51-457: Corgi Classics Limited was a British die-cast scale model manufacturer established as an independent company in 1995, which has its origins in the Corgi Toys brand introduced by Mettoy in 1956. It is known for its British and North American vehicle models. Products manufactured and marketed by Corgi included die-cast scale model cars , airplanes , buses, and military . In 2008
102-654: A fifth land speed record car replica of the record-breaking Thrust SSC piloted by Andy Green, the company did not often return to such deviations from its 'liveried classics' format. Lledo launched the Vanguards range in 1996, which specialized in replica classic British cars, and later, other European vehicles. The first model was the fourth update of the Ford Anglia (1959–1968). With Hillmans, Jowetts, Wolseleys, Rovers, Triumphs, Vauxhalls, Austins, Morrises and Jaguars, many traditional British marques were represented and
153-515: A large role in a family's purchasing decisions was key. There is also the fact that children grown up to buy products that they were exposed to when young. Matchbox vehicles mildly advertised a variety of mainly British products like Singer sewing machines, Tetley tea, Pickford's movers, or Coca-Cola. As time passed, companies such as McDonald's , Sears Roebuck , Kodak and Texaco commissioned toymakers to produce promotional models featuring their names and logos or licensed their use. One early example
204-402: A new range of 1/76th scale UK and Hong Kong bus models under the "Original Omnibus Company" banner; by 2007, the total number of individual model releases in this sub-range had exceeded eight hundred. In 1999 Corgi Classics Limited was taken over by Zindart, an American collectors specialists. By 2000, as in the 1960s, Corgi was once again the top British model maker. That same year, Corgi bought
255-562: A range of promotional stylised vehicles and maintained its manufacturing base in Swansea until 2000 when it relocated its production to a plant it owned in China. As such it was the last large scale producer of die-cast models to manufacture in the UK, although it choose to own and build its own Chinese factory rather than outsource production entirely. In the 1970s, Japanese toymaker Popy (owned by
306-759: A year's supply was destroyed in the factory in Fforestfach in Swansea by a fire, a major setback, which cut profits tremendously. Despite this, Corgi continued to remain among top collectables for many years. Sales increased in the late 1960s and early '70s after the James Bond Aston Martin DB5 and the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang car was released, but sales were fell sharply after the 1969 fire, which led to substantial ground being lost to its main rival Dinky, but by 1971,
357-439: Is a toy or a collectible model produced by using the die-casting method of putting molten lead , zinc alloy or plastic in a mold to produce a particular shape. Such toys are made of metal, with plastic, rubber, glass, or other machined metal parts. Wholly plastic toys are made by a similar process of injection molding , but the two methods are distinct because of the properties of the materials. The metal used in die-casting
408-844: Is either a lead alloy (used early on), or more commonly, Zamak (called Mazak in the UK), an alloy of zinc with small quantities of aluminium and copper . Lead or iron are impurities that must be carefully avoided in Zamac, as they give rise to a deterioration of the metal most commonly called zinc pest . The terms white metal or pot metal are also used when applied to alloys based more on lead or iron. The most common die-cast vehicles are scale models of automobiles , aircraft , military vehicles, construction equipment , and trains , although almost anything can be produced by this method, like Monopoly game pieces, furniture handles, or metal garden sprinklers. Die-cast toys were first produced early in
459-522: The Forward March series which complements their 1/32 and 1/50 scale lines of vehicles. In May 2008, international models and collectables group Hornby announced the acquisition of Corgi Classics Limited for £ 8.3 million. Under Hornby ownership the Corgi brand underwent a rebrand in 2012, this saw the introduction of a new logo and style of packaging, however the main element reasoning behind
510-421: The "Matchbox" became widely used as a generic term for any die-cast toy car, regardless of manufacturer. The popularity of die-cast toys developed through the 1950s as their detail and quality increased. More companies entered the field, including successful brands like Corgi brand, produced by Mettoy, Italian Mercury , Danish Tekno , or German Schuco and Gama Toys . Corgi Toys appeared in 1956 and pioneered
561-412: The 1980s a new trend had solidified as many die-cast vehicles were now being purchased by adults as collectibles, and not just as toys for children. Aluminium die-cast is playing a big role in automobile sectors. Despite their popularity, many die-cast manufacturers went out of business in the 1980s. Meccano (Dinky), Matchbox, and Corgi all went bankrupt within a three-year span which essentially reflected
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#1732801377577612-585: The 20th century by manufacturers such as Meccano ( Dinky Toys ) in the United Kingdom , Dowst Brothers (TootsieToys) in the United States and Fonderie de précision de Nanterre ( Solido ) in France . The first models on the market were basic, consisting of a small vehicle body with no interior. In the early days, as mentioned, it was common for impurities in the alloy to result in zinc pest , and
663-674: The African desert so as not to forget his wireless call sign. Lledo set out to specialise in replicating early Matchbox series styles, particularly the Models of Yesteryear range. Odell and Russell bought machinery from the Universal company, which had purchased the Matchbox plant and shipped it to Macau. The tooling they purchased was re-shipped back to Enfield, England where in April 1983
714-468: The British stores employing this idea. A South African chain called Dion was one of the few overseas firms to follow suit. Many collectors took pleasure in the variety, but some disparaged the development as "collecting paint" as the castings were identical; only the decorations were different. In any event, it was a great cost saving measure as companies put less money into expensive casting tooling. So, by
765-467: The Corgi Classics line in the mid-1980s, producing more than 50 versions of a 1920s era Thornycroft van. Corgi also produced hundreds of versions of their 1/64 scale Routemaster bus in the 1980s and 1990s. Multitudes of versions were made to be sold exclusively in the stores advertised on the bus flanks. Harrods, Selfridges, Gamley's , Hamley's, Army & Navy, Underwood's, and Beatties were among
816-641: The Dinky Toys name, long after the Liverpool factory was closed. Manufacturing resumed in China. In a series of subsequent shifts, a group of Corgi executives bought back the Corgi Classics line from Mattel and portions of the Matchbox line were sold to an Australian company named Tyco (no relation to the Tyco line of HO scale trains, originally made by Mantua Metalworking in New Jersey, US). Effectively from
867-551: The Land Speed Record from 1983 to 1997. These models were a big departure from the multiple-livery classic vehicle fare that Lledo normally made – they were entirely new castings and were not subsequently reproduced in any other promotional form. The models were in varied scales from 1:80 to 1:100 (the real cars were very large). The promotion packed all four models together and included a foldout poster of specifications and land speed record events. Though Lledo also made
918-401: The Matchbox 1-75 line sister brands. The two brands continue to sell under their own separate names. Meanwhile, Corgi had been acquired by Mattel which moved the office from Swansea, Wales to Leicester, England and moved manufacturing to China. A new company called Oxford Diecast acquired the former Corgi factory in Swansea and commenced manufacture for themselves and Corgi. Matchbox also bought
969-611: The Netherlands under the Edocar name. In 1993, Lledo partnered with Kellogg's cereals in the UK to produce a set of four land speed record cars. Called "Land Speed Legends", the vehicles included the 1935 Sir Malcolm Campbell-Railton Blue Bird (the first car to break 300 miles per hour); the Railton Mobil Special driven by John Cobb; Craig Breedlove's second Spirit of America, and Richard Noble's Thrust 2 which held
1020-501: The Swansea factory was back to full production again after major repairs costing over £1.3 million. The Queen's silver jubilee model edition released in 1977 was an instant best-seller, along with another nostalgia model, Edward VII's coronation state coach of 1901. After a rapid decline in sales, in 1983 economic analysts said that decline was inevitable; children and adults had moved on to more sophisticated toys, others however did not agree; they believed if it had not been for
1071-780: The US, Corgi released a new range of trucks, fire tenders and buses based on North American prototypes, though these were not as successful as had been hoped. In 1995, Corgi regained its independence as a new company, "Corgi Classics Limited", and moved to new premises in Leicester . Corgi Classics turned to British television for model ideas, and soon released models such as Mr. Bean's Mini , Inspector Morse 's Jaguar and later models based on Enid Blyton 's Noddy tales. A variety of firms ranging from Cadbury 's chocolate to Guinness beer to Eddie Stobart haulage have had Corgi scale models made of their road vehicles. In 1995 Corgi introduced
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#17328013775771122-404: The US, and a large number of racing-related NASCAR die-cast cars and trucks, painted in the colors of the racing teams, appeared from various manufacturers. Racing Champions was a leading brand, but there were many others. Die-cast aircraft and military models also became popular. While Dinky had made aircraft decades earlier, new companies entered the field in the 1980s and 1990s. One producer
1173-590: The Volkswagen Transporter van was included in many different liveries – for example in bright yellow with the Bosch Auto Electrical logo. Vanguards were a departure from earlier Lledos, as they were produced in a consistent 1:43 scale. Although shipping high volumes of product, the company could not compete against low cost producers from Hong Kong and China who also entered the special promotions market with high quality products. As
1224-526: The ashes of Matchbox's bankruptcy arose Lledo, a company created by former Matchbox partner Jack Odell. Odell believed that British collectibles for British collectors could still be profitably produced in England. Lledo took over part of the Matchbox factory in Enfield and introduced their "Models of Days Gone" line of die-cast vehicles in 1983. The first series of Days Gone models included re-makes of some of
1275-465: The casting would distort, crack, or crumble. As a result, die-cast toys made before World War II are difficult to find in good condition. The later high-purity Zamak alloy avoided this problem. Lesney began making die-cast toys in 1947. Their popular Matchbox 1-75 series was so named because there were always 75 different vehicles in the line, each packaged in a small box designed to look like those used for matches. These toys became so popular that
1326-452: The change was the relaunch of Corgi Toys. In 2019 a new series was launched called: CORGI CHUNKIES is new range of toys with moving interactive parts, free-rolling, soft-tyred wheels, left and right hand drive and a strong child-proof build. The chunkies models were designed by Hanan Shpetrick. This is a list of a few of the most famous Corgi Classics limited models: Die-cast toy A die-cast toy (also spelled diecast, or die cast)
1377-511: The chassis, according to need. Most models were produced by Lledo, but several 'Code Two' models were manufactured and sold to second parties for label and logo application previously agreed to by Lledo. Some Lledos were sold in the U.S. under the Hartoys name, headquartered in Florida, and mainly selling a series of trucks to be sold in supermarkets and drug stores. One of these Hartoys lines
1428-475: The company was acquired by Hornby Railways , who has owned the Corgi brand since then. "Corgi Toys" was launched in 1956 as a new range of die-cast toy model cars by Mettoy Playcraft LTD , the toy car company founded in 1936. These new toy cars were soon a huge hit because at the time they were the only toy cars on the market that included transparent plastic windows, they soon became known as "the ones with
1479-459: The company was taken over by Mattel , the worldwide toy manufacturing giant (manufacturer of Barbie Dolls and Hot Wheels cars), and production was moved to Leicester, the Mattel headquarters. Corgi then introduced a new range: Corgi Classics, selling nostalgia cars, vans and trucks from the 1930s, '40s, '50s and '60s, aimed at those who had grown up during that period. At around the same period in
1530-721: The dominant player within five years. Licensing agreements with BBC TV for the Top Gear programme and UK Haulier Eddie Stobart followed as they expanded into licensed product. Die-cast toys and models come in various scales, the most popular ones being: Items such as toy restaurants and filling stations are sometimes sold separately from the cars, to be used as playsets. Toy raceways are also sold for use with die-cast cars, which have become more complicated in recent years, usually involving loops and complicated curves. Also produced are carry cases made specifically for children to be able to travel with their cars. Lledo Lledo
1581-468: The economic climate in the UK at that time. It had become virtually impossible to manufacture in England and compete on the world market. Mattel had long since shifted most of their production from the US to the Far East. Matchbox was purchased by a Hong Kong conglomerate named Universal Holdings which moved production from England to Macau. Mattel bought Matchbox in 1997, essentially making Hot Wheels and
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1632-498: The finished model. Rear view mirror and accurate windscreen wipers were also offered. Like many Lledo models, the Alpine came with rear view mirrors separate that could then be fixed to the car. British trucks were also produced including Ford Transit vans and Ford Thames Trader truck, Commer dropside, Morris commercial van, Dennis F8 fire engine, Bedford S Type trucks, Land Rover LWB and Defender and Karrier boxback, among others. Later,
1683-598: The fire there would have been no problem. Corgi reformed as "Corgi Toys Ltd." in 1984 and turned its attention to regaining the British toy company's confidence. Three years later Corgi turned to the export market for profits, soon distributing in Australia, Continental Europe and the United States. Shortly after this Corgi started the Collectors Club , which quickly gained worldwide membership. In 1989
1734-533: The idea that their toys were made of the same stuff as the "real" robots. The line proved popular, with some figures imported to the west. In the late nineties, Bandai created the Soul of Chogokin line of adult collector figures featuring metal parts, as a callback to the original Chogokin toys, and then the smaller but similar Super Robot Chogokin line. One-seventy-sixth scale buses became very popular in Britain in
1785-512: The larger Bandai ) created a line of die-cast toys based on the popular Super Robot anime series of the period. The line was named Chogokin , meaning "Super Alloy", that futuristic metal robot Mazinger Z was said to be made of. The weighty toys were meant to give kids a sense of heftiness of robots in the cartoons. In a similar manner, Popy's other line was Jumbo Machinder (known in the West as Shogun Warriors ) whose metal make-up gave children
1836-537: The late 1980s and early 1990s, with competing lines from Corgi (the Original Omnibus Company) and Gilbow Holdings ( Exclusive First Editions , or EFE) fighting for the market. The 1/76 scale fits in with British 'OO' scale model trains. By the 1990s, 1:18 scale die-cast cars became very popular in the United States, but the popularity of that scale waned approaching the millennium. By 1990 also, NASCAR stock car racing enjoyed increasing popularity in
1887-552: The most expansive and widely collected lines of highly detailed limited edition collectable die-cast metal aircraft. This line has been expanded in successive years to include new moulds and liveries and even new scales, such as the super-detailed 1/32 scale Aviation Archive line. Corgi followed with a new line of 1/50 scale armoured vehicles ranging from World War II up to through the Vietnam War . In 2006, Corgi began selling hand painted, spin-cast metal figures and soldiers in
1938-506: The most popular and respected first and second-generation Matchbox Models of Yesteryear . Lledo models were very popular collectibles in the 1980s, leading to a period of diversification (incl. the Vanguards line of classic post-war British vehicles), but by the 1990s they were eclipsed by other brands and in 2002 Lledo went out of business. Parts of their line were purchased by Corgi which moved production to China. Oxford Diecast developed
1989-457: The new "Days Gone" range was launched. The name is a nice continuation of Matchbox's nostalgic "Yesteryear" theme. The first Lledo models appeared on the market in early 1983. These were a horse-drawn tram, a horse-drawn milk float, a horse-drawn delivery van, a stagecoach-like omnibus and a horse-drawn fire engine. One of the more popular models was the Ford Model T van introduced later in
2040-402: The original Matchbox Models of Yesteryear line, there were only a selection of basic castings which were commonly produced in limited edition promotion runs of 500 or 1000 models. For example, the basic Model T delivery van was produced in more than 170 different liveries. Meanwhile, the horse-drawn vehicles were produced less and less, the last one appearing in 1984. The London Double Decker bus
2091-415: The range grew to more than 40 different vehicles. The Vanguards line, often called the "Fifties and Sixties Classic Collection" was notable for keen attention to detail. For example, the handsome Sunbeam Alpine Mark II featured accurate decals for logos and scripts on the body of the car, chrome petrol cap, door handles and trunk hinges. Body coloured rims with whitewall tyres added to the sophistication of
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2142-649: The rights to the Lledo name (and many of the moulds), taking over the popular Days Gone series. The Vanguards series was also acquired in the deal. Days Gone and Vanguards models were sold by Corgi under the Lledo moniker until 2004, after which the Lledo name was dropped and the models officially became part of the Corgi Classics line. In 1999, Corgi debuted the Aviation Archive line of diecast military aeroplanes . Beginning with 1/144 scale, Corgi created one of
2193-423: The use of interiors and windows in their models. In 1968, Hot Wheels were introduced in the United States by Mattel to address the complaint that they had no line of toys for boys to balance their line of Barbie dolls for girls. Because they looked fast and were fast (they were equipped with a low-friction wheels/axles), Hot Wheels quickly became the most popular die-cast cars in the toy market, becoming one of
2244-504: The windows". Although Corgi has had many model car competitors ranging from Dinky Toys to Lledo , its name is well known to this day. In its first year of trading Corgi sold 2.75 million cars, making it a clear leader of the British toy car industry. In 1966 Corgi won both The Queen's Award to Industry and the National Association of Toy Retailers' Highest Standards Award , two prestigious awards. In March 1969,
2295-468: The world's top sellers, challenging the popularity of Matchbox. Since 2009, the Diecast Hall of Fame inducts designers, industry executives and others that have made major contributions to the industry. Although advertising had been used by Meccano ( Dinky Toys ) since 1934, during the 1960s new companies began to use die-cast vehicles exclusively as promotional items. The idea that children play
2346-400: The year. The promotional market became Lledo's bread and butter, and the aim was to provide variations to be offered for different businesses. Of the hundreds of Lledo variations appearing in the first six years of production, all were based on only thirty basic castings. The Model T, especially, became the basis for a series of limited edition models for gifts and promotions. Different from
2397-438: Was Dyna-Flytes , which went bankrupt in the 1990s, but their market share was quickly taken up by their competitors, including Schabak, GeminiJets, Herpa, and Dragon Wings. In 2005 Oxford Diecast entered the scale accurate market with range of vehicles in popular British railway scales of 1:76 and 1:148. This and a radically enhanced product in its 1:43 scale range meant the company rapidly grew sales and UK market share, becoming
2448-454: Was a British manufacturing company founded in 1982 by Matchbox co-founder Jack Odell , and Burt Russell, and based in Enfield . The factory produced mainly die-cast scale model commercial vehicles, and also cars , from 1983 to 1999, when the company went into bankruptcy . Models were later made in China . "Lledo" was a reversal of Odell's own surname, a mnemonic device from war days in
2499-658: Was a popular promotional; it appeared in many forms like "Vimto-Keeps you Fit", "Madame Tassaud's Wax Museum", or the "Boys Brigade" model whose intent was to raise funds to provide safe drinking water for third world countries. Another promotional example was the VW Transporter van which appeared in Pepsi, 7 Up and Bosch spark plugs liveries, amongst many others. To distinguish promos from traditional "Days Gone" series models, model baseplates were differentiated. Either "Days Gone" or "Lledo Promotional Model" began to appear on
2550-797: Was an American Airlines London bus produced by Matchbox, an idea some other airlines quickly copied. Beginning in the mid 1970s, trucks and other commercial vehicles grew greatly in popularity. Matchbox started the trend when they re-launched their Models of Yesteryear range. They made a score of different versions of their Y-12 Ford Model T van, along with other trucks in colorful liveries such as Coca-Cola , Colman's Mustard, and Cerebos Salt. They also made promotional versions for Smith's Crisps (potato chips) and Harrods department store. Some models were made exclusively for certain markets and immediately became quite expensive elsewhere: Arnott's Biscuits (Australia) and Sunlight Seife (soap, Germany) are examples. Corgi copied this idea when they expanded
2601-406: Was called the "Fantastic Set o' Wheels". Perhaps because of the diecast expense, these did not last long and did not become popular, despite fine craftsmanship and notable brand liveries. By the early 1990s, Hartoys was using Chinese diecasters to continue to make models, now called the "American Highway Legends" (AHL). One example was the 1939 International A&P truck. Other Lledos were marketed in
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