"MATCHBOX" copies etc.

[matchboxkiwi]

That's it for now. Better let someone else have ago!!
Cheers Steve
Matchboxkiwi

[GHOSTHUNTER]

Hello matchboxkiwi, huge thank's for showing some of your models, there's loads there to talk about, in particular the 'MILTON' brand.

I often wonder why the Milton models don't crop up more often, as strictly speaking they are not copies but instigated by Lesney themselves, allowing a company in Calcutta, India to make a range of models locally, using original Lesney tooling along with other models using original tooling from Corgi Toys. However, when you look at and compare an original Lesney Model 'T' Ford with the Milton version, are they made from the same set of moulds ? no comment !

Nice collection of 'BLUE-BOX' models as well. In the late 1960's, this company made a range of bigger toy cars all based on the Dinky range and included a direct copy of the Rolls-Royce Phantom V, model No.152 and the Mercedes-Benz 600 limousine, model No.128 with additional presidential flagmasts let into the front wings.

Great stuff, love all these copies, I will be back later with some more notes about certain models in your pictures,

Regards,
GHOSTHUNTER.

[GHOSTHUNTER]

Here are a few more copies of two very well known 'Yesteryear' models, I'd be surprised if any members can identify more than just the one copy of the Y-15.

I have deliberately left it as a large image, so just left click on the image to display it fullsize.

GHOSTHUNTER.

[GHOSTHUNTER]

'SALCO' 1911 Maxwell.JPG (24.09 KiB) Viewed 9670 times

Here is the 'SALCO' version of the partner model to the 'BLUE-BOX' Ford model 'T', posted by matchboxkiwi, there only seem to be these two models in the range, (if there is such a thing as two items in a range!) and you will reconise the Maxwell as being a direct copy of the Lesney 'Yesteryear' original.

GHOSTHUNTER.

[GHOSTHUNTER]

'LUCKY TOYS' Invader..jpg (31.76 KiB) Viewed 9659 times

Here is the big scale, direct copy of a "Matchbox" custom car. Made by 'LUCKY TOYS' and friction powered.

GHOSTHUNTER.

[matchboxkiwi]

I have this one plus Hairy Hustler. I know of MB6 Ford Pickup.
I'm keen to know more about the models I posted. Your help would be good.

Cheers Steve
Matchboxkiwi

[GHOSTHUNTER]

Hello matchboxkiwi,

Nice to here you are enjoying this article about "Matchbox" copies and I thank you for posting some of your own pictures. You have requested a little more information about your models, unfortunately, information on the subject of copies is a little sparce, there were so many companies involved with them and by the very nature of what the companies were making, they tended not to keep records of everything they made, usually only the 'core' products such as household goods or educational toys for children.

For some companies, the cheap toy cars was a sideline, just to keep the machines in use while there was a quiet period in making their normal products, this is how the 'LINCOLN' company in Japan started, they had some spare capacity and someone came in to the works, saw the machinary standing idle and suggested they could be used to make plastic toys, so they did and the idea was expanded to encompass all sorts of toys, further on they made plastic kits and friction powered toy vehicles.

Your first picture shows a Ford model 'T', this is one of two models marketed by "Blue-box", (the other being the 1911 Maxwell), they only seem to have these two, no other veteran cars in this range, you can also find both models in 'SALCO' boxes, a distributor of toys.

When I say marketed, this means the toy was being promoted and retailed by a company, not necessarily made by that company.

The origins of "Blue-Box" date back to 1952 when a plastics injection company was set up by Peter Chan Pui, for the manufacture of toy dolls, these were very popular, but a company is always looking for more products to develope and make and as luck would have it, the Lesney 1-75 series models were seen as a perfect product, they were accurate, new models appeared on a regular basis, cheap to buy and children loved them. The company had to have them in their own range of toys, there was no suggestion of buying the company that made them, but maybe they could could develope a similar range themselves, but in plastic.

There is no accurate date of when this new range was introduced, but a clever marketing idea was to put them in little blue boxes, emulating the Matchbox idea from Lesney, by putting models in a Matchbox, so these little plastic models were put in blue boxes and the name of "Blue-Box" complete with the quotation marks was launched.

Developing new toys and models is expensive, so another clever trick is to just copy another company's products and the "Blue-Box" range of miniature vehicles was made up of many copies of the Lesney originals. The range was marketed in America and in the U.K. and presumably in Japan, but I have not seen any boxes with Japanese script.

There is another virtually identical range of models, by "Blue-Box", but called "Blue-bow" and where the "Blue-Box" normally has a catalogue number in the bottom right corner, this is replaced by a little white illustration of a 'bow tie', I do not know for what market these were intended for and if anything from this company could be classed as Hard To Find, it could be these.

Ford model 'T' and a 'Blue-Bow' Wrecker truck..JPG (46.71 KiB) Viewed 9647 times

[GHOSTHUNTER]

If other members collect the little "Blue-Box" models, there's a good website called...'Gary's Cars'...with a good selection of images of single models and gift sets, certainly worth a look.

GHOSTHUNTER.

[GHOSTHUNTER]

The other little miniatures, in metal and made in New Zealand are very interesting. They date from the late 50's, early 60's and fairly well known for being the closest copies of the "Matchbox" 1-75 series.

There is a good detailed description of specific models on Robert Newson's website, and I don't really have much more to add here, additional to his article, except to say, that it was the closeness to the Lesney product that forced 'LINCOLN' to re-brand the range from...'MATCHBOX SERIES'...into...'MINI MOTORWAY SERIES'...
and re-package them onto blister cards for the mid-60's.

GHOSTHUNTER.

[GHOSTHUNTER]

AGUTI-TOYS.jpg (43.66 KiB) Viewed 9640 times

The 'AGUTI-TOYS' come from Argentina and the two main product lines were being marketed in a similar way to Lesney products, a miniature range available as 'Aguti-toys' or the Aguti 'Rapitoy', (with a very suspicious 'speedwheel' added into the name) and a larger size range of models, called...'Super-Aguti'... all based on the same Mercedes-Benz front body section and consisting of light commercial vehicles and the camper that you show in your picture.

The smaller models are clearly based on the "Matchbox" 'superfast' models of the early to mid 70's and I think one or two are copies of original Lesney models. The bigger, 'Super-Aguti' models are quite crude and made of mild steel, (very much like 'TONKA TOYS' models) with very well detailed plastic rear sections, these are from the mid to late 1970's.

GHOSTHUNTER.