Содержание выпуска: May 2026 — Diecast Collector

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For this month’s aircraft model, we turn the clocks right back to World War One and an impressive Corgi 1:48 scale model as part of the Aviation Archive range. It represents Bristol F.2b Fighter C4636 Devil-in-the-Dusk of 39 Squadron RAF in a night-fighter paint scheme while on Home Defence duties in the summer of 1918. This model commemorates a great aerial victory on the night of 19th/20th May 1918, in which a young pilot shot down a giant Gotha G.V biplane bomber over London. HISTORY Along with such machines as the Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a, Sopwith Pup, Sopwith Triplane and Sopwith Camel, The F.2b was one of the truly great British fighters ofWorldWar One. It differed significantly from the others listed, though, in that it was a two-seat aircraft with…

Being Sheffield born and bred and with more than a passing interest in anything with an engine and wheels, it seemed only natural that I would develop a keen interest in the public transport of my home city. Before the formation of South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive in 1974, Sheffield Corporation were noted for how well they were able to keep their cream and azure blue buses looking clean despite all the smoke that was being emitted from the many steel works Sheffield was so famous for. This month’s Little and Large is a pair of models in the colours of Sheffield Corporation and takes the shape of a Daimler CWA6 Utility bus. The need for new buses during World War Two was problematic due to the rationing of materials…

In the first part of this series, we focused on childhood memories, the magic of home projection, and the passionate UK community keeping Super 8 alive. Now, we dive into the thrill of the hunt, the technical challenges of preservation, and why this hands-on hobby still matters in a digital world. THE HUNT FOR RARE PRINTS Tracking down limited-release reels or rare editions is part detective work, part treasure hunt. Some prints include unique artwork, original boxes, or even scenes cut from later versions. For collectors, condition is everything — crisp colour, intact sprockets and original packaging can transform an ordinary reel into a prized possession. DISNEY HOME MOVIE CLASSICS LIBRARY Boxed sets featuring titles such as The Little Mermaid and Cinderella’s First Dance were marketed as premium home movie…

The scale model sector is a fierce one at the best of times, so it is no mean feat for any new brand to enter the market. The challenge was taken up by long-time friends Jez Crabb and Nicole Layzell. Jez had always loved cars-both/it and scaled, often telling Nicole how certain aspects of existing models could be enhanced, then customising them to gain accuracy. In conversation with Nicole one day, Jez told that weirdly, nobody had made a 1:18 version of UOO 303T-Bodie’s Capri from London Weekend Television’s infamous TV show. Nicole and Jez realised there was a gap in the market, and together, took a leap of faith to establish a new scale model brand - Impact Model Cars. What gap in the market did you feel wasn’t…

In the summer of 2024, NASCAR announced a new diecast product line with Disney Pixar’s Cars. And after seeing 20 rows of different liveries in B&M last week, I thought, why have we not discussed this sooner? Not only is it a new selection of diecast models for already avid collectors, but it will enable young fans of the franchise to dip their toes into the world of collecting, and who knows they may start a lifetime hobby in the process. For established collectors, it represents another exciting branch of officially licensed merchandise to hunt down and display. For younger fans, it offers something tangible and accessible: a first model car, a first display, perhaps even a first step into a broader appreciation of motorsport culture. Collaborating with Disney and…

Hello, Collectors. After months of dark mornings, damp weekends and scraping frost off the windscreen, it’s a relief to see a bit of blue sky again! The endless grey seems to have finally eased, and those longer evenings make a real difference. Suddenly car boot sales feel a lot more appealing when they’re not a wet mud-fest, and heading out to the garage to dig out a few forgotten treasures, or finally start that renovation project, is actually possible now that you can feel your fingers again! If you’ve been putting any projects off, hopefully the change in weather has given you that extra spring in your step to give it a go. So, on to the May issue. One of the things we’re most excited about this month is…

THE inner workings of‘Lot 6’, the ‘works’ Ford Special Vehicles racing team of the late 1960s and early 1970s, is being celebrated in a new two volume book. The book will be titled‘Ford Special Vehicles: Lot 6‘Works’ Racing Division 1969-1974 and is written by Ford expert historian Ross Vasse. It will discuss the facility at Lot 6, Mahoneys Road, situated in the northern Melbourne suburb of Thomastown and how it created some of the most legendary touring cars in Australian motorsport history. A range of very controversial topics are set to be covered in the book, including what really happened to Allan Moffat’s 1971 Phase III Bathurst winner and his 1970 Phase II Bathurst winner, these are subjects that have been hotly debated by Falcon GTHO tragics for years. Officially endorsed…

EXCALIBUR Auctions will offer what is believed to be the largest private collection of British comics ever to come to market when Part I of the Peter Hansen archive goes under the hammer on 14 March. Built over more than 60 years, the lifetime collection includes thousands of comics, rare free gifts, original artworks, advertising ephemera and licensed toys. Among the headline lots is a copy of POW! No. 1, published on 21 January 1967, complete with its original and highly sought-after Spider Matic Gun and six Spider Disc bullets still housed in the original press-out card. The issue famously reprinted the first story from Amazing Spider-Man No. 1 for British readers and is estimated at £500–£800. A previous example has realised £1,920 at auction. Original comic artwork also features…

Ferrari, Ford and Porsche are just some of the big names associated with sports car racing over the years. But there is one name that carries a particular kind of cool – that of the Edinburgh privateer motor racing team, Ecurie Ecosse. Founded by David Murray in 1951 alongside his mechanic Wilkie Wilkinson, the team achieved overall victories at Le Mans in 1956, followed by a famous one-two finish in 1957 using Jaguar D-Types. The stable also gave early drives to future greats such as Jim Clark and Jackie Stewart, cementing the Saltire-liveried outfit firmly into motorsport legend. Yet one of the vehicles most closely associated with the team wasn’t actually a race car. Instead, it was the team transporter – aTS3-engined Commer double-deck truck – which became Ecurie Ecosse’s…

Unless you’re a whizz with an airbrush or very handy with a paintbrush, spray cans are likely to be your weapon of choice when it comes to painting. Years ago, it was relatively easy, cellulose was common, and many of the colours available were near matches for many old models. Currently, paint processes have advanced, and the colour palette of modern cars seems to have shrunk somewhat! SHADE HUNTING All is not lost, however, as you can buy colour-matched paints for Dinky and Corgi models online. One supplier does them, and they are indeed excellent. Another route is to hunt down old colours from one of the many paint suppliers in the UK. Be careful what you order, though, as they may offer different formulations of the same colour. Modern…

No. 69 GRIT SPREADER Production: 1970-71 Catalogue: 1971 Box Styles: G The regular wheels colours of red cab/chassis and yellow tipper continued on Grit Spreader when it turned into a Superfast model - and a very nice one it is too. With the only variations being either four-spoke or five-spoke wheels and the shade of yellow to the tipper, it’s a nice easy one to work with. Still showing as a non-Superfast in the 1970 catalogue, it made its one and only appearance with its new wheels in the 1971 edition. S-P GUN Range: Rola-matics Production: 1977-80 Catalogue: 1977-80 Box Styles: K, L In 1977, one extra Rola-matic randomly appeared two years after the last example had, in the form of No 70 S-P (Self-Propelled) Gun. It features tracks rather…

So, after my recent whinge about small local toy fairs, what did I do last weekend? That’s right, I booked a table at a small local toy fair. We collectors, seem to suffer from a Micawber complex, believing that something will always turn up. So, after saying I would never do it again, I did it again! Right, so I’m ready for my slice of humble pie or possibly a bacon buttie. I’ve got my stock together [my favourite bit]. Retrieved my step stands out of the loft [my least favourite bit] and gathered all the parts together. Bags, tablecloth, step stands, notepad, and indemnity insurance. No, scrub the last one. Anyone who harms themselves on a Dinky Austin Devon should be committed anyway. I did have trouble getting the…

Last time, we looked at how Dinky Toys andTri-ang’s rival Spot-On brand expanded sales of their model boat trailers by combining these with vehicles in gift sets, perhaps in an effort to boost flagging sales of existing products without incurring the expense of new tooling. Corgi Toys took a different approach, effectively reversing the process by introducing the set first and then offering the boat separately. This was seen in December 1964 in the spectacular ‘Riviera’ Gift Set, containing a new model of a cabin cruiser. It was only seven months later, in July 1965, that the boat could be purchased on its own. If Dinky’s‘Fun A’Hoy’ Ford Corsair and Healey Sports Boat set coincided with the summer sailing season in July 1964, Corgi’s Riviera set was timed to benefit…

Okay, I admit it – aluminium isn’t quite the same as diecast lead, which has been the common thread throughout this A-Z series. But with Wend-Al, the chosen medium for casting figurines and other items was, unusually, something both lightweight and extremely robust. AIRFRAMED Based in Dorset, this company was established by Edward Kehoe, who took inspiration from a French company, that of Quiralu, which he’d seen just after the second world war. The process and material employed intrigued him, and on his return to the UK he set up shop. The year was 1946 and, despite the ongoing shortages, it seems that aluminium was readily available – and the business flourished, producing figures, animals, farm machinery and the like. It would last until the mid 1950s, a decade that…

IN February, McDonald’s launched a limited-edition “Friends Meal” in collaboration with Warner Bros., with many fans calling it the ultimate adult Happy Meal. Customers have the chance to receive one of six exclusive Friends character collectables with their meal. Each stylised figure has a Funko Pop-style look, with the characters holding items linked to memorable moments from the show. The figures cannot be purchased separately, and customers cannot request a specific character. This encourages fans to keep buying the meals in the hope of collecting their favourite, whether that’s Monica, Rachel, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler, or Ross.…

When the regulations for rallying changed in the early 1980s, three classes were established: Group N for nearly standard cars, Group A for tuned streetcars and Group B for road legal prototypes produced in 200 examples. Homologation (the official approval to race) depended on the number of road cars produced each year for the two lower classes. For Group N, 5000 examples per year were needed and for Group A, the same quantity of a street version, very close to the rally car. If a manufacturer wanted to change several relevant components, it had to produce a new street version for homologation purposes. This gave the enthusiastic driver an incredible choice of performance cars to choose from. Of course, the streetcar was not exactly the same as the Group A version. However,…

WHAT GOT YOU INTO SCALE MODEL COLLECTING? It was a conscious decision when I began collecting in 2024 rather than something accidental. I wanted a hobby I genuinely cared about, one that involved research and discovery, and where the price point felt realistic. Growing up in the 1970s, toys came and went, but my box of cars was a constant. Most were Matchbox or hand-me-downs, heavily play worn and often repainted — badly. Occasionally I’d spot a Dinky or Corgi at a friend’s house, and even then, they felt special. Looking back, it’s no surprise that diecast cars captured my generation’s imagination. Television was full of iconic vehicles — Starsky and Hutch, The Dukes of Hazzard and The A-Team — images that stayed with me and eventually drew me back…

With over 2,300 exhibitors showcasing more than one million products, it’s safe to say that if you’re in the toy industry, Nuremberg’s annual Spielwarenmesse is the place to be. The 2026 toy fair was my first and, despite reports that numbers of diecast brands attending had dropped in previous years, I was no less excited to be travelling to a snow-cloaked Nuremberg for the 75th anniversary event. With most diecast contained within Halls Six and Seven of the vast Messezentrum complex, I perhaps naively expected my two days would be ample time to explore. I more than had my work cut out keeping pace with everything happening. Once I had squeezed through crowds and stands showcasing everything from crayons to drones, I found a haven of established diecast brands and…

There’s a beautiful synergy in the emergence of steam railways. They developed from horse drawn plateways, whose speciality was moving bulk minerals and aggregate to the nearest water born transport, be it canal or sea. Fortuitously these same minerals provided their own infrastructure. Coal was burned to transport, err, coal. Stone structures were built to transport stone. Over time the railways built themselves, using the same materials they were transporting. It was a virtuous circle of technology. They were the tech giants of their day, developing faster than our parliamentary masters could keep up. Yes folks, it’s all been done before. NAGS So, the little shunting engines were like mechanical donkeys. Steam shunting was labour intensive, dirty and inefficient. A small tank engine needed hours of preparation for a job…

When I was young, I would walk down Division Street in Sheffield, passing the fire station. The doors were usually closed, but through the windows you could see the fire engines; from memory, they were Leyland’s. However, one day as I approached, the doors opened, and the bells started to ring. Next, a fire engine exited with its bell ringing, and it set off at speed down the road. Fire engines had been in the Dinky Toys range since 1937. However, the addition of a Fire Escape vehicle came in 1958 as the Dinky SuperToys Turntable Fire Escape number 956. It had a Bedford Cab and an extending turntable ladder and was finished in red with a silver back with red sides, and the ladder was in tinplate. The model…

Item: Vintage Hot Wheels RRRumblers Gift Set. Condition: Burbank Toys rare example, great condition and full gift set. Sold for: £1,750.01 (27 bids) Item: Mamod Rare Vintage Collectible Toy Model. Condition: Boxed, Unused, Near Mint Condition. Sold for: £771.70 (5 bids) Item: Corgi 342 Lamborghini P400 GT Miura. Condition: Rare example, excellent condition in original box. Box is slightly damaged. Sold for: £208.70 (1 bid) Item: IXO 1:43 Jaguar Mk X, Light Blue Metallic. Condition: This model is in superb condition; the packaging is in excellent condition. Sold for: £56.04 (8 bids) Item: Lego Duck Wood, Vintage, 1940/50’s Lego Condition: Original Condition! Missing head! Sold for: £1,113.70 (25 bids) Item: Vintage Corgi Toys 339 Mini Cooper S. Condition: Original box is a bit scuffed, model is in excellent condition. Sold…

After a recent visit to Spalding Toy Fair, my Matchbox Superfast collection edged closer to double figures, a modest total by serious collector standards, perhaps, but enough to spark my enthusiasm for the hobby. Not every addition, however, was quite display-ready. A few models, particularly my Londoner bus, were showing the unmistakable signs of heavy play: chipped paint, dulled wheels, and the general wear that only decades of enthusiastic handling and play can produce. Inspired by the recent restoration articles by RickWilson and Ian McDermott in Diecast Collector, I decided it was time to try some restoration work of my own. The goal was not perfection, but revival, breathing new life into models that had clearly lived full toy-box lives. LETS GET READY Restoring a vintage die-cast model rarely begins…

FAIRS 29TH MARCH • Harrogate Dalesman Diecast 01943 873420 29TH MARCH • Rainton Jim Corr 07504 035955 29TH MARCH • Malvern Bulldog Fairs 07379 578083 2ND APRIL • Theydon Bois Joe Lock 07866 641215 3RD APRIL • Deeside Tony Oakes 01270 652773 5TH APRIL • Potters Bar Joe Lock 07866 641215 11TH APRIL • Pudsey Rod & James Fairs r.ash@tinyworld.co.uk 12TH APRIL • Kempton Park R M Toys 02392 262446/07957 823507 18TH APRIL • Maidstone Mike Spencer 01622 298159/01732 840787 18TH APRIL • Reading British Model Soldier Society 18TH APRIL • Ludlow Tony Oakes 01270 652773 19TH APRIL • Ashington David Parsons 07742 609865  19TH APRIL • Musselburgh Jim Corr 07504 035955  19TH APRIL • Newton Abbott Ray Heard 01823 480097 25TH APRIL • Brentwood, JJ Fairs 01522 880383  25TH APRIL • Exeter Bulldog Fairs 07379 578083  26TH APRIL • Kidderminster Tony Oakes 01270 652773 3RD MAY •…