IN MINIATURE

IN MINIATURE

With the approach of Christmas the jolly little miniatures of real cars now to be seen in most toy shops take on a new significance. Grown-up men take miniature railways very seriously, so why shouldn’t we build similar replicas, a racing car factory, for instance, or the Paddock of a race course, or at least provide our collection of tiny racing cars with suitable ” transports.” fitted-up as such vans and lorries would be in real life ? Perhaps the best of all the miniatures are the Nieman° ” Dinky ” toys. The Editor is a self-confessed collector and has added the very latest aulditions to his collection. They are a very detailed Land Rover, a Morris Oxford saloon, it Hodson Commodore saloon and a station wagon. Meccano issue proper specifiefitions to their retailers about, each one which is probably why these replicas are so realistic. ‘hie makes: represented include Riley, Triumph, Austin A40, Standard Vangilard and Ford, besides Many commercials ; prices range from 2s. Id. to 3s. each. In rather larger scales, there are the fluid Valley ” WeeKin ” ears, of which realistic replicas of the ‘Ullman Nlitrs, Humber Super Snipe and Sunbeam-Talbot, the lastnamed in authentic jewelescent are made specially for Rootes, Ltd.. and the Tri-ang ” Minie ” Buicks and Nlorrises. These have clockwork motors controlled to provide a sensible running speed to a scale 40 m.p.h. or so. The time seems ripe for more raving-car models, like the, alas now defunct. Seamold E.R.A.s, etc., or the large-scale clockwork 1’2 AlfaRomeos of the ‘twenties. Which enter

prising firm will be first in the field ?

IV. B.