Corgi Classics Limited
Corgi Classics Limited is a British manufacturer of model replicas of automobiles , airplanes and tanks predominantly on a scale of 1:43. The company also became known in Germany for replicas of well-known vehicles from films and television series from the English-American region.
Corgi Toys
In 1933, the German emigrants Philip Ullmann and Arthur Katz founded the Mettoy company in Northampton , England . Both had already worked together at the toy manufacturer Tipp & Co. in Nuremberg . It was not until 1956 that it became Corgi Toys , which was to serve as a competitor to the English toy brand Dinky Toys . Production began in a larger complex in Swansea , Wales with 1:43 scale vehicles. The Corgi vehicles stood out due to their innovations at the time, such as movable vehicle doors, reflex headlights and exclusive accessories in the model car market. All vehicles were made of painted zinc die-cast (English "die-cast") with inserted plastic parts. The Welsh Corgi dog breed gave the company its name and logo.
Models
It started in 1956, first vehicles of the British company such as Rover , Ford , Hillman , Triumph or BMC . Vehicles from German manufacturers were also produced, including Mercedes-Benz , BMW and Volkswagen . Later came airplanes in scale from 1: 100 and armored vehicles added. From the mid-1970s, some 1:36 scale vehicles were built that were not very popular with collectors. Another branch were truck models, which were mostly based only on English vehicles and aroused little interest in this country.
Film vehicles
In 1965, Corgi Toys began to replicate film vehicles. You took a model that had already been produced and modified it a little with familiar elements such as stickers or the color of the original. The first vehicle was the Volvo P1800 from the Simon Templar series with Roger Moore . The second and still the best seller in this area today was the Aston Martin DB 5 with special effects from the James Bond film Goldfinger . This vehicle is still in production today and was technically changed in 1978 and 2003 or adapted to the product range. The version from 1978 was the last version with an ejection seat , retractable machine guns , interchangeable rotating license plates and a rear plate . The vehicle clearly demonstrated the company's ingenuity on a small scale. In the Land Rover model of the TV series Daktari , however, the color did not match the original - the zebra paintwork was black and light green instead of black and white. Actor figures (humans and animals) were also added to the film vehicles, these combinations were referred to as "Gift Set".
Well-known vehicles from film and television (selection)
Corgi Juniors
In the 1970s, Corgi Toys tried to gain a foothold in the smaller 1:60 market with the Corgi Juniors series and to compete with companies like Matchbox . These were only large-scale models on a smaller scale, initially based on Husky models. In Germany Corgi Juniors u. a. to be found in the toy department of the Coop supermarkets. Many film vehicles were therefore also available on a smaller scale and, as the Aston Martin proved, even had technical gadgets.
Corgi Classics Limited
After Matchbox relocated its production to Asia in the early 1980s, sales at Corgi Toys also collapsed. One attempted to reform the brand as Corgi Toys Limited with a new logo in 1984 and reduced model production. The company Mattel in 1989 acquired the rights to the company and sold it in 1995 to the Hornby group, since then the company as Corgi Classics acts. As early as 1995, the Aston Martin and Ferrari F355 were produced for the James Bond film GoldenEye . Around the year 2000, many old models were reissued or new licenses acquired in order to add new vehicles to the range . There were vehicles from Back to the Future , A Duke rarely comes alone , The A-Team , Knight Rider or the Aston Martin from Die 2 were added. When the 40th James Bond anniversary hit in 2002, many new vehicles from almost every film were added to the range. Some models had appeared earlier and were painted using new technology. The Ford Capri from old series such as Die Profis was also reissued.
literature
- Model car catalog Corgi Toys , ISBN 3-87094-453-6 (reference work for all models from 1956 to 1987 with pictures and reviews)
Web links
- Official website of the manufacturer
- German Corgi Internet Shop
- Company history
- Corgi Juniors vehicles from 1970–1983
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://www.wiswin.nl/Tippco%20Kataloge.htm
- ↑ Only Fools & Horses Reliant Regal Supervan III ( Memento from July 2, 2012 in the Internet Archive )