Miniature News
These fascinating motor-car miniatures flood the market in great variety nowadays and competition between the manufacturers is keen indeed. Meccano have recently introduced a fine Dodge Royal saloon, No. 191 in the Dinky range; complete with twin headlamps, tail fins, twin tail lamps, swept tail, wrap-round windscreen and back window, and whitewall tyres, priced at 3s. 6d., including p.t., this replica being 4-7/16 in. in length. In their Dublo Dinky Toys range there is an Austin taxi, No. 067, priced at 2s. 6d. Realising that the laying out of the present big variety of Dinky car models must present a problem, Meccano provide a road layout or pavement set (No. 754) priced at 2s. 64., which should help with the study, shelf or spare-room roadway.
The big Dinky of the year, so far, however, is the splendid Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith replica (No. 150) referred to in Motor Sport last month. This beautiful, smooth-running miniature with brightly-plated bumpers, lamps, wheels and radiator grille and duotone finish, is selling strongly at 5s. 6d.
Lesney are building up a strong reputation for accurate and fascinating models in their “Matchbox” series. Recent additions in the tiny “Moko Lesneys” include brightly-coloured 3.4 .Jaguar (No. 65) and DS19 Citroën (No. 66) cars, and a very realistic Scammell breakdown truck (No. 64), the military Lesney replicas making an excellent subject for collectors. In the “Matchbox Major” series the latest Lesney is a Ruston-Bucyrus excavator (No. 4) with working digger, running on rubber caterpillar tracks and finished in bright colours, just the job for excavating model motor-roads!
Not to be outdone, Playcraft Toys have brought out a Corgi Ford Thunderbird replica, this model of the latest four-seater American Thunderbird measuring 4-1/16 in. in length, being 1-1/2 in. wide and 1-1/16 in. high, its weight being just under 4 oz. It is finished in authentic colour schemes and costs 3s. 6d. in cream and green free-running form, or 4s. 9d. for the rose-pink and black mechanically-propelled (friction drive) version. All the foregoing motor-car replicas will be found in the better toy shops. — W. B.