A History of Diecast Model Cars
There is a fairly long history of craftsmen building detailed miniature models of transport vehicles and machinery, but it was not until nineteen thirty-four that die-cast model cars and lorries appeared on the market in any great numbers.
At that time the model cars and trucks were not looked on as collectible items in their own right - they were produced to lend added realism to model railways.
Ever since the early nineteen twenties Hornby had been making increasingly complex model railways. One of the sets, Meccano Set No 21, came complete with six die cast models, consisting of a sports coupe, a motor truck, a sports car, a delivery van, an army tank and a farm tractor. These were the very first Dinky models, issued under the “Meccano Modelled Miniatures” label, as Set No. 22.
These early die cast cars were fairly simplistic by modern standards, seeing as they were cast from an alloy containing high lead content which didn’t lend itself to a high degree of detail. Also they did not try to depict real automobiles, although the sports car looked a bit like the SS1, a popular make at that time and a fore-runner of the Jaguar.
In terms of scale, they were not well suited to the train sets which they were intended to adorn.
It soon became clear, however, that there was a healthy market for such models, and it wasn’t long before individual die cast replicas based on real cars and lorries were produced and sold on their own. Dinky Set 30 was modeled on the Rolls Royce, Set 36A on the Armstrong Siddely, 36B a Bentley, and 36F was a Salmon sports car.
With the passing of time the quality of reproduction and detail hugely improved. The Dinky sets came with die-cast alloy bodies and tinplate radiators and rubber tires. The later models also came with drivers and passengers. The Armstrong Siddely had a footman and chauffeur. Just before World War Two some superb military models were produced, including tanks with catterpillar tracks and rotating turrets.
Few models from that era have survived in acceptable condition, and items in good condition are extremely collectible - pre-war Dinky models can fetch prices up to $1000 in auction.
In the 1950s, new production methods introduced a new era in the history of diecast replica cars. Lesney, famous for their splendid Coronation Coach, and Corgi, (”the ones with the windows”), entered the market to compete with Dinky.
This new generation of die-cast vehicles, with better detail, better running gear, and better colour finish, leads up to the present day, where millions of exquisitely detailed die-cast replica models are produced, at very affordable prices for the collector. For example, just take a look at these batmobile diecast models.. The diecast model car industry has come a long way since the nineteen thirties.
And, let’s not forget, eBay can be a great source for those hard to find die-cast models: classic diecast auctions.
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