"come to an end and realising that the Husky range could now be sold alongside Matchbox in a variety of outlets the series was re-launched as Corgi Juniors to integrate it into the Corgi Toys family, and the existing Husky models now carried the new name. This was the first time the range had been branded as a Corgi product. Low friction all plastic Whizzwheels were also added to most of the models in 1970 to compete with Mattel's Hot Wheels and Lesney's Matchbox Superfast ranges, and they could be raced on the Corgi Rockets track systems. Although small scale"
"Lledo Lledo was a brand of die cast toys, founded in 1982 by Matchbox co-founder Jack Odell and Burt Russell (Co-founder 2007). The factory produced diecast vehicles in Enfield, England from 1983 to 1999. Models were later made in China. Lledo was a reversal of Odell's own surname, a mnemonic device from war days in the African desert so as not to forget his wireless call sign (About Lledo 2005-2011; Force 1988). Lledo set out to specialize in replicating early Matchbox series styles, particularly the Models of Yesteryear range. Odell and Russell bought machinery from the Universal company, which had"
"range was among the last (if not ""the"" last) mass production diecast manufacturer to make its products in the British Isles (or the last within Europe for that matter). Lledo Lledo was a brand of die cast toys, founded in 1982 by Matchbox co-founder Jack Odell and Burt Russell (Co-founder 2007). The factory produced diecast vehicles in Enfield, England from 1983 to 1999. Models were later made in China. Lledo was a reversal of Odell's own surname, a mnemonic device from war days in the African desert so as not to forget his wireless call sign (About Lledo 2005-2011; Force"
"the Matchbox ""1-75"" miniature range; a dump truck and a cement mixer completed the original three-model release. In the early years of the series, Lesney used a partner company, ""Moko"" (itself also named after its founder, Moses Kohnstam), to market/distribute its toys. This distribution was documented on the boxes themselves, on which the text ""A Moko Lesney product"" appeared. By the end of the decade, Lesney was able to buy Moko, marketing its products under its own name from that point on. A period of great expansion, tremendous profit, and recognition followed: In 1966, Lesney received their first (of several)"
"PK series, and many plastic components, were produced there between the late 1980s and mid 1990s. Meanwhile, Universal also outsourced its die casting capabilities in Southern China. The Yongtai Toys Company (永泰玩具有限公司) produced Matchbox toys under license from Universal, but without fixed assets investment. By 1992, Universal was also seeking a buyer. In May 1992, it sold the brand to Tyco Toys, the toy division of which was bought out in turn by Mattel in 1997, uniting Matchbox with its longtime rival Hot Wheels under the same corporate banner. Under Mattel, the name ""Matchbox International Ltd."" was terminated. The buyout"
"investment vehicle), the Bank of China, and Aijian Holdings, were the Chinese shareholders. The CJV contract was signed off with 20-year period of validity. 1985 saw the first batch of Matchbox toys which had ""China"" cast on the base. Dies were imported to Shanghai from Macau until the early 1990s, when Macau finally ceased producing Matchbox toys. No dies were designed by SUTC, which confined itself to decal painting, assembling and packing. Accompanying its metal casting, SUTC also had a plastic kits and components factory, called Shanghai Universal Plastic Toys Company (usually abbreviated as SUPT/上海环球塑胶塑胶玩具有限公司). The Motor City series, Matchbox"
"is playing a big role in automobile sectors. Despite their popularity, many diecast manufacturers went belly-up in the 1980s. Meccano (Dinky), Matchbox and Corgi all went bankrupt within a three-year span which essentially reflected 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 also long since shifted most of their production from the USA to the Far East.) Matchbox was purchased by a Hong Kong conglomerate named Universal Holdings which moved production from England to Macau. Later (1997), Mattel bought Matchbox, essentially making"
"Matchbox was taken over by Universal International of Hong Kong in 1982 (McGimpsey & Orr 1989, p. 28). Thus ended the era when UK-made die-cast toy models were dominant. The Dinky trade-name changed hands many times before ending up as part of Matchbox International Ltd in the late 1980s. This seemed to be a logical and perhaps synergistic development, uniting two of the most valuable and venerated names in the British and world die-cast model car market under one roof. For a time some Matchbox vehicles were sold under the Dinky name (Stoneback 2002, p. 24). In the 1980s, Matchbox"
"Also many toys depicting the vehicles and mecha from the series were released by Matchbox in 1985, Harmony Gold in 1992 and Playmates Toys in 1994 (under the Exosquad line). There were major differences in packaging, toy stickers and colors between the different releases. The vehicles were designed to be used only with the 3 3/4 inch figures. The SDF-1 Playset was only released under the Matchbox line in the 1980s and could be used with both the 3 3/4 and 6 inch figures. Harmony Gold and Matchbox were unable to sell the 1/55 VF-1 Valkyrie toy originally sold in"
"for numerous consoles. Hot Wheels Hot Wheels is a brand of 1:64, 1:43, 1:18 and 1:50 scale die-cast toy cars introduced by American toy maker Mattel in 1968. It was the primary competitor of Matchbox until 1997, when Mattel bought Tyco Toys, then-owner of Matchbox. Many automobile manufacturers have since licensed Hot Wheels to make scale models of their cars, allowing the use of original design blueprints and detailing. Although Hot Wheels were originally intended for children and young adults, they have become popular with adult collectors, for whom limited edition models are now made available. In 2018, Hot Wheels"
"and mainland China before concentrating at its production plant in Thailand (where Matchbox adored with its elephant picture being printed at each diecast base). A few other model brands sporadically appeared in Singapore (Mandarin), South Korea (Jet Cars), or Taiwan before European, Australian, and American companies started outsourcing. Traditional European brands like Solido and Norev began production in China, while other new manufacturers like Greenlight, Jada Toys, M2 Machines or Johnny Lighting based their production on the mainland. Meanwhile, production continued in Southeast Asia in Thailand and Malaysia, and around 2005 manufacturers like Disney Pixar and Japanese Tomica began producing"
"Jack Odell John William ""Jack"" Odell, OBE (19 March 1920 – 7 July 2007) was the English inventor of Matchbox toys and the engineer responsible for their unique design. He joined with partners Leslie Smith and Rodney Smith to form Lesney Products. The company initially made small products for cars such as dashboards and doorhandles. Odell designed a small steamroller in 1952 for his daughter to take to school. It proved to be a big hit for her for his daughter and her friends. The company started manufacturing small toys to meet the demand with a million copies of a"
"Jack Odell John William ""Jack"" Odell, OBE (19 March 1920 – 7 July 2007) was the English inventor of Matchbox toys and the engineer responsible for their unique design. He joined with partners Leslie Smith and Rodney Smith to form Lesney Products. The company initially made small products for cars such as dashboards and doorhandles. Odell designed a small steamroller in 1952 for his daughter to take to school. It proved to be a big hit for her for his daughter and her friends. The company started manufacturing small toys to meet the demand with a million copies of a"
"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, USA). Effectively from 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 diecast vehicles in 1983. The first series of Days Gone models included re-makes of some of"
"concentrate on older vintages. It was also during the Universal era that the ""Matchbox Collectibles"" concept was developed (see below, ""Matchbox Collectibles""). Because of high labour costs, and the lack of enough skilled workers in Hong Kong and Macau, the Universal decided to outsource its die casting to mainland China. In April 1984, the first Hong Kong-Shanghai joint venture toy company, called Shanghai Universal Toys Co., Ltd. (usually abbreviated as SUTC/上海环球玩具有限公司), was established in Minhang, Shanghai. Yeh was the Hong Kong party, while the Shanghai Toys Import & Export Company, the Shanghai Shang Shi Investment Company (the Shanghai Government owned"
"However, the timing of these latter series was almost as poor as in the 1970s, as about 3 years after Mattel bought the Matchbox brand, development of the Collectibles range was effectively halted, and Matchbox Collectibles Inc. was mothballed. Some models continue to be marketed via major retailers such as Target in the US. Matchbox set up its own plastic kit division in the UK around 1972/73. Concentrating on 1:72 scale military aircraft and 1:76 military vehicles, it competed with the then-dominant Airfix company. The Matchbox kits had a distinctive appearance, the parts in each kit were produced in two"
"owns Universal Hobbies, Motorart diecast cars and construction vehicles, HiSpeed diecast classic vehicles, and Kids' Globe Farming toys (Holland-Oto Miniaturen 2010). Efsi Toys Efsi was a Dutch company making diecast cars and trucks starting in 1959 under the Bestbox name. The company could be considered the Matchbox Toys of the Netherlands, but its origins and purpose as a government sponsored employer was far less commercial than other toy manufacturers. Efsi was based in Heerlen, the Netherlands, which is located in southern Limburg province. In 1959 (some sources say 1962), Bestbox started making simple diecast cars in Limburg province (Bickford 2009)."
"Hot Wheels Hot Wheels is a brand of 1:64, 1:43, 1:18 and 1:50 scale die-cast toy cars introduced by American toy maker Mattel in 1968. It was the primary competitor of Matchbox until 1997, when Mattel bought Tyco Toys, then-owner of Matchbox. Many automobile manufacturers have since licensed Hot Wheels to make scale models of their cars, allowing the use of original design blueprints and detailing. Although Hot Wheels were originally intended for children and young adults, they have become popular with adult collectors, for whom limited edition models are now made available. In 2018, Hot Wheels celebrated the making"
"Maisto were produced in Hong Kong or China by either American or Asian companies. 1:87 scale plastic vehicles, related to railroad modeling or not, also continue to be popular in Europe. Despite continued European companies, today, China is now the center of diecast production. Post-war European diecast models were produced in fairly simple form, such as Dinky Toys (often in the train related 1:64 or 1:43). Dinky production began in 1934, while Matchbox cars (often approx. 1:64) were introduced in the mid-1950s. These early die-cast toys featured no opening parts whatsoever. Affected by market forces and by improvements in production"
"in the Universal era. This was in part due to the new concept of offering country-specific lines of models for many of the key markets, which led to the same castings being used under different numbers in different markets. In recent years (Mattel), a sequential casting no. (e.g. MB687) — unrelated to any ""1-75"" number used in any market — is cast onto each baseplate. The relevant ""1-75"" series number is printed on the blister pack or box. Matchbox cars are primarily made in two sizes: In addition to these, a series of Gift Sets (numbered G-#) was sold by"
"with a line of special-edition cars. Breaking with its commitment of the 1990s, Mattel revamped the Matchbox line almost completely in 2003, introducing ""Ultra Heroes"", a series of fantasy vehicles, as part of a ""Hero City"" theme. Matchbox collectors were appalled, and the market didn't respond. The toys proved to be unpopular, and the line was soon discontinued. Next year, Matchbox, with a new team in charge based in El Segundo, California, started a return to the company's roots by selling realistic, well-detailed models, most of which were based on real prototypes, although mostly of American cars, or brands well"
"sets (15 vs. 29 in 1:32), they included weapons that Airfix did not model (flame-throwers, heavy machine guns), and Montgomery and Rommel figures in the Desert War sets. The figures were popular for their high-quality molding and their different extra weapons and poses as compared to the more common Airfix sets. Action toy lines from Matchbox included ""Fighting Furies"", ""Ring Raiders"", ""Robotech"", ""Voltron"", ""Parasites"", ""Monster in My Pocket"" and ""Pee-Wee's Playhouse"". They ceased developing most of such lines when Matchbox was absorbed into Tyco; some of the ""Robotech"" toys were later re-released by Playmates Toys under the ""Exosquad"" line. In"
"used for the View-Master's scenes of fights. Instead, black-lined ""blast"" balloons (transparent inside), and series-like onomatopoeias were illustrated and superimposed over fight images. The popularity of the TV series has carried several decades after its debut; toy company Mattel has made the 1966 Batmobile in various scales for the Hot Wheels product line. The Batmobile with Batboat were also produced under the Matchbox and Corgi names in the UK, during this period. Warner Bros. acquired merchandising rights to the series in 2012, and in 2013 Mattel released an action figure line based on the television series. To date only a"
"started small and then moved to larger, more sophisticated scales. Zylmex (seen as Zee Toys) was Asian competition as was MC Toy (which stood for Mae Cheong). Playart was another Hong Kong producer of diecast seconds with tooling acquired from Tomica or Yat Ming. Soon the conglomerate of Maisto was formed out of Mae Cheong and May Tat, with main production facilities in Thailand. French Majorette also built their main factory in Bangkok. Hot Wheels production shifted to Malaysia and sometimes India (before moving to Indonesia before it closed down), while Matchbox saw models made first in Macau, then Thailand"
"licensed technology of the English company Matchbox for toy making using the moulding method. 5 different casts were made and 8 more in 1984. In 1984 the toys from the MUKPO series were awarded with gold medal at the International Fair in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. The toys from the HOBBY series were evaluated with the highest rank for ""K"" quality. The range of toys was growing continuously. In November 1986 was formed a workers team for manufacturing of ski automates - licensed from the West Germany company Marker"". After making a deal with the Matchbox company in 1983 the factory initiated"
"Efsi Toys Efsi was a Dutch company making diecast cars and trucks starting in 1959 under the Bestbox name. The company could be considered the Matchbox Toys of the Netherlands, but its origins and purpose as a government sponsored employer was far less commercial than other toy manufacturers. Efsi was based in Heerlen, the Netherlands, which is located in southern Limburg province. In 1959 (some sources say 1962), Bestbox started making simple diecast cars in Limburg province (Bickford 2009). The Dutch Wiki site reports that in the 1960s, the coal mines in Limburg closed. Some significant post-mining industries where workers"
"die-casts) are sold mostly at convenience stores along with candy such as mints and feature more minor characters such as the Mailvan. In 2002, Bachmann USA made their own H0-scale electric Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends range for the US and Canada markets. The models are made with new body tools, to resemble the characters in the TV series. So far over two dozen models have been produced, along with character-themed train sets. Unlike Hornby's products, Bachmann's models have moving eyes. In January 2009, Bachmann announced that, in an agreement with HiT Entertainment, a line of large scale Thomas"
"first produced early in 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 the casting would distort, crack, or crumble. As a result, diecast toys made before World War II are difficult to find in good condition. The later high-purity Zamak alloy"
"be used by Matchbox for their ""Robotech"" line. A little-known company known as Select Toys used many smaller ""Dorvack"", ""Macross"", ""Orguss"", and a series of transforming animal robots that Takatoku never released and called them Convertors. Takatoku Toys article on the Transformers wiki Takatoku Toys Takatoku toys was a Japanese toy company active during the 1970s and early 1980s. While responsible for many robots, action-figures and vehicles, they are today mainly known for making the original Macross toys. During the 1970s Takatoku made toys based on shows such as Ultraman Leo, Hurricane Polimar, and even Mach Go Go Go (years"
"was introduced. Lesney MATCHBOX of England made 3 different versions of the Aktiv Fischer Snow Trac ST4. All were very similar in appearance, 2 of them used the same molds. All of the Matchbox toys are modeled after the 2 large wheel Aktiv Snow Trac; this version has 2 large rubber tires, one at the rear, and the third about 24"" aft of the drive sprocket. Lesney designated their toy #35 in the Matchbox series. Matchbox also produced a very limited run of cardboard puzzles featuring agricultural equipment and vehicles, one such puzzle featured the Snow Trac. In 1967, a"
"Ark Diecast Ark was a Japanese company that produced a series of die-cast metal monster toys sold under the brand name ""Arklon."" It was founded as a sales and marketing subsidiary of famed Japanese toy manufacturer Bullmark. After Bullmark's bankruptcy in 1977, Bullmark co-founder Saburo Ishizuki took charge of Ark and turned it into a full-fledged toy manufacturer. Ark released a variety of toys during the mid-to-late 1970s, including die-cast, soft vinyl, and inexpensive plastic toys. The Arklon toys were imported to the United States by the Marukai Trading Company. With one exception, King Kong (sold under the generic name"
"as well. Today, new models still retain their quality similar to older Matchbox, Dinky and Corgi of decades past. For example, Siku wheels are more sculpted and detailed. Tires are separated from wheels and made of rubber, while other manufacturers make theirs in single cast plastic pieces. Siku Toys SIKU is the range of toy vehicles and related products produced by the German company Sieper Lüdenscheid GmbH & Co. KG in Lüdenscheid, Germany. The company manufactures many vehicles, but the Super Series 1:55 scale die-cast line is the core product, thus Siku historically could be seen as the ""German Matchbox""."
"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 diecast vehicles exclusively as promotional items. The idea that children play 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,"