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.
Tags: Corgi, Diecast, England, Gt.Britian, superman, supermobile
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