In the period before the Second World War,  Dinky Toys were producing model aircraft which,  for their time, were world beaters.  These were toys that were meant to be played with and which lacked the fine detail that collectors now expect from the model manufacturers of to-day.  They had fixed undercarriages with, as far as I remember,  wheels that turned.  These were not accurate copies of the undercarriages seen on the actual aircraft, but this did not matter, they were toys.

They did however have propellers blades that turned.

The majority of the current models available from manufacturers such as Corgi are not toys and are obviously in view of their cost targetted for the collectors market.  These are finely detailed models which leave collectors with little to complain about other than the price.

Unfortunately this is not the case with Atlas Editions. They produce some very fine 1/72nd scale models of aircraft which are spoiled by their apparent lack of attention to detail. Some of their models suffer from badly designed undercarriages and all of them suffer from having fixed propellers. Why they could not have produced these models with revolving propeller blades is a complete mystery.  It may have something to do with cost, but if Dinky Toys absorbed it within their production costs all those years ago,  then surely Atlas Editions could have done the same.

It can not have been a difficult problem to solve as I have a Schabak 1:600 scale model of a PAN AM Douglas DC-3 with revolving propellers blades.
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Corgi tentatively put a toe into the model Vintage car market in 1964 with their Classic series which were of excellent quality and were well worth collecting and are still much sought after by collectors. The model T ford with the driver wielding his starting handle is a good example of this series. Corgi at this period in their history produced quite a lot of good quality plastic figures with which to complement their models. I recall a friend of mine buying several of the Corgi 1910 Daimler models in order to provide passengers for his RIO 1915 Fiat 18BL bus. I too have this Rio model but alas it must wait in Firenze for its passengers to arrive. My passengers and driver are still sitting in their Corgi Daimler.

Corgi went on to produce a range of commercial vehicles in 1/43rd scale which for some reason were not as well received by the diecast model collecting fraternity as they deserved to be. These are excellent models which are well made, nicely detailed and should not be ignored as they can be obtained now for little more than their original purchase price.

Corgi Thorneycroft Lincolnshire Police Van

My diecast model car collection took a number of years to build up as the required models where not always easy to locate. Friends and colleagues who were embarking on holidays abroad were recruited, if willing, to spend some of their precious holiday time searching the shops for a particular model. Every model tells a story and one search that springs to mind was undertaken by a colleague and his wife. Their task was to bring back a Solido model of the 1934 Voisin Carene. The acquisition of this model took place in a small town somewhere in France, where they spent one whole afternoon listening to the lady owner of the shop together with her sister, tearfully reminiscing about La Voisin, Papa’s wonderful car and the trips they had enjoyed in it. They had made friends for life with the sisters who only very reluctantly parted with a much loved model of Papa’s car.

Solido 1934 Voisin Carene

I have been a collector of die cast models for over forty years having been introduced to the hobby by a colleague in the office in which I worked.  On his advice I made my first purchase a 1/43rd scale model of a 1926 Hispano Suiza car produced by Solido. It was on sale at a reduced price in a model shop that was going out of business.

The only advice I  received from my fellow collector was to buy only !/43rd scale models as they were large enough to be finely detailed and not too large to have on display.

Following this advice I thoroughly enjoyed the next few years building up my collection of vintage cars.  Displayed in four wall mounted cabinets, each containing twenty five models,  this colourful collection of Solido, Rio, Brumm and Corgi models look far better, in my opinion, than any  collection of butterflies,  and they have been a talking point for visitors for years.

I have collected many more models than those that I have on display and have been, due to lack of storage space,  periodically forced to cull the collection.  I wish I could say that I made money on these occasions but in the days before e-bay the only way to sell was to dealers, and their offers did not match the prices shown in the die cast model price guides of the time.  This was understandable as they were in business to make a profit and they were very knowledgeable about their trade.

As I was not in the business of making money I bought only the models that were of interest to me, and therefore I missed the models that went on to become sought after classics.  Examples of these would be models associated with “Pop Groups” and themed models such as Fairground and Travelling Circus vehicles.

Corgi cornered the market in the production of these models.

Everybody must now be aware that keeping the model box in pristine condition is essential if making money is the object of the exercise,  but it is of little interest to me.

My interest is in the model, not the box in which it came.

Having mentioned boxes however,  I am  surprised that there are not more complaints about the boxes currently in use by Atlas Editions for their model warships. These are dull, anonymous containers which would be much improved by depicting in some way the ship contained within the box, or at the very least, naming the ship.

James Bridge
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One of my favourites models is the Rio model of the 1932 Fiat 508. A wonderful little car.