#1004 AIRGAM COMICS – CAPT. LASER with HELICOPTER (Ref. 361) (1985)

 
Capt. Laser and Spector were available, as usual, in their individual blister packs or in boxes with other figures, but instead of having one big-size vehicle, they came with a small helicopter-backpack.

The helicopter backpack is rather fragile, and can be found only rarely with all their parts and working. There is a button on the upper part of the backpack that mechanically activates the blades.

The backpack can be removed, although it is not recommended to do so as the wings on the head of Capt. Laser may suffer some damage in the process, or the backpack’s plastic may get some stress when forcing it open. Capt. Laser is one of the most fragile figures in the series because of these two wings. Many times they are broken and missing.

I keep this figure since I was a kid, I like very much the colours of the figure and their contrast to the colours of the backpack, mostly with some golden details. As any other reference of this collection it is now a highly valued collectable and very hard to find.

Although the prices are ramping steadily, I was able to buy on a recent auction this same figure carded. Here are the pictures of the fantastic blistercard.

See more from this toyline here.

FACTS and FIGURES:

• Name: CAPT. LASER with HELICOPTER (Ref. 361)
• Toy Line: Airgam Comics (Wave 1)
• Year: 1985
• Company: Airgam (Spain)
• Size of the figures: Around 8.5 cm (3.25'')

#1003 AURORA AFX G-PLUS/G+ – FERRARI 312 B3 (1975)

Sometimes you find surprises like this one. I was in a flea market, searching in a big box in which the seller had indicated “1 piece = 1 euro”, and found this nice slot car. I had no idea what it was, but I simply took it, and put it in the bag. It is actually very rare to see toys "Made in Singapore" these days, so I thought it might be something special. I recall that during my visit to the National Museum of Singapore, I found a small display of toys made there, but I don't have any memories of Aurora cars there...

Several days later I had the chance to search a bit on the internet. What was that strange Ferrari I had bought? I found this fascinating history here.

Aurora is the well-known toymaker from New York,  but this Aurora AFX was unknown to me. These small cars were the first to introduce the ground effect magnet to achieve higher speeds withour making the car impossible to drive. That is how the G+ or G-Plus (gravity plus) series was born. This was premiered in January 1975 and became an instant success, although Aurora was actually not doing as well and in 1977, the AFX line would be purchased by Tomy, that used the license in the Tomy AFX toyline.

The car is slightly smaller than the usual 1:64, and it is missing a mirror, but it is otherwise complete, and I would say it is still functional, I didn’t try, I guess if I apply 9 V to the motor, it will start.

The model represents the Ferrari 312 B3, as driven in the 1975 season by Clay Regazzoni and Niki Lauda, but the RN 6 does not represent any of them. I guess this small f1 was among the first produced. The same model was also reproduced by Scalextric in Spain, but in a different scale.

FACTS AND FIGURES

• Name: FERRARI 312 B3  
• Scale: Approx. 1:64
• Year: 1975
• Company: Aurora AFX G-Plus (U.S.A. / Singapore)
• Size: approx. 5 cm

#1002 FALLER HIT-CAR – VW PORSCHE 914/6 and MERCEDES 350 SLC (1970 and 1974)

Faller is better known for their electric trains and scale kits for train modellism, but in the 70s they were also active in other toy markets, such as slot cars and speed tracks, similar to those made by Hot Wheels. The difference, is that the Hit-Cars by Faller have plastic bodies and die-cast base

For this reason, they were very light and could make great jumps, but, on the other side, they were very fragile. Some models in very good condition reach today very interesting prices when sold online, probably due to the scarcity of mint models.

My two Faller Hit-Car models are a good example of what I say. I own a VW Porsche 914/6 in white, which is in mint condition plus a blue Mercedes 350SLC that has been stepped on and almost destroyed. So are a great percentage of used models. The first one could clearly sell for more than 30 euros, the second one is probably worth nothing.

The VW Porche was available between 1970 and 1980 and has some information on the base (110 PS and 200 Km/h). The Mercedes Model was available between 1974/75 and 1980 and the base indicates 200 PS and 210 Km/h.

Faller tracks were sold in packages that remind of the Matchbox colours. The tracks came in boxes, and the cars could be purchased in nice blisters. This line was active between 1969 and 1979, but the death of one of the Faller brothers stopped the development of this particular line. 

The company is much older than that, as it was founded in 1946 by the brothers Edwin and Hermann Faller in Baden-Württenberg, Germany. Originally they produced construction sets made of wood, and other articles such as clothespins. Soon they started with the model kits for electric trains in H0 scales, which is the niche in which they succeeded and are best known at.

The main part of their production was aimed at adult collectors and hobbyist, but in the early 70, they also produced the Hittrain, which was a toy for children. Other toys were the AMS Auto Motor Sport line of slot cars and the Hit-Car which I am showing in this entry.

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: VW PORSCHE 914/6 (nr. 3441) and MERCEDES 350 SLC (nr. 3455)
• Scale: Approx. 1:64
• Year: 1970-1980 and 1974/75-1980, respectively
  
• Company: Faller (West Germany)
• Size: Around 6 cm long

#1001 CORGI – SURTEES T.S.9 F.1. and TS.9B-F1 (150 and 153) (1972)

It is very interesting that Corgi released two models of fairly similar formula ones with just a few months difference.

The first model is the Surtees T.S.9 F1, although for its shape, it looks more like the previous year’s T.S.7. In the 1971 season, the team did not very well with their main drivers John Surtees and Rolf Strommelen. Derek Bell, Sam Posey, Brian Redman and Gijs van Lennep started one race each, and Mike Heilwood, two.

The second model is the TS.9B, the direct evolution of the previous model. Maybe this came to Corgi as a surprise, and they quickly made a few changes in order to have the actual model of the season available for sale, and not the one from the previous season. Note that the base is very similar… and that some parts are also the same or almost identical.

The car was not very successful in the 1972 season, although the ex-motorcycle pilot Mike Hailwood achieved great results and finished the season in 8^th place. The other drivers of the team that year were Tim Schenken, Andrea de Adamich, and also John Surteets himself, who only ran one GP.

As Formula ones are, in general, small cars, the scale is 1:36, but the size is the same or equivalent to that of the “normal” 1:43 cars in the series. No matter what, they are great models to have in your collection if you like Corgi models, formula ones or cars in general in this scale.

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: SURTEES T.S.9 F.1. and TS.9B-F1 (150 and 153)
• Scale: 1:36
• Year: 1972
• Company: Corgi (Great Britain)
• Size: Around 10 cm long