFORMERS – SKYDIVE and TALON (1992)

The Hasbro’s Transformers original line was cancelled in 1991. The last figures released in that 7 years period were the “Action Masters”, that had very poor sales.

Only two years later, in 1993, Hasbro re-launched the series. To tell between the Transformers from the first period from the new ones, these were named “G2” (G is for Generation), what automatically turned the old transformers in G1. This new generation would only last for 3 years, but other transformers concepts would take over the franchise.

The new G2 series consisted of many repaints of old characters and new figures. This time, they were equipped with launching weapons, light sabers, water shooting weapons or even sound. The logos were also redesigned. These repaints are very interesting, but even more interesting are the European-exclusive (also released in Canada and Australia) figures, like these two here.

In Europa, this G2 line is considered to start one year earlier, in 1992, and as you can see from the pictures, the Decepticon logo is still the one that has always been used up to that moment. This series it's often referred as G1,5.

Skydive and Talon belong to the “Predators” sub-group, that consisted of 6 robots:

• 4 of them are fighters in this same size (these tow plus Snare and Falcon)
• 1 of them is a larger fighter (Skyquake)
• 1 is a missile launcher tank (Stalker)

Both TFs are complete with their missile launcher and their 3 green missiles each. A feature of these transformers is shown in the picture above, and it is the “supersight”. Talon has the supersight of Thunder Clash, while Skydive has Boss, this should be some kind of long range scanner, in which the robot detects the presence of some Autobot enemy and reveals its weapons.

In alt-mode, the missile launcher can be inserted in the lower part of the fighter, or it could. Skydive has a slightly different casted part that does not allow to carry the launcher. The wheels of Skydive are built nearer to the supersight visor, andd therefore a knob had to be added in order to make the visor more practicable.

Printed on the box there was always a short description of the characters, as well as a series of stats from that robot, like strenght, speed or courage. I include these decriptions as a bonus:

SKYDIVE (Japan: Dark Jet -TF-06-)

• Faction: Decepticons
• Subgroup: Predators
• Function: Scientific Advisor
• Motto: “The cruelty is the highest form of art”
• Bio: Revels in the science of battle. Cold, calculating and entirely cruel. Not even understood or trusted by his fellow Predators. As plane uses the farseeing properties of Megavisor to the ultimate as a lean and hungry fighter. As robot calmly attacks with hand-held missile power.
• Tech Specs for Skydive:
  

• Strength: 8
• Intelligence: 9
• Speed: 9
• Endurance: 7
• Rank: 6
• Courage: 8
• Firepower: 8
• Skill: 10
  

TALON (Japan: Moon Jet -TF-08-)

• Faction: Decepticons
• Subgroup: Predators
• Function: Advance Fighter
• Motto: “Don´t get me mad… when I get mad, I get even”
• Bio: Incredibly strong and vicious. Mows down all in his path as a terrifying wall of attack in battle. Low intelligence combined with brute force and a vile temper -- a dangerous enemy. As plane, plummets down to wipe out targets pinpointed with heightened vision of Megavisor system. As robot attacks mercilessly with hand-held missile launcher.
• Tech Specs for Skydive:

• Strength: 10
• Intelligence: 4
• Speed: 8
• Endurance: 9
• Rank: 4
• Courage: 8
• Firepower: 8
• Skill: 5

FACTS and FIGURES:

• Name: SKYDIVE and TALON
• Toy Line: Transformers G2 (Predators)
• Year: 1992
• Company: Hasbro (U.S.A.)
• Size of the figures: Around 11 cm in robot mode

#125 GUISVAL – PORSCHE CARRERA “RALLYE” SERIE ESCORPIÓN (Nr. 141) (1980)

We already dedicated a whole entry to a model made in 1:36 scale. In that case, it was a Ferrari Daytona made by Corgi. In that entry, I commented that 1:36 was a “rare” scale for a toy car. In that case it was true, since corgi was famous for it’s 1:43 series, and also for their 1:64 “juniors” series. Why did then they produced a series in a bigger, different scale?

The Guisval case is completely different. Guisval never had a 1:43 series before, they were doing great just with their “Campeon” series (1:64) and they directly launched their “Escorpión” series, which was since the very beginning a 1:37 scale series. This made the cars a little bigger than the others that were commonly available in toy shops at the time: Pilen, Joal… and this could easily be a sales argument: “for the same price, you get a bigger one!”.

The Escorpión series started in 1972, with references 101 to 107, and performing several models: the Chevrolet Astro I (Ref. 101 “copy” Corgi’s model from 1969), the Ferrari Can-Am (Ref. 102, very similar to the one released by Joal) and a Ford Capri in three different versions (103 normal, 105 ski and 107 rally, similar to the Corgi model, but clearly made from a different cast).

In the following years, it expanded with new models and new versions of the existing models. Note that the same car can have several repainted versions, or even some plastic add-ons, like sirens, spare wheels, roof-racks, rally headlights and so on.

Precisely the accessories present in some models, make them great collector items, and very difficult to find complete. Most of those roof-racks were made of plastic, and broke very easily. Plastic figures, sirens and so on, tended to break while playing with the cars.

Some trucks were also released in this “Escorpión” series (starting in 1976), but they were in 1:50 scale.

This extract from the 1980 catalogue is courtesy of Miguel from miniaturasenmetal.jimdo.com

Although the catalogue image is very small, we can see that the applied stickers are different from those finally applied in the cars, I don't know if this could be a variant, or if all cars produced are like mine, and the catalogue picture was simply a prototype.

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: PORSCHE CARRERA “RALLYE” (Nr. 141)
• Scale: 1:36
• Year: 1980
• Company: Guisval (Spain)
• Size: 13 cm

#124 EDITORIAL IRU - AVIONES DE COMBATE (Around 1983)

I came by these fighters last Christmas, they have been at home since 1992, although they are much older. I though this might be a curious toy to show in my blog, something different.

The manufacturer of this toys is not a toymaker, but a publishing house based in Hondarribia (Spanish: Fuenterrabía), in the Basque Country. This publisher is mostly known for its comic books for adults, but they have also released adventure and children comics. Their most surprising release for me was the Spanish edition of Robotech/Macross, in 1985.

In the early to mid 80s the company also released a series of 6 fighters in a very light material that could actually glide. They are priced 100 pesetas, which at that time was a lot of money. This could be the reason because the planes didn’t sell that well. The rest of the production was probably sold off at a very low price, to a third company or person. I got mine years later (as said before) in 1992, inside of a “surprise bag”, that included old comic books, stickers, and small plastic toys, among other things. The price of the bag was 100 pesetas as well, 10 years later. I never saw them anywhere else, or knew anybody who owned or had owned them.

The models are old fighters from the 30s to the 50s:

Nr. 1 SAETA HA-200 (Spain 1955)

Nr. 2 DEWOITINE D.520 (France 1938)

Nr. 4 MESSERSCHMITT BF 109 (Germany, 1936)

Nr. 5 CURTIS „HELLDIVER“ (U.S.A. 1940)

Nr. 6 SUPERMARINE „SEAFIRE“ (England 1937)

Nr. 3 is missing, I don’t know which plane could it be…

Specially noteworthy are the beautiful stickers that decorate each plane, all of them different, as well as the different form of the wings and the plane.

Also interesting is that nr.1 in the collection is a Spanish fighter, the “Saeta HA-200”, probably one of the very few Spanish fighters made by CASA.

Hope you liked this entry!

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Names: SAETA HA-200, DEWOITINE D.520, MESSERSCHMITT BF 109, CURTIS „HELLDIVER“, SUPERMARINE „SEAFIRE“
• Toy Line: AVIONES DE COMBATE
• Year: Around 1983
• Company: EDITORIAL IRU (Spain)

#123 YOLANDA – SUPER-MONSTRUOS SERIE ESPECIAL (I) (1992)

Yolanda is a Spanish toymaker specialized in small plastic figures. Since the mid 80s, it belongs to Comansi, a classic and renowned Spanish company. There is very few information available on the internet about Yolanda before Comansi. The fact is that even though they are actually the same company, plastic figures are still being sold under the “Yolanda” brand, while other toys are sold under “Comansi” brand. It is maybe necessary to say, that Comansi still exists. After relatively dark years (90s, 00s), the company is now gaining importance due to new associates, new investments and new products (self-developed or licensed).

In the seventies, Comansi had already built plastic figures, especially indians and cowboys, sometimes using the name of famous films or tv-series (Davy Crockett, Lucky Luke,…). By the mid 80s, Yolanda takes over producing plastic figures, but the Indians are still sold under the Comansi brand. This had to be like that, because Comansi had gained much fame with its indians, cowboys and the “fuerte” (fort), to play with them (which by the way, has been released in 2011 again to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of this emblematic toy). Changing the name would have meant losing its commercial lead.

Yolanda took a different approach, which proved to be very modern at the time: They acquired the licenses to produce figures from the most popular cartoons and comic book characters, and distributed them without rival: they could be found really everywhere: big department stores, smaller toy shops, newspapers kiosk and stationer’s, tobacconists’, tuck shops and confectioners’ (figures of this brand were used to decorate birthday cakes!).

In the big department stores and toy shops, they used to be displayed in a showcase with a mirror in the interior and in which the models were displayed in rows, making a real nice, colourful view. The licences they acquired did not only belong to Spanish cartoons like “Barrio Sésamo” (the Spanish version of “Sesam Street”), “Mortadelo y Filemón” (in English “Clever & Smart”) or “el Capitán Trueno”, but also to “Inspector Gadget”, “Dragon Ball”, Marvel superheroes, "the Real Ghostbusters", "Filmation Ghostbusters", "Ninja Turtles", and many other series, and comics.

Supermonstruos 1 to 4

Supermonstruos 5 to 8

Supermonstruos 9 to 12

Supermonstruos 13 to 16

Supermonstruos 17 to 20

Supermonstruos 21 to 24

NOTE: This catalogue scan belongs to the original (monochromatic) series and appears 
in this blog courtesy of Pablo G. del Rio/Saurod. Originally displayed here.

This series is not licensed, it’s just a collection of monsters and creatures whose names, as you can see in the catalogue, are strategically changed to avoid mentioning the actual name. These figures were originally released in 1992, in monochromatic plastic (like some other Yolanda figures, specially those intended for promotional purposes), and sold in “surprise bags” of silver-coloured plastic, that prevented you to see the content of the bag. Shortly afterwards, the same collection was re-released in this form you’re watching. The casts are exactly the same, but painted look, in my opinion, much better. Coloured figured were sold loose or in transparent plastic bags. To see the figures in plastic bags, you can check this blog entry here (in spanish)

Original box in which the figures were sold loose in toy shops.

Several months ago, I received the news, that in my hometown, Yolanda figures were being sold again in press kiosks. When I returned in Christmas, I visited a few of them, and, yes, I bought all I could. In the last weeks, I have heard that these figures have also appeared in other Spanish cities. They are being sold between 0,50 and 2,00 Euros, and for the references I have, they’re selling well. I have tried to inquire about their origin, but I could find nothing out. It is maybe an old lot that has been discovered by some toy-trader? Is it coming from Comansi? What it seems clear is that they are no new releases, since they're very well hand-painted, and in cheap toys this is nowadays very difficult to see.

We will probably never know, but it is a good chance to get them cheap before they start being scarce again. There are “Supermonstruos” and “Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac” (these will be shown in a future entry) available.

The current Yolanda collection can be seen in their website. They still produce the same super-hero figures than they were producing 15 or 20 years ago, plus the “Capitán Trueno”, and the ninja turtles. 

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Names: EL HOMBRE-MOSCA (22), VAMPIRESA (16), LA MUERTE (2), JOROBADO (9), DIABLO (14), BRUJA (7), EL ASESINO DE LA ÓPERA (18) y SIMIO (23)
• Toy Line: Super-Monstruos Serie Especial (coloured version)
• Year: 1992
• Company: Yolanda (Spain)

#122 TOMICA – TOYOTA CELICA LB 2000GT, HONDA CIVIC COUNTRY and MAZDA SAVANNA RX-7 (NR. 33, 34 and 50) (1978 and 1979)

Following the last article, I’d like to introduce three more cars from the same series and characteristics than the two Nissans shown there. This time, the cars are a Honda, a Mazda and a Toyota. Again, only Japanese cars.

left to right: Honda Civic Country, Toyota Celica LB 2000GT and Mazda Savanna RX-7

The feeling of having one of these cars in your hands, is completely different from having a Matchbox or any other die-cast car. Tomica are delicate, beautifully done, and runs smoothly. If you checked the pictures in the last article, you might have discovered that the cars are decorated with lines in other colour than the body, the interiors have different colours, the license plates are all of them casted with some kind of message, and they had practicable doors. The Nissan Skyline also had a chromed front and a sun-roof. These three models also share this characteristics, they are no exception.


Let’s check them again:

Pad prints: decorations in the body are not stickers, they are quality pad prints. Note for example the Honda Civic Country, that has along the sides a band simulating wood.

Chassis: Beautifully decorated, and including many details: Tomica, number, scale, country of origin and car model and year of issue. Note that some chassis are made of plastic and some other are made of metal. This has nothing to do with the year in which it was released, and it doesn’t indicate that the car is a re-edition. The interesting thing is that metal chassis are fixed only with one rivet, while plastic ones are fixed with two rivets. This is made to give more resistance to the toy and to avoid that it could be easily opened, and broken into pieces. Little pieces always represent a danger of suffocation.

Wheels: Very thin, in the style of the Matchbox “Superfast” from the 70s. The pattern that represent the hubcaps are the same for all models.

Chromed parts: Mostly front parts of cars including bumper, make the car looks more realistic.

Interiors: Different for different models, were made in different colours, but the same model was always equipped with the same colour (no variations). Japanese models have the steering wheel on the right side, while Foreign have it on the left side (except maybe English models).

License Plates: All include some numbers or letters that are related to the model name, or Tomica reference number.

Practicable parts: In the 5 models I am presenting, the doors are practicable, although bonnets, trunks, are also common practicable parts. In trucks and other vehicles, practicable parts are also present: cranes, container doors, telescopic ladders, the box of a dump truck....

Windshields: Are also decorated, and different for each car. Many models have also sun-roofs.


Those were the features I wanted to point out. I have many models made by Tomica in the late 70s, and they are all great. I’ll try to bring more pictures of them soon. Tomica models from the 70s and 80s are valuable collectibles, if you have the chance to buy a couple of them, don’t hesitate, get them!

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: TOYOTA CELICA LB 2000GT, HONDA CIVIC COUNTRY and MAZDA SAVANNA RX-7 (NR. 33, 34 and 50)
• Scale: 1:63, 1:59, 1:60
• Year: 1978 and 1979
• Company: Tomica (Japan)
• Size: 6 cm

#121 TOMICA – NISSAN FAIRLADY 280Z-T and NISSAN SKYLINE 2000 TURBO GT-E-S (Nr. 15 and 20) (1979)

This article is the first of a series of two articles dealing with the history of the Japanese manufacturer Tomica, and the different series of 3'' models that can be found, while I show some Japanese cars they made. These models are very rare to find, since the European manufacturers never produced them (as far as I am concerned), and should only be available by Japanese manufacturers.

I’ll start with two Nissan models, the Nissan Fairlady 280Z-T and the Nissan Skyline 2000 Turbo GT-E-S both from 1979. About casts, wheels, interiors and practicable parts will deal next article.

Headlights are painted by myself

Tomica toys are still in production and are very popular in Japan. They produce many car models from the Japanese market, but also European and American cars. Tomica is the die-cast car line from Tomy. Tomy was founded in 1924, but it wasn’t until 1970 that it started producing scale cars under Tomica name. Tomy merged Takara (the other great Japanese toymaker) in 2006 and the company’s name is now “Takara Tomy”, although the English name is only Tomy. Some products are released just with the Takara brand, while others just with Tomy, and some other with both. About Takara and Tomy, we will talk some other time.

There are Tomica cars in several scales, although the most famous and best sellers are the 3’’ models (what we call here 1:64). There are many series from these “regular” Tomica, including the domestic series (Japan), foreign series and common series.

The “domestic series” started right from the beginning in 1970, and consisted only of Japanese cars. The initial assortment consisted of 6 cars, although the 7th model was released that same year 1970. The line grew until 109 models in 1978 (nos. 1 to 108 and 110, 109 was designed but not produced), including other types of vehicles apart from cars. New models issued from that day on, replaced an older model taking than its reference number. A few years earlier, Tomica started exporting its models to other countries, first to the U.S.A. and Canada (since 1974) and later to Europe. Since the Japanese models were not well known in America and Canada, they didn’t sold very well, so Tomica decided to produce new foreign models too, starting thus the “foreign series”. This series comprised 70 models numbered F1 to F70.

The “common series” came later, in 1988, when Tomica decided to combine its two series in just one. They took 80 domestic models and the first 40 foreign models, that were renamed with its original number plus 80 (that’s F1 turned to be 81; F2, 82 and so on).

There is also a "Limited Series", featuring cars made with higher detail than the other ones, rubber tires and more, but since this series started in 2001, it is not interesting for TFTP.

Almost every Tomica model has practicable parts

The domestic series were sold in boxes with black background, while in the foreign series, the box was white and blue, and included a flag of the country in which the model was produced. The common series were sold in a red and white box. To Spain, however, many of those models came in blisters (an entry showing Tomica blisters will be published sometime in the future), at least in models made after 1993. In 1990 the first models produced in China were brought to the market, to reduce manufacturing costs. Three years later, the whole production had already been moved. Through the history of Tomica, the only models that were not produced in Japan, were 6 models made in 1971 and 1972 that were made in Hong Kong.


FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: NISSAN FAIRLADZY 280Z-T and NISSAN SKYLINE 2000 TURBO GT-ES (NR. 15 and 20)
• Scale: 1:61, 1:65
• Year: 1979
• Company: Tomica (Japan)
• Size: 6 cm