TEXAS TOY MAN

The Corgi ‘Superman’ Supermobile

The Corgi Supermobile was introduced in the late 1970s. There were two (2) different variations of this ‘two-fisted’ Superman model produced. These models were

1.  Supermobile Junior

2. Supermobile 1/36 scale

In an attempt to compete with Hot Wheels and Matchbox- the most popular car being manufactured at this time – Corgi quickly dropped the ‘Junior’ from the Supermobile Junior name to make the car more appealing to collectors. This effort – along with some other marketing efforts – did increase their sales; however, Corgi was never able to achieve the mass market appeal of Hot Wheels and Matchbox.

The Superman Junior pictured above has the following characteristics:

• Blue diecast body
• Red plastic interior
• Red ‘two-fisted’ sluggers (button activated)
• Superman logo on front of car
• Diecast skids (no wheels)
• Clear plastic cockpit (fixed)
• Made in Great Britain embossed on bottom
• DC Comics embossed on bottom
• Corgi Supermobile embossed on the bottom
• Length: 3 inches

The Superman Supermobile was one of Corgi’s more popular cars – both the Junior and the 1/36 scale. However, because the company was in transition to the 1/36 scale models and made many package changes to compete in the diecast market – it should be noted that the larger version of this car, i.e., the 1/36 scale model which was identical to the Junior – was the most popular and as such was more valued.

One final thought, the Superman Supermobile is a unique diecast toy in that it has a button mechanism. This button mechanism – located on the rear of the car- when pushed would cause the ‘two-fists’ to deploy. This novel action was a great attraction to the market – young and old – making it a fun toy.

Monkeemobile by Corgi Juniors

While there is quite a bit of information available for Corgi toys in general, there is very little information out there on the Monkeemobile made by Corgi Juniors. This car is from the television show of the late 1960′s and is a replica of the car driven by the four (4) members of the band in the show. For those that may not remember that particular group they had several songs that were quite popular and as such merchandising of items with their name became popular.

The Monkeemobile Corgi Junior had a catalog number of 1004 along with the following features:

• Red with white top
• Four figures inside car
• One year production – 1971
• Wheel – dark grey hub with black tire
• Length: 3 inches
• Open engine
• Clear plastic windshield
• ‘Made in Great Britain’ embossed on base
• Monkeemobile guitar logo on base
• Corgi Junior embossed on base

With the open engine and with actually having figures inside the car, along with the limited production, you can imagine that in today’s market it is very hard to find one in mint condition.

As in most cases concerning popular items, there were a few knock-offs produced that looked like the Corgi Junior in an attempt to cash in on the popularity of the Monkeemobile and it’s collector value – so beware if you purchase one of these cars. Inspect carefully before buying making sure the car you buy has all of the listed features.

Lledo “Standard Oil” Ford Tanker Truck-Chevron

The Lledo company was created in 1982 by Jack O’Dell. And, if you spell O’Dell backwards, you get “Lledo” . . . the production name of the company.

A little bit of history: In 1982 as an employee of Matchbox, Mr. O’Dell did not want to leave England or see the employees loose their jobs when Matchbox was sold. Hence he created the Lledo company to make sure that the English employers would still have a job in England when Matchbox was sold to Universal Toys .

He created an exceptional company and product. The Lledo cars are known for their high-quality, yet inexpensive models in today’s collector market.

In addition to their regular line of toys, very often the company will make promotional models for commercial advertisement under the Lledo models. The advertisement would primarily be the company’s logo(s) on the sides of the cars, as well as, front and rear.

In 1999, Lledo and Corgi became sister companies and to this day still share many of the same model castings.

The truck shown in the picture above is a 1920 Ford Tank Truck made exclusively for Chevron Oil Company. As an advertising model it comes with:

• Logo on the sides – “Red Crown Gasoline” & “Standard Oil Company”
• Logo on the front – “Standard Oil Company”
• Logo on the Rear – “Red Crown Gasoline | Red Crown in a Circle”
• Black in Color
• White Tank
• Gold Spoke Wheels
• Open Cab
• Made in England
• Exclusive for Chevron Oil Company
• Three (3) inches in length

Lledo produced many different models, many of which can still be fond today . . . even here in the US.

If you’re a serious collector, the Lledo Reference Book is available from Amazon.com.

Hot Wheels “34″ 3-Window Ford Coupe – 1980

Hot Wheels “34″ 3-Window Ford Coupe – 1980

The first of several Hi-Rakers cars produced by Mattel was the ’34 3-Window Ford Coupe . The Hi- Rakers cars were produced with a built-in attachment (in the base) that allow you to raise or lower the rear end of the car.

The first 3 -Window Ford Coupe had the following -

Metal chassis

Lightly tinted windshields (plastic)

Plastic engine-sticking out the sides

Scoop sticking center of hood

Brown plastic interior and fendors

Red and yellow flame tempo on trunk

Hot Rod and yellow line on roof

Black rectangle on roof

Basic wheels (BW)

Made in Hong Kong

Hi- Rakers attachment in chassis (gray plastic)

Red paint job

The ’34 Ford Coupe had many variations and would make a very good collector Hot Wheels for the Ford enthusiast as well as the Hot Wheels collector.

Check out the new Hot Wheel collector books on Amazon.com. For your convenience there’s an Amazon ‘search’ box in the left side bar.

Corgi-Husky Studebaker Wagonaire TV Camera Car

In the 1960′s, Corgi/Husky added more American style cars into their manufacturing of toy cars. During this time, this line of toys was sold exclusively through the Woolworth stores. And while Husky toys were sold by Corgi importers the fact that there were not Woolworth stores in the foreign countries has resulted in some Husky models being found in odd numbered packaging.

When Husky was producing the American-style smaller-sized diecast toys, they were very careful in making them very real-like. And while these American models would probably have done very well in the large Corgi toy line, they were never produced.

The vehicle shown above is the Studebaker Wagonaire TV Camera Car identified as 15 (B.). It’s civilian equivalent was only found in the Gift Set 3005. Oddly, they were both produced in 1967 – one year after Studebaker stopped production and left the automobile business.

This car pictured has the following:

• Man and camera in rear hatch
• Black plastic wheels
• Cobalt blue Windows
• Yellow paint
• Chrome plastic base
• Chrome plastic grill

Corgi-Husky made a variety of different cars for you to enjoy or collect. The The Unauthorized Encyclopedia of Corgi Toys (Schiffer Military History) is your best buy for identification and pricing Corgi-Husky toys.  Even though this reference book displays ‘Military History’ it has all the information on the cars.   This reference book is available through Amazon.com.

Barclay-Train Engine Number 335

Barclay was the largest manufacturer of lead-alloy vehicles in the 1930s and to the mid-1940s.

The Barclay name was derived from the street name “Barclay Street” which was in West Hoboken, New Jersey.

The first production of Barclay toys was thought to be in 1924, although some say 1923 is correct. The company that produced Barclay toys was founded by the partners – Leon Donze (1895-1950) and Michael Levy (1895-1964).

From it’s beginning over a short period of time, Michael Levy took control of the company and proceeded to develop it into a major toy manufacturer facility. In fact, he was so successful that at one time the company had 400 employees.

Unfortunately, during World War II they fell on tough times which resulted in their being forced to lay off the majority of their employees. They struggled to stay open by hiring sub-contractors, but they were never able to get back to the pre-war success they enjoyed and eventually closed shop in 1971 .

The Barclay Train Engine Number # 335 shown in the picture above (2 -1/2 inches) is a very good example of the type of toy’s that they produce,

Some of its features were:

• Molded metal
• Black plastic wheels
• Straight axles front and rear
• Made in USA
• Model number embossed inside of toy
• Hitch for additional cars to be attached
• Painted

Barclay made many different vehicles, including many sets of trains, cars, transporters, etc. In spite of this, it is very difficult to find any of these complete sets in mint condition with the original packaging today. However, you can still find single toys that because of their size make a wonderful display in a diorama or display case.

Typically values for individual toys range from $10-50 while some of the sets can go for $100′s of dollars.  For a more values, the identification and value guide by O’Brien –  ”Collecting Toy Cars & Trucks” -  is available through Amazon.com (see Amazon widget left sidebar, page 2)

Custom AMX Hot Wheels Redline

The Hot Wheels Custom AMX was based on the real American Motors AMX which began production circa 1968-69. The introduction of this Mattel Hot Wheel was in 1969 with production only being in the United States. Before production ended in 1971 Mattel had produced the AMX in fourteen (14) different colors.

The Custom AMX 6267 had the following features:

• Metal chassis
• Lift up hood
• Metal engine
• Clear windshield
• Redlines (RSW)
• White plastic interior
• Underside of the hood was embossed with 6267
• Made in USA (exclusively)
• Produced in 14 colors

If you are a collector of Hot Wheels keep your eye out for the 1970 version produced along with decals for the English driver, Ed Shaver. Mattel produced this specific AMX in a non-metallic blue-color and included in the package decals of Ed Shaver.

However, if you’re lucky enough to find this packaged Hot Wheel, it will make your day. In today’s market, it would be worth more than $1,000.00. Be aware that find must be in the original package because this is the only place you will find the decals. They are not on the car!

Matchbox-Mercedes Coach Series #68

The Mercedes Coach  issued in 1968 came in two different colors…. orange and turquoise. However, the turquoise version of this coach is by far the rarest in the secondary market and commands the highest value. As much as ten times the value of the orange version.

The Matchbox Mercedes Coach was issued with the following features:

• Body of metal
• Base of metal
• White roof
• Clear plastic windshield/windows (1 piece)
• White plastic interior
• Black plastic wheels
• License plates (front & back) read S-B157
• Mercedes emblem shown on front and rear

It is note-worthy that in the market of this era, the manufacturer was still permitted to make a toy that could be basically dis-assembled into four parts. Those being the base, the seats, the plastic windshield/window insert and the top. Finding a coach today that still has all four parts is quite a feat.

To my knowledge, there are no replicas of this coach being produced today. However, should you find one check the base for the following embossed information:

• Made in England
• By Lesney
• Matchbox Series No. 68
• Mercedes Coach

In my opinion, with Matchbox toys (as with any toy), it is always best to buy the toy with the original box if given a choice. Having the original box – in good to excellent condition – will typically add 20-25% to the overall value of your toy – in this case your Matchbox.

Lesney-Matchbox: Commer Bottle Float

The Commer Bottle Float – more commonly know here in the US as a milk truck – was produced by Lesney in 1961. This truck had the Catalog Identification Number of 20 c.

The truck pictured above has the following features:

• Pale green in color
• Black metal base
• Milk cow logo on both side doors
• Green plastic windshield
• Open-air sides with white plastic cream bottles load (non-removeable)
• “Drink Milk” sign on roof
• Black plastic wheels
• Made in England

There were several versions of the Commer Bottle Float produced. It can be noted that while there were differences; there were two features that remained constant in all the versions produced. These features were that the truck was always pale green in color and they all had the black metal base.

Lotus Esprit James Bond Corgi Junior

Lotus Esprit James Bond Corgi Junior

Straight from one of the James Bond movies – in this case starring Roger Moore – is this very popular James Bond underwater Lotus Esprit # E 68 B. The car pictured is the original 1970′s underwater model. There was also a car manufactured that was a copy of the street version. While there were actually two (2) different cars manufactured to represent the transition made in the movie, both models had some similaties – one of which was they both had the same window style.

The bond underwater Lotus Esprit (pictured here) came with the following features:

•  White in color
•  Opaque black Windows
•  Rutter on top and sides of rear panel
•  No interior
•  Black plastic base
•  Black Wizzwheels
•  Red 007 label on hood

There are many different cars associated with the James Bond movies but the Lotus Esprit was the only one that transitioned from land travel to underwater in the movie “The Spy Whol Loved Me”.

If you are looking for more information on “any” Corgi, I use the following for my pricing and identification – The Unauthorized Encyclopedia of Corgi Toys (Schiffer Military History). This book has very good pictures of Corgi toys from the1950′s to present.