Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2024 i Collectors Gazette

Some good prices were realised at the last Trains, Planes and Automobiles auction in Australia. Examples included the homegrown blue Ferris O gauge three rail Bo-Bo diesel locomotive; although untested and exhibiting some chipping and rust on the couplings, it sold for AUS$700. Another Australian manufactured item was the Boomaroo O gauge push-along Tramcar, finished in red. Showing some paint loss and rust, therefore only fair, it still realised AUS$240. And the British Micro Models diecast Commer Semi-trailer, in two-tone green, and approximately 1/43 scale, also proved popular, being knocked down for AUS$210. A familiar face, the Corgi Routemaster Double Decker Bus, although an Australian issue in green and cream, was taken to AUS$550, despite cracked tyres. From Japan the Yonezawa large tinplate push-along Racing Car ("Indianapolis Speed King") certainly…

MINI GT LAMBORGHINI HURACÁN GT3 EVO #90 GEAR RACING 2020 IMSA DAYTONA 24HR Price: £15.00 Scale: 1/64 Release: out now Lamborghini’s Huracán in racing guise, wearing the incredible livery carried by GEAR Racing’s #19 at Daytona in 2020. Absolutely stunning graphics. ›› www.clevelandsdiecast.co.uk ESVAL MODELS 1933-37 MERCEDES-BENZ 290-W18 LANG CABRIOLET B - MAROON Price: £90.00 Scale: 1/43 Release: out now The interior is light tan, and all the details can be readily seen in this open-top version. Disc wheels complete another beauty, in a run of just 250 examples. ›› www.esvalmodels.com SPARK BMW 635 CSI NO.8 24H SPA 1983, M. DELCOURT - M. VANOLI - J. M. BAERT Price: £79.95 Scale: 1/43 Release: out now This Spark model is definitely a striking model (see what we did there?!) and would make…

Anderson Entertainment has just launched the first products in a new line of diecast collectibles based on vehicles from Gerry Anderson’s most popular television series. Created at a time of real-life space travel, the Eagle Transporter from Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s visionary 1970s television Space: 1999 is for many the greatest sci-fi spacecraft ever conceived. Known for its elegant shape and mission versatility, the Eagle Transporter flies an impressive array of missions including reconnaissance, resource gathering and space exploration. This finely detailed model is based on series 1 of the TV series and showcases the legendary Eagle in both standard Transporter configuration and the striking Rescue Eagle variant. At 300mm long, each are hand-painted and finished with screen-accurate decals, the model stands atop a fully sculpted scenic base and come…

1/148 OXFORD AUTOMOBILE Classic Mini Tweed Grey/OEW Price: £6.45 Scale: 1/148 Ref: NMN009 1/72 OXFORD AVIATION Morane Saulnier 406 KG200 OssunTarbes France 1943 Price: £18.95 Scale: 1/72 Ref: AC116 1/76 OXFORD COMMERCIALS British Gas Land Rover Defender LWB St. Wagon Price: £8.95 Scale: 1/76 Ref: 76DEF019 1/87 OXFORD AUTOMOBILE Chevrolet Impala Sport Coupe 1958 Cay Coral Metallic/Snowcrest White Price: £8.95 Scale: 1/87 Ref: 87CIS58001 1/76 OXFORD HAULAGE DAF XF Euro 6 Cylindrical Tanker William Nicol Price: £31.95 Scale: 1/76 Ref: 76DXF006 D R Macleod Scania New Generation (S) Cylindrical Tanker Price: £31.95 Scale: 1/76 Ref: 76SNG003 Morris Traveller Smoke Grey Price: £6.95 Scale: 1/148 Ref: NMMT009 Morane Saulnier 406 KG200 OssunTarbes France 1943 No Swastika Price: £18.95 Scale: 1/72 Ref: AC116S 1/76 OXFORD OMNIBUS Alexander M Type Western Price: £27.95 Scale: 1/76 Ref:…

A common pattern in the history of the toy industry is that a company which manufactures some other kind of product decides to produce a few toys as a sideline. The toys turn out to be big sellers and the firm decides to concentrate on this side of the business. In a way this is not too surprising: before you make toys, you first need to have acquired the skills and equipment in the form of metal casting or plastic injection moulding. A classic story of this kind lies behind the Lone Star brand. This enjoyed considerable success in the 1950s and 1960s making things like toy guns, sheriff’s badges and other ‘Wild West’ products, but the original purpose behind the parent company was entirely different. DCMT (Die Casting Machine…

With a bit of luck I’ll reach a significant collecting milestone in the not too distant future. 40 years after my quest to collect a full set of Cadbury’s Cococubs began I only need one figure to reach my goal. So the day I finally lay my hands on Mr Pie Porker I can sit back and reflect on a long and enjoyable search for all 29 of these endearing little hollowcast figures made by William Britain Ltd between 1934 and 1937. One of the joys of assembling this collection is the memory of where each and every one of my Cococubs were purchased with discoveries being made in all manner of places. These range from London’s Portobello and Camden Passage markets to those fabulous fleamarkets at Leeds Queen’s Hall…

In today’s toy market we’re used to action figures being accompanied by a marketing juggernaut. There’s typically an animated television series, a videogame tie-in, advertising on the side of buses, a run of short novels and all manner of accompanying products to ensure marketing dominance. However, back in the early 1980s all this wasn’t so common… at least until the creation of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Now, 40 years on, this macho action figure has become the blueprint for launching a new line of toys to market. However, the story of He-Man actually begins in the 1970s, as Mattel was trying to create its own line of fantasy figures, inspired by the success of Conan the Barbarian. Plus, it’s likely there were some regrets about Mattel’s CEO…

Item: Dinky pre-War No.280j Delivery Van Condition: good, some fatigue, rare promotional ‘Fenwick Newcastle on Tyne and Bond Street’ Sold for: £2,576.56 (33 bids) Item: Micro Machines Racing Set Condition: brand new and still sealed in original bubble packaging Sold for: £1220 (24 bids) Item: Hot Wheels Rrrumblers Bold Eagle Condition: excellent example, sold as part of a job lot Sold for: £580 (21 bids) Item: Tri-ang Scalextric CM2 set Condition: unmarked and looks unused, with original instructions and paperwork Sold for: £345 (11 bids) Item: Super 7 Masters of the Universe He-Man Condition: mint on an unpunched card, 5-way jointed and adjustable design Sold for: £9100 (30 bids) Item: Star Wars Tri-Logo R2-D2 with pop-up lightsabre Condition: bubble sealed to near mint unpunched card, a nice example Sold for:…

Hake’s finale at the end of 2023 netted US $2.4m, more proof that the toy market is as buoyant as ever. The most intriguing entry was probably the “Bat Man” gum card, which pre-dated the debut of DC Comics’ superhero Batman: part of a 1936 “Strange True Stories” set produced by Wolverine, the tenuous link with the Caped Crusader sparked a bidding frenzy, the lot closing on US$64,900. Equally interesting was a single 1940 Gum Inc. Superman No.1 gum card from the manufacturer’s set of 72 cards, which closed on US$23,600. A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic book (Number 1), with its cover signed with an added Turtle-head sketch by cocreator Kevin Eastman, proved popular, selling for US$31,152; while a John Byrne original pen-and-ink cover art for Action Comics’ No588…

Pokemon was definitely flavour of the month at the last British Toy Auctions event, when approximately 205 individual cards, including nine earlier versions from 1996 with Japanese writing, several first edition cards (including the Neo Genesis set Mantine, Jungle set Kabuto and Base set Machamp Holo) as well as others sold. Also included was a rare Base set Charizard Holo card, albeit in poor condition. They raised £480. A boxed Shackleton Foden F.G. Lorry in yellow with red wheel arches was disassembled and came with several loose parts in the box. The clockwork motor was working and had a key but it was not connected to the drive shaft. In good overall condition, with a poor box, it was one for the restorer and sold for £150. The Mighty Max…

In the bustling days leading up to their final sale of the year, Bertoia Auctions faced an unusual problem. More than 1,000 outstanding consignments of American and European toys and banks were in the process of being evaluated and photographed, while many hundreds of dazzling Christmas, Halloween and other holiday antiques waited in the wings to receive their own star treatment. It was decided that the best way to proceed might be to host two separate events, each with its own distinct focus, and with a two-week break in between. The November Annual Fall Auction would showcase magnificent toys and banks, and the December sale would feature holiday. When all was said and done, the toy and bank sale closed the books at $1.8 million and the holiday specialty sale…

Pretty much everything happened this year, particularly insofar as the UK was concerned. The biggest news had to be that of the Three Day Week, occasioned by the miners’ ongoing strike action and a burgeoning oil crisis. Life changed: later in the year road speed limits were reduced to 50mph, with unnecessary journeys advised against; while as an economy measure in the first quarter, television broadcasting stopped at 2230hrs. Electricity was rationed to three consecutive days per week. It was a gloomy (literally) start to the year… It didn’t get much better. A bomb was exploded at the Houses of Parliament in London, damaging Westminster Hall, for which the IRA claimed responsibility. Inflation continued to spiral out of control around the world, reaching 11.3% in the US and 17.2% in…

Cast your mind back a few issues (to October 2022 to be precise!) and hopefully you’ll remember our whistle stop tour through the early years of Swoppets, the fantastic plastic toy figures launched by Britains in the 1950s. After giving you the background of how these miniatures were created, this issue we’ll look at the innovations in the range throughout the 1960s before the sad demise of Swoppets in the 1970s. The first release of the 1960s saw the medieval knights take to horseback for the first time, with the release of four mounted knights – No.1450 with standard, No.1451 charging, No.1452 attacking and No.1453 defending. Although they were more expensive than previous Swoppets, the quality was through the roof. These models were a wonderful nod to designer Roy Selwyn-Smith…

The Bionic Six was an American-Japanese TV series produced by TMS Entertainment which first aired in 1987. The storyline of the series centred on the adventurous Bennett family. The story begins in the Himalayas, when an alien spacecraft triggers an avalanche, burying the whole family and exposing them to radiation. The father Jack survives due to his bionic implants created by Professor Sharp, but the rest of the family is comatose. The other family members then receive bionic implants from Professor Sharp, which revive them and give each of them special abilities. Their archenemy is Doctor Scarab, Sharp’s brother, who believes that the secret of immortality lies in Sharp’s bionics technology. This sets Scarab to plotting, with the help of his motley crew of villains, for world domination! The merchandising…

Immerse yourself in the world of vintage collectables and keep up to date on the latest diecast releases with informative reviews, news and reviews. ›› Get inspired with the latest auction and event news›› Practical tips and price guides›› Features on the likes of Corgi, Toys, Dinky Toys, Tri-ang Spot-On, Matchbox Superfast, Hot Wheels and more! For more details visit: https://ccofgb.uk/DCSpring2024 or call 01778 392006 and quote DCC/SUBS24…

Marketeers and researchers love to talk about tribes. Of course, they’re not referring to the indigenous tribes of say the North American Plains but more likeminded individuals with shared interests such as we collectors. We may all seem like a jolly band all rubbing along but it wasn’t always thus. Years back there were very definite tribes in the collecting fraternity. I well remember there being clear delineations between tinplate people and diecast people for example. Often a chat with stall holder at a toy fair would leave them informed in no uncertain terms as to which tribe you fell into should they offer the wrong merchandise. However, all the subcategories were still present and correct; trains, diecast, lead figures, or even plastic could be counted if you were feeling…

WIKING FERGUSON TE-20 BLUE GREY TRACTOR Price: £16.25 Scale: 1/87 Release: out now Good quality, detailed plastic tractor with a floating front axle, freely rotating wheels and a hitch for a trailer at the rear. ›› www.wiking.de CORGI MODEL CLUB MINI COOPER MAGNIFIQUE Scale: 1/41 Price: £37.99 Release: out now Launched into the range in 1968, this was a very welcome new Mini casting. An excellent and well detailed reproduction of the original. ›› www.corgimodelclub.com…

You know that dream where you’re on the top floor of a tower block but the lift only goes up to the floor below, and you’re expected to climb out of the window and back in through the one below? What? Surely, it’s not just me. Trainspotters have the equivalent of what we euphemistically call ‘anxiety dreams’. Lost tickets or luggage left on trains are a frequent scenario, but the best one is where you're in one of those old suburban coaches with doors to every compartment, but no corridor. For some reason which is never fully explained in the dream, you have to move to a different compartment before the train arrives at the next station. In Richard Hannay’s case in the film The 39 Steps, he’s on the…

If I asked you to imagine an American superhero, you’d probably picture rippling muscles, luxurious hair and a uniform emblazoned with the Stars and Stripes. They’d be strong and brave and would fight for freedom wherever needed. But what about a British superhero? Does such a thing even exist? It just might. The superpower isn’t physical, but mental: they’re the smartest guy (or gal) in every room in this universe (and quite possibly others). Brains (and a healthy dose of running) get them out of every tight spot, occasionally with the help of a strategic Jammy Dodger. They’re at their best with a human companion, flashing a sonic screwdriver and zipping through time and space. And they do it all in a blue police box that makes an instantly recognisable…

• Bionic Dirt Bike: This is Meg’s red motorbike. In the opening of each episode, you would see her racing along on it. With the press of a button, the LJN model transformed into a tricycle-configured machine armed with laser guns! • Electronic Flying Laser Throne: One of Scarab’s inventions, this chiefly purple device, emblazoned with scarab symbols, projected and received beams. The toy emitted electronic firing sounds when you pushed the button. • Electronic Laser Aero Chair: Professor Sharp’s invention, this device had the same characteristics as Scarab’s Electronic Flying Laser Throne, with the Bionic Six symbol on the front of the machine. • MULES Van, Mobile Utility Energizing Station: This was a support vehicle which carried the team and their Quad Runner and Dirt Bike. The front split…

Back in the 1970s, Formula 1 cars varied quite a bit in how they looked, especially compared to how similar all the cars appear to be today. Some of my all time favourite designs raced in the 1976 season – Tyrrell 007, Brabham BT44B and Ferrari 312T2 – but the one that really caught my attention and admiration first raced some years earlier: Colin Chapman’s wedge-shaped Lotus 72. It raced in several liveries, both as a works entry and in the hands of privateers, but none seem to be remembered as fondly more than the fabulous John Player Special cars with their sexy black and gold colours. Corgi Toys rose to the challenge to tempt the carpet racing drivers. The story of this model actually begins with the introduction of…

This month we’re saying hello to the Followers of Rupert Bear. This is a society of like-minded people of all ages and from all walks of life who are all fans of that loveable little bear renowned for his yellow checked trousers and scarf and red jumper – Rupert Bear. The Followers of Rupert began back in 1983. A gentleman by the name of Tony Shuker wanted to share his love of Rupert and formed the group. He began producing the Nutwood Journals and gradually attracted more and more Rupert enthusiasts to this society. Rupert Bear, however, has been around for much longer. On 8th November 2023 he celebrated his 103rd birthday! And for those wanting a little reminder about this very English teddy bear and woodland friends, he started…

Hi folks! Well, here we are entering into 2024 and to me the collecting scene is still as exciting and vibrant as ever with all kinds of treasure still making its way to market. One of my best buys so far this year was a great little Kinema toffee tin from the firm of T.W. Parker & Co of Newcastle. Probably designed with the idea of being sold in cinema kiosks it’s interesting how Parker’s have used the fame and popularity of Charlie Chaplin to market their toffee with the clever slogan ‘everybody’s favourite’. I was more than happy to hand over forty-five pounds for this rare little beauty which will probably end up in my own collection for a while. Still on the subject of tin, a great tinplate…