Dinky Toys: TV Shows, Space and Specials
Including Gerry Anderson and other TV shows plus specials and novelties
A contributor to this site David Fortune is selling this fluorescent orange 108 Sam’s Car. He’s asking £600 but is open to reasonable offers. If interested please contact me at the site address (see ABOUT) with your email address and I will put you in contact directly with him to confirm the details and description of the item.
Please note: I’m advertising this as a courtesy for David, and receiving no financial inducement for the advertising or after any sale!
There’s an interesting version of the 355 Lunar Rover on eBay at present (Buy It Now listing ends 28th April 2019). It’s the ‘Tioxide Paints’ version and priced at £225 – not cheap but they are pretty rare.
But it was not just the Lunar Rover or even Dinky that only caught the marketing people at Tioxide Paints’ eye. A Corgi Concorde and a Spot-On Land Rover were also branded with Tioxide. I am led to understand that all three toy companies provided unpainted models to the firm who then coated them with a Tioxide based paint (the Tioxide bit is a whitening chemical and still used today) and stickers, and this done was around 1967/68.
There were only a few models produced for senior managers and favoured clients.
Just a few weeks before Dinky’s factory at Binns Road, Liverpool closed, Airfix, who owned Dinky, held their annual dinner dance at the London Hilton. Today I suppose it would be unthinkable to hold such an event as the company spiralled into bankruptcy but in 1979 it apparently wasn’t.
The guests were all given a memento of the occasion, a specially commissioned gold painted 362 Trident Starfighter, only commercially available in black during its limited production run.
One of these souvenirs is being auctioned at Vectis Auctions on the 16th January 2019
The model comes from Dr Edward Force’s collection, who has written a series of excellent reference books so it has an interesting provenance.
The box label is sadly missing the hand written signature of Ray McNiece, Meccanos’ last Managing Director who had only been in post since May of 1979 but the toy is otherwise a poignant memory of the end of a great brand.
Update: Sold for £120
Disclaimer: I have no connection to Vectis Auctions or to the item and as with all auctions please check the details carefully before you bid.
The listing is unfortunately timed as it ends on January 7th but I suppose if one cancels Xmas and invests the money [c£215 plus postage from the U.S.!] then 2019 would be a very good year for one collector.
The auction is for a late version 104, with stickers and a black bumper, but also with a brown rather than red seat. I have one in my collection and it can be viewed here.
This variant is rare and it’s hard to find one in this good condition.
Disclaimer: I have no connection to the seller or the item and as with all eBay auctions please check carefully before you bid.
In case you missed the news (I did!), last year Sixteen 12 Collectibles announced they would be producing a replica of Dinky’s 359 Dinky Eagle Transporter although the website currently states awaiting for licensor approval.
Assuming the sizing is similar then it looks pretty good but of course pricing is key and this and the availability date is still yet to be announced.
This is their promo video.
Sixteen 12 collectibles are the re-incarnation of Product Enterprises and Iconic Replicas
The highlight of Sworder’s auction on the 10th October were the two Gerry Anderson props from the Investigator TV show. For full details see my earlier post.
The estimate for each prop was between £6,000 ($7,800) and £8,000 ($10,400) but in a fairly muted bidding process the car made £6,000 ($7,800) and the boat £5,400 ($7,020)
The Gerry Anderson’s Secret Service TV series agent Fr Unwin’s ‘Batmobile’ was in fact a Model T Ford called Gabriel which Dinky reproduced in 1969 as the 109 Gabriel Model T Ford.
In the TV series a real Model T Ford was used as well as a 1/3 size radio controlled model for the marionettes.
The actual car still exists today in great condition and is owned by Charles Bussey.
For the full story on how this fantastic prop went from TV stardom to genteel retirement visit Moonbase Central, Paul Wood’s excellent site that covers just about every space toy ever released.
Click here for The Gabriel Story
