Made in Bulgaria

[mbox75]

Hi Everyone

a rare Clipper Colorvariant.



Cheers Mathias

[mbox75]

Hi Everyone

My new Variants.







Cheers Mathias

[mbox75]

Hi Everyone

more Bulgarian

















the Cortina is a Hungary Model

Cheers Mathias

[GHOSTHUNTER]

Hungry for another Home maybe...

Love the Rollers of course (ooh, look at that, I've typed 'Rollers' how naughty of me, it should always be Rolls-Royce models).

Ghosty.

[Miller]

Great additions! I got a bright blue 350 SL today!

[mbox75]

Hi Everyone

More Bulgarians.









Cheers Mathias

[leonty24]

Hi Mathias,

I like you like some of the Bulgarian and Hungarian models.

I noticed a Merecedes Tourer of which i have 2 but with a Dinky base does yours
have theDinky base ?

[ChFalkensteiner]

I noticed a Merecedes Tourer of which i have 2 but with a Dinky base does yours
have the Dinky base ?

All Bulgarian made Mercedes 350 SL models say Dinky on their bases because the mould had been altered to include the Dinky name prior to its journey to Bulgaria.

The reason is that this was one of the models intended to be re-issued in the Dinky Miniatures range which was prepared to be launched in 1988 but eventually was not proceeded with.

[leonty24]

Thanks for the information were any others done that were issued in bulgaria.
Were these done so that Matchbox could could still use the Dinky name?

[ChFalkensteiner]

You can find some pre-production examples such as Leyland Tanker (in Commando livery) and Bedford Car Transporter with Dinky bases, but the Mercedes 350 SL is the only one which went into regular production anywhere - it just happened to be Bulgaria.

The Dinky Miniatures range was the original plan for using the Dinky name which had been acquired in 1987, but that plan was changed when the decision was made to issue newly designed 1:43 scale models instead. Rumour has it that the MB 213 Model T Ford Van (which was eventually introduced as a Matchbox Miniatures model in 1990) had originally been intended to be the only new casting in the initial Dinky Miniatures range among re-issues of older castings which had been phased out in the Matchbox Miniatures range before.

Around the same time when those moulds were altered to say Dinky, some other moulds of older Matchbox Miniatures models were also altered but to say "Universal Associated Co.". That is another name under which a Miniatures spin-off range was planned to be issued, but that one did not come to be either.

As a result the "Universal Associated Co." name is found on the bases of some Bulgarian models too, those being the VW Golf, Toyota Supra and Pontiac Firebird.

Instead of re-issuing those models themselves, they eventually sent their moulds to Bulgaria, changing the bases to include the correct country of manufacture, but not bothering to alter the brand names again.