Miniatures news, July 1985
A number of books has been published about toy and model cars and the means of collecting them but a usefully compact work under this heading, if a rather expensive one, that has just been published is “Model And Toy Road Vehicles” by Michael Worthington-Williams and Peter Roberts. The publishers of this 172 page, 9 1/2″ x 6″ book are the Longman Group of Longman House, Burnt Mill, Harlow, Essex, CM20 2JE, and the price is £19.95. I see it is dedicated to me and the late W. H. Charnock — embarrassing because the only model cars I have made have been of Meccano!
The authors cover all kinds of miniature vehicles except professionally made ones like the cars by Twining and others of the Queen’s Dolls’ House of 1924 and the three large models of the original Silver Ghost Rolls-Royce made for the R-R Company around 1907, or model cars intended for children to ride in New to me, however, is a similar model which according to a picture. caption was given to actual purchasers of a real 40/50 hp Rolls-Royce, circa 1910, until 50 had been presented. (Does the R-REC have any knowledge of this?). The book also half-convinces me that the tin-plate ModelT Fords I so prized as a boy, buying them from Woolworth’s for 6d each in the mid1920s, must have been Bing miniatures, although the saloon version isn’t mentioned, only the two-seater and coupe which I well remember . . . I do not think the big clockwork 37.2 hp Hispano Suiza tourer is mentioned, either, but there is a picture of the JEP Delage saloon, one of which I had along with my splendid 7.5 hp clockwork Citroen, until I cannibalised the former into an open tourer — eligible for Brooklands, of course. . . There are plenty of b&w and colour pictures, including tinplate makers, trademarks from New Cavendish Books “The Art of the Tin Toy” and lists o,’ model makers, museums, magazines, etc. — W.B.
From Bellini Models, the Piccolino series of miniatures has been expanded by the arrival of a BRM P154, a Lister Jaguar and two Grand Prix cars, the Lotus 16 and the Connaught A. These tiny models, about an inch long, are very well-made, with some extremely fine details such as mirrors and steering wheels added separately. One might quibble a little at the shape of the Lotus, but overall these cars are very convincing models which even boast correct pattern wheels for each subject. Kits are from £4.16, with finished and painted cars from £6.66, and Piccolino will be releasing 24 models a year. Their address is Charwell House, Wilson Road, Alton, Hants. — G.C.