VBD2 is closed. Please go to https://vbd3.co.uk instead.

On the old Forum, I queried whether there might be any link between Jolly Roger and Merlin, not only because of the Welsh associations, but because the former is supposed to have produced a Jeep and the latter definitely did.
I have now discovered that there are two versions on the Merlin jeeep: one rubber-band powered and the other not - see photographs below.

I have never thought there was a connection,just a couple of new little firms sprouting up after the war,we do however seem to have very similar tastes in diecast lol
I have both of these jeeps but only one to hand ,i do remember thinking what a good model the motorised one was.




My british collection has been on a back burner for ages with only a few budgies added which are common but did manage a timpo police car which i hadn,t seen before,hopefully this year i will add a few more brits but i have noticed the prices rising for unknown diecast.

To my knowledge there is no direct link between the two companies - I have the Merlin jeeps but haven't come across one for Jolly Roger. There is a link between Jolly Roger and Gasquy (?) of Belgium - the dies for the JR American Sedan were obtained from the Belgian company.

Ian

toysnz wrote:To my knowledge there is no direct link between the two companies - I have the Merlin jeeps but haven't come across one for Jolly Roger. There is a link between Jolly Roger and Gasquy (?) of Belgium - the dies for the JR American Sedan were obtained from the Belgian company.

Working from home has given me the chance to do even more reading.
Whilst looking at a copy of Modeller's World (vol. 10, no. 3, April 1981) I came across part 4 of a series of articles on diecast racing cars. The particular part addresses the crude Maserati model produced by various manufacturers in the late 1940s/early 1950s. The author, Clive Rigby, is of the opinion that the tooling simply changed hands over the years, undergoing minor modifications as it went.
Now, not only does the article confirm that Jolly Roger's saloon tooling came from Gasquy Septoy, it additionally points out that Septoy also made the Maserati, probably passing the tooling on to Jolly Roger. What is also extremely interesting is that the tooling then passed from Jolly Roger to Merlin, who modified it to include their rubber-band drive.
It is interesting that there appears to have been a clear relationship between these three companies.

I came across my jeeps and a septoy racer (while looking for a document) which is very similar to the timpo american star racer,and i am pretty sure jolly roger did this racer,i seem to remember having one with
a wheel missing.
dave

Yes, Jolly Roger did a version of that racing car design (see previous post in this thread).

I now have a blue non motorised merlin jeep but was outbid a while ago on a merlin racing car,see auction photo,only one i have ever seen
dave